I've purposely stayed away from questions about Bruce because I don't want the coaches to think they're getting "setup" questions from a Tennessee website. I'll be talking to some coaches in the next couple of weeks who I will feel more comfortable asking about Bruce and UT, because they'll know I'm not trying to ambush them.
Quick guys with long wing spans, like Tyler Smith, should be very good zone defenders. Playing more zone in the halfcourt might slow the tempo slightly, but I don't think it will have any noticeable effect on the efficacy of Bruce's system. Further, he can always shift back to more man defense if the zone flops.
zone for this squad is absolutely a two edged sword. we are not particularly good in the half court today (but better without Dane) so the zone can help cover the weaknesses of individual defenders. It can also offset some of our weakness in the middle, which should be getting a bit better on its own. However, the zone will not help defensive rebounding (not one of our strengths) and, depending on style of zone, will cut down on turnovers created.
