Three's are easier to notice when commiserating on defensive struggles. A 5 point lead that turns to a 1 point deficit due to back to back surrendered 3's is bound to stick out more than a lead that's chipped away at through points in the paint. Davidson game is a great example. Our memory is of a game in which Davidson murdered us from deep, which is true. And the quick hitter 3's allowed them to more quickly stretch a close game into a blow out. Look closely at the stats, though, and you see we also allowed about 61% from 2 that game. I see that, and then it starts coming back to me how many terrifyingly wide open back door cuts and lane floaters Davidson made that night, mixed in among their 3's.
Osun's absences from the lineup certainly contributed to the overall poor 2 point defense Res pointed out, but it's no doubt the issue was much deeper than that. Unfortunately there's no stat on times beaten off the dribble (that I'm aware of, anyway), but we got beat off the dribble A LOT. Whether it was slow rotation allowing for a large opening, or someone straight-up blowing by one of our guys, it seemed to be a bigger problem this year than I can recall in recent years. When you consistently allow the opponent past their first man, it's no great mystery as to how that can open up a host of further defensive struggles.