Looking back at that game against University of the East, I still get that sinking feeling in my stomach. With a quarter remaining, the Green Archers were staring down an eight-point deficit that had once ballooned to a staggering 21 points in the second half. As someone who's analyzed college basketball for over a decade, I've seen this story play out too many times with Western Michigan's offense. The patterns are painfully familiar - the stagnant ball movement, the forced shots, the predictable play-calling that lets defenses settle into comfortable rhythms.
What really struck me about that particular game was how the team's offensive struggles weren't about talent deficiency but rather strategic inflexibility. I've always believed that modern college basketball demands what I call "adaptive offense" - systems that can shift gears multiple times within a single possession, let alone an entire game. Western Michigan's current approach feels like they're trying to win chess matches while only moving pawns forward. They've got the pieces for more sophisticated plays but keep falling back on basic sets that opposing teams can easily decode by halftime.
The numbers from that University of the East game tell a concerning story. During that disastrous stretch where they fell behind by 21 points, the team shot just 28% from the field and an abysmal 15% from beyond the arc. Even more telling was their assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.6 during that period, indicating completely broken ball movement. I've crunched similar numbers across their last 12 games, and there's a clear pattern emerging - when their three-point percentage drops below 32%, they lose 83% of those contests. That's not coincidence; that's a system failing to create quality looks when the outside shot isn't falling.
Here's what I'd love to see them implement - more Spain pick-and-roll actions and what I call "scramble triggers" to break defensive sets. The Spain action, with that sneaky back-screen on the help defender, creates exactly the kind of confusion that leads to open threes or easy rolls to the basket. And those scramble triggers? They're predetermined movements that activate when the initial offense breaks down, preventing those painful 20-second possessions that end with contested jumpers as the shot clock expires. I saw maybe two or three possessions all game where they effectively used off-ball screens to create advantages, and unsurprisingly, those were among their most efficient scoring opportunities.
What really frustrates me is watching their transition offense, or lack thereof. In today's game, you need to capitalize on every possible scoring opportunity, yet they're consistently among the bottom third of Division I teams in fast-break points per game at just 6.8. I counted at least four opportunities against University of the East where they had numbers advantages in transition but slowed the ball down unnecessarily. That's coaching philosophy manifesting on the court, and frankly, it needs to change if they want to compete against top-tier opponents.
The personnel is there for a more dynamic approach. Johnson's ability to drive and kick could be devastating if surrounded by proper spacing and movement. Parker's mid-range game is solid, but he's often forced into difficult shots because the offense doesn't create enough defensive imbalances. What I'd give to see them incorporate more dribble hand-offs with simultaneous off-ball screens - it's a simple action that forces defenders to make split-second decisions, and right now, their offense rarely puts that kind of pressure on opposing defenses.
I'm particularly passionate about their need to develop what I call "emergency options" within their sets. Every great offensive team has 2-3 bailout actions when the defense disrupts the primary read. Watching Western Michigan, it often feels like they have exactly one option per possession, and when that gets taken away, everything collapses into isolation basketball. That University of the East comeback was inspiring, but it shouldn't take facing a 21-point deficit to unlock creative offensive basketball.
The solution isn't about reinventing their entire system overnight. It's about incorporating what I like to call "micro-adjustments" - small tactical wrinkles that keep defenses guessing. Something as simple as varying the angle of screens or changing the timing of cuts can dramatically improve offensive efficiency. I'd start by implementing 3-4 new actions per week in practice, building their comfort with different looks gradually rather than overwhelming them with an entirely new playbook.
At the end of the day, basketball comes down to creating and capitalizing on advantages. Western Michigan has shown flashes of understanding this principle, but consistency remains elusive. That game against University of the East demonstrated both their limitations and their potential within the same forty minutes. The eight-point deficit they nearly overcame shows the fight is there; the twenty-one-point hole they dug themselves into shows the system needs work. As someone who's studied this game for years, I'm convinced that with strategic evolution and commitment to offensive diversity, this team could surprise a lot of people down the stretch this season. The foundation is there - now they need to build something special upon it.
