We’ve talked about our fascination with Mamadou N’Diaye, the 7’6 UC-Irvine center who has the Anteaters on top of the Big West conference. His height and length change the game in a lot of ways, many of them obvious. For example, Wednesday night against Cal Poly, he went 7-of-9 from the field for 21 points and had eight blocks.
Here’s how to use a 7’6 guy to get your team a huge late-game 3
Having a 7’6 guy is very helpful, and not just for easy dunks and tons of blocks!
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
But as this designed play to force overtime shows, having a 7’6 guy doesn’t just change the game in the obvious ways:
If this ain't #SCTop10 for @UCImbb, I don't know what is... Game-tying 3! #BWCMBB pic.twitter.com/upFjPdUoZI
— Big West MBB (@BigWestMBB) February 4, 2016
Down three with under five seconds left inbounding from under your own basket is one of the toughest plays in basketball. You need to complete a super-long pass or have a player catch the ball in the backcourt and sprint to a range where a shot is possible. It's almost impossible to get a good look, so your chances often come down to a random heave.
Not when you have a player like N’Diaye, though. The Anteaters planted N’Diaye at the opposing three-point line and hurled the ball in his general vicinity. For most players, there’s very little chance this pass is successful. But nobody is snagging the ball away from the 7’6 guy. The defense rushes to him out of instinct, even though there’s little chance of him shooting a three. So, he passes to a wide-open Jaron Martin, a 38 percent shooter from three.
The clock doesn’t start until the ball touches N’Diaye’s hands, so Martin doesn’t even have to rush his shot. By the time the ball swishes through the hoop to force OT, there’s still about a second left. It’s almost like the play Valpo ran to beat Ole Miss ... except the guy catching the ball is 7’6, which makes catching it easier. UC-Irvine went on to win in overtime, 78-72.
Earlier this year N'Diaye was part of the tallest tip-off in college hoops history, then he was part of the tallest starting lineup in college hoops history.
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