Do you notice anything about the NCC tournament play? Well, sure, the obvious is all the upsets and surprises. But that is common at this time of year. Something less noticeable, but important from a handicap perspective, is the whole defense. On Friday and Saturday the tournament matches were below the total by 17-8.

This is not unusual either. Every day the tournament throws in teams as the winner (or should we say survivor) progresses to the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final Four. This means that the games are more meaningful. You win and you advance, bringing all kinds of glory and pride to your institution. Lose and go home. The stakes are high. It is natural to assume that defensive intensity will increase as the games become more important.

No more ignoring a loose ball on the floor because a player might not feel like jumping for it, as might happen in a January game. Every fumble, every hustle, every possession could be the difference between advancing or ending the season.

Look what Duke did on Saturday. Duke and George Washington have open offenses, but the Blue Devils can play defense when they put their minds to it. And they put their minds to it, not to mention some hand, elbow, and muscle controls under the glass. Duke kept George Washington on 30% shooting in a 74-61 win that sailed under the total by 22 points.

Other times, teams that like to play with pace are up against teams that like to slow down. Slowdown teams often dictate the pace, which was the case when LSU and Texas A&M clashed. If you watched the game, you would see two teams that refused to allow easy baskets. The result was a tense, tight, slow defensive duel. LSU won in a late sentence despite shooting 35%. A&M got the game they wanted, came up short in the win, but got ATS coverage. Excellent defense allows the homeless a better chance to hold out.

Coaches make a big difference in whether a team knows how to play defense or not. This applies to practice, where the coach has to work to teach players when to switch and recognize what the offense is doing and how to adapt, as well as to make adjustments to the game. UCLA coach Ben Howland is outstanding in both and the Bruins defense saved them in a 62-59 victory over Alabama. The defense made the difference, as UCLA threw free throws after free throws down the stretch.

Other times, teams have little chance of winning a game unless they slow down and try to put up with a tough defense in hopes of upsetting. That was evident Thursday when Penn shot 32% against Texas, but held the Longhorns at 40% in a Texas 60-52 victory. Penn led 23-22 at the half and was only down one point with 5:53 left in the game. “We were able to control the tempo and get the shots we wanted,” said a Penn player.

And what about Bradley? The Braves shot 37% and they STILL upset Pitt, 72-66. The defense led the way, of course. Pitt’s point guard Carl Krauser said before the tournament began that he expected a possible rematch with former Pitt coach Ben Howland and UCLA in the regional final. UPS! Focus on the game at hand, guys. And don’t be surprised if you see more defensive and low-scoring games in the coming weeks, because defense means even more this time of year. Good luck, as always … Al McMordie.