The Three Core Ball Screen Coverages
Switch. Defenders swap assignments on the screen. Strength: Takes away all ball screen reads immediately; no help needed.
Team Defense
No-Middle Defense
Team-wide scheme where all help is designed to prevent penetration up the middle of the paint
Direct answer
What is No-Middle Defense?
Team-wide scheme where all help is designed to prevent penetration up the middle of the paint
Quick facts
| Category | Team Defense |
|---|---|
| Source volume | BASKETBALL_PLAY_VAULT.md |
What it is
- Team-wide scheme where all help is designed to prevent penetration up the middle of the paint
How it works
- All ball screens defended in a way that forces baseline (ICE) or forces the opposite direction of the lane
- Help defenders shade toward the lane line to make the middle unavailable
- Iowa vs. Nebraska (2026): Ben McCollum specifically designed actions to attack No-Middle — using misdirection to create middle driving lanes against this scheme
Bilingual terms
| English | No-Middle Defense |
|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | No-Middle防守 |
| Traditional Chinese | No-middle 防守 |
Learn before and after
These graph neighbors help place No-Middle Defense in the larger basketball map.
Related concepts
The Middle Man Concept
The most important non-ball-handling player in press break.
Ball Screen Defense
The coverage menu for guarding pick-and-roll: drop, hedge, switch, ICE, blitz, and the rotations each choice demands.
Empty-Side / Empty-Corner Pick-and-Roll Coverage
It is the defensive answer to one of the most-run modern offensive designs.
Hammer Action (Weak-Side Baseline Pin)
A hammer action is an off-ball play where, as a teammate drives the baseline, a weak-side player sets a baseline back/flare screen ("hammer") for a corner shooter, freeing them for a skip pass and a wide-open corner…
The Dunker Spot: Weak-Side Baseline Spacing
The dunker spot is the low weak-side baseline position just outside the lane, level with or slightly below the rim, where a non-shooting big stations himself to finish lobs and dump-offs and to crash the offensive glass…
Middle Screen
Setup: Quick horizontal screen set on perimeter to create space for handler or shooter.