I am not going to list out each ST. John's offensive possession - and therefore each RU's defensive possession. BUT ... I just rewatched the game on BTN+ and charted each of RU's defensive possessions, except TWO or THREE between the 4 min left and the 2 minute left mark (for some reason the BTN+ replay cut out those 2 minutes).
But after charting the game, I am actually more optimistic about the team - and I was generally pleased anyway. There ARE definitely holes to shore up with defensive rebounding, defensive rotations, help defense, etc. ... but the staff has 3 full weeks to continue that coaching and development, plus another 3 weeks of relatively easier games before Las Vegas ... and RU's defensive generally does improve during the course of the season on top of that.
Here are a few takeaways:
1) Ogbole was much better than the average fan will think. I will bet you the coaching staff will evaluate Ogbole's game vs St. Johns very differently and much better than the casual fan. For example, I will note that St. John's Ejiofor scored 19 2nd Half points - but other than the 2 minutes BTN+ did not show (during which St. John's scored 4 points), Ejiofor only scored TWO points when Ogbole was in the game ... that's right ... just 2 points. In the 1st half, Ejiofor scored 6 points total, but just 2 points while Ogbole was in the game ... and that FG was when Derkack got caught covering Ejiafor on a switch: Ejiofor posted, missed, got his own miss and put it back in. So ... when Ogbole was in the game, during his 21 minutes of playing time, Ejiofor scored just 4 points (though he may have gotten 4 more in the 2 minutes missing from the BTN+ replay). Ejiofor DID get some offensive rebounds when Ogbole was in the game, but Ejiofor NEVER scored himself off those offensive rebounds - Ogbole successfully contested and prevented the put back. I am not saying Ogbole is a star. nor that he did not make mistakes. But I am convinced upon charting the game that Ogbole was MUCH better than I thought initially. I would add that Ogbole reliably ran the floor in transition, on both offense and defense - and never got beaten down the floor by his man, and several times beat HIS man down the floor on offensive transition. As a sub-commentary: Ogbole showed more often than not he knew where to be defensively (not perfect, but relatively solid, IMO). Still, Ogbole DOES have a lot to learn - not trying to minimize that.
2) RU's help defense DOES need work ... no surprise with so many new players and with 3 weeks of practice before any real game. The player who MOST needs work is Harper. With all due respect to the star Harper IS, and WILL BE, there were numerous breakdowns in his off-ball defense. These led to back-doors, lack of help defense and several times failure to box out. When defending off the ball, Harper showed a tendency to stand around watching his teammates, rather than focusing on either his man, or the proper position to be for help defense. Fortunately, these things can be taught and learned. The staff will have good film from the St. John's game to show and teach. Bailey also needs work to be taught when and where to help - but he made fewer of those errors than did Harper, and his ridiculous quickness and leaping ability allowed him several times to recover from being out of position to make excellent help plays from the weakside. Derkack was ... oddly frustrating. Spectacular defense both on the ball and at times in help and in transition defense. But ALSO he was slow to get back several times in defensive transition, and several times lost his man on box outs.
3) Post Defense and Overall: Ogbole was by far and away the best of the 3 centers ... Somerville was not as bad as I initially thought (my apologies to my initial impression) - though he did get absolutely schooled on one drop step move by Ejiofor. Martini was ... okay, no better. He could not defend a taller player in the post when he did not get help - like not at all, no resistance. And he regularly got beaten down the court in defensive transition. Sommerville's biggest issue upon charting the game is something that CAN be cured through practice and experience: He actually did not seem to know where he was supposed to be on the court either on offense or defense ... Ogbole and Martini seemed much more in the flow both offensively and defensively.
FYI: RU's biggest issue in the 2nd half was Richmond, who totally controlled the game with getting seemingly every defensive rebounding, triggering transition offense, getting to the rim (where RU actually defended him decently) - opening things up for his teammates. He is that good, if you think about it. Not that Ejiofor did not have a huge 2nd half - he did (though not against Ogbole) ... but Richmond was the catalyst.
Other notes:
a) Harper was not as bad defensively with his 4th foul as I initially thought (though he did paly a bit of matador defense on 2 plays). In a real game he still would have been removed at the 6+ minute mark when he got his 4th foul to be rested until the 4 minute time out.
b) Pikiell had the wrong mix of players on the floor in the last 2 minutes of the game - and it led directly to the key turnover, maybe BOTH key turnovers at the end. The line up was interesting - RU went small: Bailey at the "5", nominally, plus Harper, Williams, Derkack and Davis. But there were several stoppages, and opportunities to sub offense for defense, which Pikiell did not do. There is no doubt Hayes should have been in the game for offense for either Derkack or Davis - probably Davis. Harper's drive where he was stripped (it was 85-86 St. Johns, St. Johns got 2 FT in transition after that to make it 85-88) was partly because Harper lost a fraction of control of his dribble as he drove (can happen sometimes - atypical for Harper, usually), but also partly because Davis was in the corner and the St. John's defender could cheat much more - if Hayes had been in and in the corner instead, perhaps (not for sure) the St. Johns defender can't or won't cheat as much - and not be in a position to strip the ball on the double team. And, the next possession (also after a stoppage, so an offensive sub was possible), Derkack tried to pass the ball to the top of the key as he was doubled - to Davis ... Richmond stole the ball ... Richmond was playing at the foul line, covering both the top of the key and the access pass to Bailey who had smartly cut down the middle to the middle of the lane. Had Hayes been in the game, perhaps Richmond may have had to cheat a little higher towards Hayes, and that would have allowed Drekack to pass to Bailey in the lane instead. Perhaps Derkack should have passed to Bailey anyway - lofting it high up where only Bailey could have caught it, over Richmond. These are all things to learn by the staff and the team.
I am sure I will think of more as people comment.
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