Harding plus glass. If Harding is human, the offense gets thin fast.
2-1
Record
Harding plus the glass
Identity
Harding makes the game about threes, Greene and Banker make the game about second chances
Win condition
Extreme scorer plus rebound monsters
§ Defense
What FFLT give up
PPG allowed64.7
FG% allowed35.0%
2P% allowed40.9%
3P% allowed31.5%
3PM allowed10.3
REB allowed36.0
AST allowed11.0
FTA allowed13.7
TO forced6.3
Most 3PM allowed (league-high)· 10.3 per game on 34.3 attemptsFewest turnovers forced· 6.3 per game
Our attack theme
This is the cleanest shooting matchup. They allow a league-high 10.3 made threes on 34.3 attempts, and they force the fewest turnovers at 6.3. That screams ball movement, paint touch, kick-out, reverse, shoot.
Per-game averages allowed, derived from 3 games per team in the uploaded league box scores. Small sample — real signal, still small.
§ Exploit
Bulldogs exploit sheet
Weakness to forceThree-point volume and easy half-court creation. FFLT allows 10.3 made threes per game, the most in the league, and forces only 6.3 turnovers, the fewest.
This is the cleanest shooting matchup on the board. Greene and Banker rebound, but they do not want to defend in space. Plumlee is the best Bulldog to punish that with pull-ups, turn-the-corner drives, and pocket-pass reads. Burton is the second hunter because once their bigs step out, the roll and offensive glass open. Benson is the connector here because Harding is the one perimeter matchup that can burn energy. Use Benson to create and make Harding work on defense instead of forcing hero scoring.
First 3 actions to call
1Plumlee-Burton high PnR at Greene or Banker
2Spain PnR with Burton rolling and a back-screen on the big
3Benson off-ball curl or pindown to make Harding chase and rotate
Shot dietGreen light from deep, but only off paint touch or a forced switch.
Staff cardPlumlee first. Burton rolls and cleans. Benson creates. Call: high PnR, Spain, off-ball curl for Benson.
§ Shot diet
Target shot diet — Green light from deep
24-26
Team 3PA target
Mark Plumlee
Primary shooter
Jeff Attila
Secondary
Volume
Theme
Most 3PA should go to Plumlee, Attila, and Benson, with Smith next if available. Mueller is out for the season, so his 3PA are redistributed — Plumlee absorbs the extra stretch-five volume. FFLT allows 10.3 made threes per game, the most in the league. Their structural weakness is defending space around Greene and Banker. This is the matchup where our real shooters should get real volume.
This is the matchup where real shooters get real volume.
What actually beats Bulldogs here
Harding gets comfortable early
Greene and Banker own the glass
Bulldogs try to answer with quick threes instead of pressure at the rim
This game gets lost when Bulldogs get emotionally dragged into Harding's shot-making. The answer is not to win the same game harder. The answer is to make the game about workload, rebounding, and rim pressure instead of pure shot trading.
§ Read
Matchup read in plain language
FFLT is not balanced. It just feels that way when Harding is on fire and the bigs are cleaning up misses. If Harding is crowded and Greene and Banker are boxed out first, the offense gets thin fast. Bulldogs should treat this as a star-containment game with a rebounding tax attached.
