March Madness - Turn on your TVs

March Madness is here, and play-in games begin in less than twelve hours. The 132 teams that qualify to play in the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament, plus the teams playing in other post season tournaments, have all completed extremely successful seasons and have earned the right to keep playing. What that means is that there is some great basketball coming your way the next three weeks.

Watching basketball can greatly impact your basketball IQ. March Madness is important to you if you want to be a better, smarter basketball player. It’s that simple. Be willing to learn from these players and coaches as they take the court in a survive and advance post-season where the culmination of their work all season is on display and hopefully at its peak.
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A few things to watch for to increase your IQ and enjoy these games as a student:
-Pick a player at your position and watch them move without the ball. Watch how active they are off the ball.
-Follow a team that is known for their defense. Study Virginia’s pack line defense (watch their post hedge and recover). Watch Syracuse’s zone and how teams attack it. Pay attention to the effort behind Texas Tech’s man to man pressure. Everybody loves defense right?
-Challenge yourself to study good shot selection. Do Villanova and Auburn take too many threes or is this a good strategy? Who is scoring easy points in the paint? Are teams assisting buckets or going one on one?
-Watch a good finisher and study the way they use their body to create contact and space. (My suggestions: RJ Barrett, Duke; Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon; Coby White, UNC)
-Want to be a better rebounder? Watch the board play of Luke Maye (UNC), Dedric Lawson (Kansas), and Ethan Happ (Wisconsin), or Kristine Anigwe (Cal women) and PEAK’s own Bayley Plummer (App State) on the women’s side.
-Pay attention to how much a shooter on the floor changes the game. You want to play? Learn how to make shots!!

March is one of the very best times of the year! Enjoy the madness, and be sure to find ways to grow while you watch.

#getbetter