VCU Rams: Breaking Down Shaka Smart’s ‘Havoc’ Defense, How To Beat It

VCU’s “Havoc” defense has given fits to opposing offenses. (sports-logos-screensavers.com)

Since the VCU first burst onto the scene during their 2011 Final Four run, the Rams have been known for a hard-nosed, fast-paced defense that Shaka Smart has dubbed “Havoc”. In five short years, Smart has taken a little known mid-major and transformed them into a national name simply by focusing on defense, something few teams in college basketball do these days.

VCU’s success has led Smart to be headhunted for higher profile jobs, most recently Smart’s name was connected to the Minnesota head coach opening after the firing of Tubby Smith. Smart opted to stay at VCU and continue to build on the program he has taken to new levels.

In mid-major basketball, you need to make a name for yourself one way or another in order to be nationally respected. Smart and VCU have done just that with their style of defense.

Here, we’ll break down what makes the “Havoc” defense so tough to compete against and how teams can beat it.

“Havoc” Defense Breakdown:

VCU’s defense is predicated off turnovers, ranking first nationally in turnover ratio (VCU: 8.0; next highest: 5.9). Most of those turnovers come from steals where VCU averaged almost 12 per game last season (also first nationally). So where do all these turnovers come from?

This answer cannot be portrayed by stats. It is something you would only be able to see on film. The Rams play at a fast pace. So fast that their opponents are often in shock of how fast they play, even their centers can move up and down the court with ease. It’s all about conditioning. Only a well-conditioned team can play at such a furious defensive pace.

Aside from just conditioning, the VCU defense uses a combination of full court pressure, trapping their opponents in the corner and playing off the opponent’s mistakes. VCU relies on rattling the opponents into creating their own misfortunes. Sloppy play is the one thing that makes the defense click. If the opponent is throwing lazy passes, the defenders will jump that pass for the steal.

VCU stays in great defensive position throughout the game, staying low in order to move faster. Each players has very active hands to help disrupt passes and get inside the head of the offense even when they don’t get the steal.

Quick feet, active hands, consistently staying on their assigned man, on-ball pressure and being aggressive are the keys to the “Havoc” defense for Shaka Smart’s Rams.

Now that we know what the Rams do to be so successful on defense, how do you beat it?

Beating the “Havoc” Defense:

What makes the “Havoc” defense so great is that it’s basic fundamentals. It’s the same things every basketball player learns in their middle school days. Smart has been able to instill a sense of determination in his team’s defense.

In order to highlight how to beat this vaunted VCU defense, we’ll take a look at the Rams’ humiliating defeat at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines in the Round of 32 in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Now, the argument can be made that Michigan was so successful because they had four future first round NBA draft picks (two in 2013 in Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, two in current Wolverines Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III) on the roster, but it’s not quite that simple.

Instead, Michigan used the basic essentials of basketball and solid coaching by John Beilein to embarrass VCU all game long, coming away with a 78-53 victory.

Michigan played smart basketball. Every time VCU got set into their full court pressure, Burke and Hardaway did not panic or overthink the situation, something “Havoc” defense thrives on. They were calm and looked for the easy pass to break it. Once in the half-court, they relied on their offensive execution to get scores.

Burke did have seven turnovers in the game, but the Wolverines made sure they were never in a situation where those turnovers could cost them the game. They were patient and executed for easy scores, not relying on contest three-pointers to win them the game.

It also doesn’t hurt to play solid defense yourself. The majority of VCU’s defensive sets come after scores, in which they ranked 11^th in the country last season. If the Rams can’t score then they can’t get set, opening the floor up for the opposition. As ironic as it sounds, the best way to combat a great defense is to play great defense.

VCU is a great team that plays great defense. While “Havoc” gets a lot of attention for their success, it’s not impossible to defeat. In fact, it’s quite easy as long as you follow the previously mentioned easy steps. It may seem like a lot to overcome in one game, but that’s what it takes to take down Shaka Smart’s Rams.

Beating “Havoc” can be done, but it’s a tall order. In order to beat this vaunted, fast paced defense you must stay focused all game long, something that has proved to be difficult to VCU’s opponents in recent years. It’s amazing where simple defensive tactics can take a team.

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