Chris Jacobs is an active participant in the gaming
community. An admin at ncaaStrategies.com, he is also a member of numerous
gaming websites under his screen name 'cdj.' A huge college sports fan, he
spends a lot of time playing NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball, but also enjoys
all types of video games. To keep up with cdj, follow him at
www.twitter.com/ncaaStrategies
Thanks for checking out the first edition of the 'From the
Corner' blog. Each week, I hope to bring a fresh take on the game to help new
players to the game become better players and to help experienced players
establish better fundamentals. Make sure to leave feedback on this blog and
ideas for future blogs in the comments below.
One of the most prevalent questions on forums across the web in regards to NCAA
Basketball 10 is "How do I play better defense?" Here are some quick tips which
should offer some immediate improvement to your defense. (With NBA Live 10 and
NCAA Basketball 10 being similar in gameplay, these tips will help on each
title.)
Know Your Role - or use Defensive Assist
Whether you are in man-to-man or zone, always know (or have a very good idea)
of where you should be at on the court with the goal being to stay between the
ballhandler and the basket. If you lose your man defensively, the computer and
human foes are excellent at finding the open man and getting them either an
easy or wide-open shot.
In NBA LIVE 10, the user controlled defensive player will have a small arrow
under them pointing towards where they should be on the court - towards their
defensive assignment or area for zone defense. In NCAA Basketball 10, you don't
have that safety net which helps replicate how essential it is for college players
to know the Xs & Os if they wish to get on the court and be successful.
However, each game offers help if you keep getting out of position - the
Defensive Assist feature. When on defense, hold down R1/RB and your man will go
to the proper spot on the court (when in zone) or stay in front of their man
(in man-to-man defense). To see the Defensive Assist feature in action, check
out this NBA
LIVE 10 video from EA SPORTS Live team member Eric Gray.
Defensive Assist will get you in position, but it's still up
to you to make the big play as it will not make your player attempt to steal the
ball, rebound, or block shots.
Close-Out Animation vs. Shot Block
In many basketball games, human controlled defenders have often gotten out of
position when attempting to block a shot, allowing their foe to drive to the
hoop or shoot an open jumper. In NCAA Basketball 10, the 'Block' button (TRI/Y)
has two uses. Tapping it or briefly hitting it gives the user a 'close-out'
animation, where the defender steps into the face of the shooter. This helps
improve defensive pressure and does not let the offensive player take an open
shot or drive to the hoop. If you hold down the TRI/Y button, the defender will
jump to block the shot.
When deciding which to use, here's my rule of thumb: If you are guarding a
player on the perimeter, just tap the TRI/Y button to stay on your man. Under
the hoop, be more liberal in hitting the TRI/Y button to try and block the
shot.
Call for Help/Double Team
Should you get out of position or allow the offensive player to get past you
and find him driving towards the hoop, all is not lost. Quickly hold down
Circle/B and that calls for a double team on the ballhandler. With the
offensive player driving to the basket, you won't have much time to stop him
but this will usually get a defender in his way to slow him down and maybe force
a bad shot. Keep in mind that should you get two defenders converging on the
ballhandler, another offensive player may end up open. However, that may lead
to a bad pass or a long range shot - both of which are better than an
uncontested layup.
Finally, here is a brief video breaking down all of these basic tips and how
they can help your game. As you know, basketball is often a game where just a
few plays here and there can decide the outcome. If you make your foe attempt
even a handful of more difficult shots each game, you will be markedly more
competitive.
In future blogs, we'll expand upon these building blocks. In the meantime,
please leave any and all feedback in the comments below.
To wrap up this blog, I have a homework assignment for all of you. I'd like to
know what plays or style(s) of play give you fits. It can be in online play,
against a roommate, or something the computer runs against you. Down the line,
we'll have a blog (or several) breaking down what can be done to be successful
against that play or scheme.
Interested in becoming an EA SPORTS Game Changer? Check out http://bit.ly/bdfJEB for more information!