40+ Best Set Plays from the 2021 College Basketball Postseason

The players in this video are from the West Michigan Lakers AAU program.

As a basketball coach, you must be prepared for any defensive alignment. Having go-to set plays is critical for your players to feel confident and know they can get a bucket whenever needed. The 2021 postseason brought some spectacular plays from all 68 teams involved. In this video, Coach Tyler Whitcomb breaks down over 40 different offensive sets that were run during the tournament. From BLOBS to SLOBS to half court sets versus man and zone, you will be able to add several plays to your playbook!

Man Sets

This video is loaded with man-to-man set plays. You'll see a runner series from national semifinalist UCLA that opened up a jump shot from the baseline as they ran a scorer off of two double screens. From Michigan State, Whitcomb shows a cross pindown set that will open up your point guard or shooting guard for an outside 3-pointer, or alternatively your post player for a slip. If you're looking to utilize the ball screen, Liberty ran a UCLA action followed by a post-to-post screen that gives an athletic post a chance to dive from the free throw line to score an easy layup.

You'll see two set plays from Cleveland State that will give you scoring options off of the ball screen. One option is to get your best shooter coming off of the ball screen, and another is for your most athletic wing to be able to get downhill and attack the paint. In Iowa's box set, they were able to open up baseline screening action for their star big man to come off looking for an open shot or paint attack. From Virginia, you'll see how a diagonal screen is used to open up space for your point guard to get a quick look at the basket or come off of a down screen looking for an open shot.

BLOBS and SLOBS

Coach Whitcomb demonstrates a line option from Illinois that leads into a dribble hand-off for your point guard and a double stagger screen for your best shooter. From Mount St. Mary's, Whitcomb diagrams a simple, but highly effective curl down for a stretch 4 to get an outside shot. From North Carolina, you'll see a quick-hitting shot for your best shooter.

If you are looking for an easy SLOB, UCLA ran a cross screen with comeback action that will allow for a wide open 3-pointer.

Bonus Sets

Working camps and training players from all over the world have allowed Coach Whitcomb to gather a wealth of knowledge about the game. He outlines seven different BLOB sets that he has used effectively over the years to get quick buckets. In "A", he uses a post-to-post cross screen to get a quick inbound bucket around the rim. In "B", he uses a pick-the-picker action combined with a guard post screen to create a scoring opportunity at the rim for your best post player.

Set plays are great to have if you need something to run out of a timeout, late game situation, or just need a bucket. This video is packed with sets from the 2021 postseason that are sure to help your program win more close games!

59 minutes. 2021.