The post defense is not the issue....if you allow any college player, unlimited space less than 5 feet from the basket and the ability to turn in either direction, without the fear of a 2nd defensive player, that player should score. I don't care if it's Zach Edey, Kofi Cockburn, Keegan Murray or NDs Paul Atkinson.
The defense RU decided to implement was not what they employed all year. They were willing to give up 2s, to avoid a barrage of 3s....in theory, up 8 early in the 2nd half, that process was working. It was until RU turned it over (sloppy passing) or didn't get the couple of key shots made from their bench (Mag. Hyatt etc).
The true breakdown is when you are deciding to "stay with your man, or switch through screens, eventually ND ran something that isolated Mulcahy on someone....and it didn't matter who it was, the player Mulcahy guarded, got by Paul way too easily and got layups or easy baskets. The exposure of Mulcahy, not Cliff was the difference in the game, based on how they decided to defend.
In time, when you are outside of your own league and see a team like ND, like a Virginia Tech that spreads you out and chucks up 3s, you have to make a decision on defense. And if you have a shaky on ball defender, you'll give up points and will need to outscore them and not give up 2nd shots or have turnovers on offense.
I also think the overall media consensus about the strength or lack of quality wins by the ACC vs other leagues was an issue to a certain degree.....Vegas had the game as a toss up or 50/50 game.
The matchup of styles isn't always available when the league you have to play most of your games against, isn't built like ND, VT, Wake Forest, UNC, Duke etc....in reality, those teams in the ACC will shoot their way to a win here or there, but it's not sustainable as a way to win extended games against other NCAA caliber teams.....if you are RU or a B1G team and you hang your hat on defense, you need to recruit players or athletes that can defend 1 on 1 against most players. It only takes one player breaking down or not being quick enough or able to guard, that breaks down the entire defense. There is a reason why RU did not play this specific game plan more than a couple of times this year (Purdue twice and parts of games vs Northwestern and Iowa).
When you play teams like NW, they run a similar system to ND and they also had success against RU in a normal defense, because RU isn't built on athletes from player 1 to 13. The more any team starts looking for "players who can shoot, but can't defend, you'll ultimately never succeed at a high level, recruiting offensive first players who are below average or poor 1 on 1 defenders.
It ultimately would have been very exposed vs Alabama, because even though Bama isn't a good shooting team from 3, if you can't guard 1 on 1, they're going to just go downhill and make you defend. The matchup would have been a different style of attack that ND presented, buy Bama would have been feasting on the offensive glass and put back dunks, if you can't keep the guards out of the paint.
These are things that only get fixed by revamping the roster or getting the existing players more reps in practice and more disciplined when playing defense. If I were Pike, I would just grab another normal 2 way guard who can play both ends of the floor.....any normal guard with reasonable skill level on defense and handling the ball, with an ability to score.....can that player be a compliment to Derek Simpson. Who I think fits that model.....,can Jaden Jones be that type of defensive player.....I would target a wing/guard who can do what Caleb does, play the 3rd guard/wing, can help with the ball and round out the defense.