Plumlee on Greene in space or as the first switch body
Burton on Banker first, then as glass anchor
Attila on Manseth
D. O'Reilly on the other rebound piece or bigger wing
§ Coverage
What to deny · What to dare
What to deny
Harding rhythm threes in transition
Harding clean catches off screening action
Greene and Banker free runs to the glass
The temptation to play their pace and shot diet
Easy kick-ahead threes after long rebounds
What to dare
Greene jumpers
Banker anything outside point-blank finishes
Manseth creating under pressure
Walk, Dineen, Rusk, Webb proving they can score enough to matter
Greene and Banker trying to make plays on the move instead of just cleaning glass
§ First five
First five priorities
First five — offense
1Make Greene or Banker guard in space on the first two trips
2Attack the rim before the defense loads up to the arc
3Run after rebounds because their bigs are slow getting back
4Force Harding to defend movement and not rest
5Touch the paint before trying to punish with kick-out threes
First five — defense
1Face-guard Harding immediately
2Chase every Harding screen action hard
3Hit Greene and Banker before they hit the ball
4Keep Burton home enough to end possessions
5Do not foul Harding into rhythm
§ Script
Scripted first five possessions
1Early drag screen with Benson and Burton at Greene or Banker
2Plumlee catch and attack before help is set
3Burton rim run after a defensive rebound
4Re-screen action to make the same big defend twice
5Empty-corner drive with weak-side rebounding coverage ready
§ Why
Why those first actions matter
Those first actions are designed to do two things. First, they make FFLT's bigs guard movement instead of just camping near the glass. Second, they force Harding to play both ends. If Harding is allowed to rest defensively and just hunt shots, Bulldogs are helping the wrong player stay fresh.
§ Bench
Bench and rotation notes
This is a Morrison and D. O'Reilly game if the glass gets ugly
Smith matters if Bulldogs need another scorer without sacrificing spacing
Small lineups are fine only if they still rebound
If Burton gets two fouls, Bulldogs need frontcourt rebounding before they need spacing
§ Scout
Opponent personnel & directives
Identity: Harding is Their Entire Offense
33.7 PPG, 60.6% 3P, 11 3PA/game. When GN sold out on him (Apr 16), held the rest of FFLT to 20 pts. Sell out on Harding, live with everyone else — they're all sub-30% shooters.
33.7 PPG · 50% FG · 60.6% 3P · 6/9, 7/10, 7/14 across 3 games
🚨 FACE-GUARD. Never leave. Chase through every screen. Hard-show or trap on all ball screens. Force ball out of his hands. Benson primary, Plumlee in switches.
Turnover-prone under pressure. Force him left. Apply on-ball pressure.
§ Halftime
Halftime trigger tree
If Harding has 20 plus
Trap him off every ball screen
Box-and-1 is live
Make somebody else start the offense for a full stretch
Live with the wrong guy taking rhythm shots if that is the cost of taking the ball out of Harding's hands
If Greene and Banker have 8 plus offensive rebounds combined pace
Go bigger
Put more size on the floor and make Burton the center of the offense on the other end
Hit first, not just jump second
If the role players are making shots
Live with it longer than feels comfortable
Harding is still the engine
Do not bend the whole defense away from him just because a role player hit two shots
Re-check whether those shots came from overhelp or from just normal variance
If Bulldogs are chasing the game
Do not match threes with threes
Get to the rim and the foul line area of the floor
Make their bigs move
Shorten the pass, simplify the possession, then attack the second action
§ Late
End-of-half and late-game details
This is not the team to foul casually. Bulldogs are better off making them score over structure than helping them stabilize with free throws. Offensively, the team should still think paint first, action second, kick-out third. Burton is the late foul-line priority (Mueller out for season).
§ Close
If ahead · If behind or tied
If ahead
Do not foul if it can be avoided
Use Burton as the late free throw handler (Mueller out for season)
Make Harding defend a real action before every late-clock touch
If behind or tied
Benson starts the action
Burton finishes the foul math
Do not let the possession end in a bailout jump shot trying to answer Harding heroics
If Harding gives it up, crowd the return pass hard
§ Dossier
Shorthand game plan — original dossier notes
When we have the ball
Attack Greene and Banker in space.
Transition — they're slow getting back after rebounding.
Attack the rim — FFLT allows 50% 2P.
Don't get into a 3-point shooting war.
Run the floor through Benson and Plumlee.
When they have the ball
Trap Harding off every ball screen.
Face-guard him off the ball.
Burton sags off Banker to protect the rim.
Box out — FFLT is the #1 rebounding team.
Don't foul Harding (81% FT, 60% FT in game 2).
Keys to win
Trap Harding on every ball screen — force someone else to beat us.
Transition offense.
Attack Greene and Banker in space.
Protect the glass — Burton at 10+.
Don't jack 3s — don't play their style.
One-sentence bench message
This is Harding first, glass second, everything else third.