Will Miami Slow Down Indiana's All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis?
During the Miami Hurricanes first win during the NCAA Tournament, they were tasked with slowing down the Drake Bulldogs leading scorer Tucker DeVries.
The sharpshooter was all but taken out of the game, as Miami held him to 1 of 13 from the floor and only 3 points. The next task will be completely different in terms of what the Canes will face.
Jim Larrañaga and the Hurricanes have faced a plethora of talented big men this season. None will be quite the obstacle to victory like the Indiana Hoosiers power forward Trayce Jackson-Davis.
To date, his statistics have helped to explain the big man’s talent, with averages of 20.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.8 blocks. While Indiana's starting lineup has multiple scoring options, there's no doubt Davis will be the player Indiana head coach Mike Woodson wants the basketball to go to.
What has made Jackson-Davis such a complete player?
For one, the 6-foot-9 and 245-pound Davis comes from a father that was also a tremendous basketball player. Former ACC and Clemson Tiger Dale Davis went on to a really good NBA career after being the 13th overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.
The father of Jackson-Davis played 17 seasons of NBA basketball, and the 6-foot-11 and 250-pound athlete made an impact on both ends of the court, just like his son has done.
Most notably, Davis was a rebounder and rim protector. For the 1992-1993 season, Davis averaged 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. He produced similar numbers for the better part of a decade.
Not surprisingly, the former NBA power forward has seen his son take a similar approach to the game of basketball for much of his career. As Jackson-Davis’s game has grown, however, he’s become more of an all-around player.
Davis was a true power forward, but Jackson-Davis has sometimes become Indiana’s point forward.
It’s not uncommon for the following to happen: Jackson-Davis blocks a shot, rebounds the basketball, brings the ball up the court, drives the lane and scores for Indiana.
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Miami will need to be aware of Davis charging up the court and any one Hurricanes player that can, needs to get in front of him and force Jackson-Davis to pass the basketball before he reaches the top of the key.
TJD doing TJD things. pic.twitter.com/ART63YncC1
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) March 18, 2023
Once he’s 20 feet from the hoop, Jackson-Davis has proven to be one of college basketball’s biggest matchup problems as a scorer and passer.
No matter how he gets the basketball in the paint, that’s where the advanced technical skills have also come into play.
Baseline spin moves, shoulder fakes to get defenders rocking in the wrong direction, a quick turnaround one-handed shot, up-and-under moves, and just facing up and utilizing sheer speed to run past a defender and ultimately rock-the-rim have all led to Jackson-Davis being difficult for any one player to consistently defend.
So, based on defensive strategies, how will Larrañaga and his coaching staff attempt to slow down Indiana’s No. 1 scoring option?
First off, do not expect the Hurricanes to utilize just one form of defense. Against a future NBA player like Jackson-Davis, bringing multiple looks will be the likely defensive concept.
Double teaming the post after Jackson-Davis places the basketball on the deck, being physical with him – something Miami power forward Norchad Omier does naturally – will be important, and truly face-guarding the players attempting to pass him the basketball.
Of course Omier will be one-on-one with Jackson-Davis for much of the contest. It will be a tremendous combination of size, speed, and athleticism.
The one concern for the Canes with that matchup would be Omier getting into foul trouble. The Canes need Omier’s defensive ability, but he’s also averaged 13.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game as well.
If he’s out of the game for any extended period of time, the Canes do not possess another big body to bang with Jackson-Davis.
A wildcard to guarding Indiana’s All-American power forward, perhaps, would be Miami’s defense being ultra-aggressive with attempting to get Hoosiers freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino to give up the basketball. He’s by far Indiana’s steadiest ball handler.
When Hood-Schifino has clicked, the pick-and-roll with Jackson-Davis has often been a consistent choice. Both of these players can score in bunches and work well together, so Miami could trap Hood-Schifino on occasion in an attempt to thwart any chance of that play even truly starting.
That way he’s not as likely to find his main target and Indiana’s best scoring option, plus it forces less steady ball handlers to make decisions; the Canes could gain extra turnovers if that happens.
Overall, Miami will need to attack Jackson-Davis in a myriad of ways. How well the Canes defend him could ultimately decide which team wins tonight’s NCAA Tournament game.
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Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.