Tom Izzo: Winning Dead Ball Situations

Learn special situations plays and strategies to help your team add 4-5 points a game-and win more close games!

Tom Izzo shares his coaching philosophy on special situations - or what he calls "special teams situations." Any dead ball situation is considered a special teams opportunity and his goal is to be aggressive and pick up 4-5 points a game in special teams play.

Use these plays and strategies to go after an opposing player who is in foul trouble, generate fouls against your opponent's best player and to get the shots you need late in the game.

Special teams involves:

• Jump balls - See three plays to help you score on the first possession of the game.
• Missed offensive free throws - Get the ball back after a missed free throw.
• Baseline out-of-bounds - Five plays to attack from the baseline.
• Sideline out-of-bounds - Four plays with multiple options.
• Plays after time outs - Five set plays to neutralize heavy defensive pressure.

Izzo stresses three main goals when it comes to special teams play: Score points, have a specific purpose and have two options (inside and outside).

Izzo has used these effective plays and strategies to change his team from an NIT team to an NCAA tournament team and again from an NCAA qualifier to a team that makes a deep run in the tournament on annual basis.

Now you can use these same ideas to improve and advance your team this season.

62 minutes. 2010.