March 18--In 2012, Missouri entered the NCAA tournament with one of the best offenses in the country. The Tigers, who had won their conference tournament, led the nation in 2-point shooting and hovered near 40 percent from 3-point range.
Their defense, however, was lacking, ranking just 146th in efficiency.
A No. 2 seed in the tournament, Missouri lost in the round of 64 to Norfolk State.
Last season, Creighton's electrifying offense was the talk of the country and was dazzling to watch. The Bluejays had a player who was one of the best in the country and was capable of taking over a game. But their defense was rated 152nd in the country.
A No. 3 seed in the tournament, Creighton, featuring Doug McDermott, had an off night shooting in the round of 32, and its defense couldn't prevent a 30-point blowout by No. 6 seed Baylor.
If you're looking for an upset candidate this weekend in your brackets, the above can also describe No. 3 seed Notre Dame, the ACC tournament champion featuring one of the most efficient offenses in the country behind senior guard Jerian Grant.
The Irish lead the country in 2-point shooting (58.6 percent) and shoot almost 40 percent from 3-point range, but they are ranked 112th in defensive efficiency. Only 16 teams in the tournament are worse defensively than the Irish.
But there is a reason for the Irish, who open play Thursday against No. 14 seed Northeastern, to be optimistic.
Their defense has improved of late with coach Mike Brey saying he feels better about how the Irish are playing defensively than he has all season. That contributed to the Irish playing their best all-around basketball to take the ACC tournament last week.
"It's the best place it's been all the way around," Brey said "We were at such a high level down there, especially (against Duke and North Carolina), that I think they know how it feels; they know how we prepared. We have a reference point."
Notre Dame had two of its best defensive games of the season against Miami and Duke. As Notre Dame's offense went cold in the second half against the Hurricanes, the Irish's defense won the game in the second. It held Miami to 36 percent shooting.
The numbers against Duke were more impressive. The Blue Devils boast the third-most efficient offense in the country, but Notre Dame held the Blue Devils to 0.97 points per possession. It was the first time Duke averaged less than one point per possession since Dec. 18.
Brey said he challenged his senior leaders, Grant and Pat Connaughton, to step up their effort defensively and that sparked the uptick.
"We took our message personally," Grant said. "It's about guarding the guy. Our help defense has been great, but if you don't need help defense it will help your defense even more."
The Irish hope their defense is more help than hindrance over the next few weeks.
