Take Us Higher Hoyas! Let's Go! Beat Syracuse!
How did UConn beat Syracuse?
"We moved the ball against their 2-3 zone." Click here> UConn Beats Syracuse nice article to read and learn from for me.
What Went Right When UConn beat Syracuse
Two keys were enormous for UConn in this game: second half zone offense and defense. UConn's offense was very good against a very good Syracuse zone. UConn has been three-point happy, but only took 14 three point attempts today. Other than Boatright's buzzer beater to end the first half, UConn's long ball attempts were uncontested. Most attempts came from passes from the interior of the zone. When not taking the three pointers, UConn penetrated and passed through the zone for close range buckets. Even on the 18 turnovers, UConn only gave up four fast-break points, where Syracuse's best offense comes
Defensively, UConn really hounded Syracuse all night. Other than two miscommunications leaving James Southerland open, Syracuse was unable to take open shots. Syracuse does not have a dominant scorer and UConn forced them to work for points. In the second half, UConn forced CJ Fair to his right and weak hand; they did not allow Brandon Triche catch and shoot. Only one player for Syracuse shot over 50% and he was only 2/3 (Jerami Grant).
The Hoyas have to take care of the ball in Syracuse.
What Went Wrong for UConn vs. Syracuse
No matter how they happened or how many points were scored off of them, 18 turnovers is far too many. That is 18 shot attempts or free throws (or more) not being attempted. Boatright and Napier had three and four, respectively, and they need to be smarter with the ball.
UConn gave up 18 offensive rebounds to Syracuse. From these, Syracuse was able to attempt 20 more shots than UConn. This will continue to be the Achilles heal for UConn, but it still needs to get better. Olander was out positioned for rebounds constantly through the night. DeAndre Daniels, Niels Giffey and Phil Nolan were strong down low in their minutes.
Decisive Matchup UConn vs. Syracuse
UConn's guards outplayed Syracuse's backcourt. In points, assists, and tempo, UConn's guards won this game. Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright continue to be a fearsome combo in the backcourt and were simply too fast, too smart, and too pesky for Triche and Carter-Williams. Defensively giving up a ton of height, they were pesky with their hands and really forced the two to work for their 24 combined points. UConn will win this battle against most teams, but against a team that scores easy buckets on open shots and easy passes from Carter-Williams, UConn made life very difficult.
UConn's Boatright talking about what his coach needs for them to do to break Syracuse's 2-3 zone.
"Coach has been preaching all week that we need to get in the middle, split the gaps, get in the gaps and create open shots or get your own shot off," Boatright said. "He said if we just stood around the perimeter and jack-bombed threes, we're going to lose. We took it to heart."
More data on UConn's big win against Syracuse
UConn's successful defensive strategy: Boatright played pressure defense on Michael Carter-Williams, who was averaging 8.5 assists a game, and held him to one assist. "And we did a lot of switching on James Southerland," said Shabazz Napier. "We had all five guys just pay attention to the ball, as well as pay attention to their man." Syracuse shot 35 percent. … UConn had 18 turnovers, seven more than their average, and Syracuse had 21 points off turnovers, and 16 second-chance points off 20 offensive rebounds. UConn offset that with the 8-for-14 shooting on three-pointers.
Just for reference because we play UConn very soon
Kevin Ollie:
“They can ban us from the postseason, they can ban us from the Big East tournament, but they can’t ban us from getting better and loving each other. That’s one thing I can say about this team: they really love being around each other. And it shows.”
"For as big as everyone is hyping this game against Syracuse to be the Hoyas know this is a regular game with true meaning." The Hoyas defense and ability to make smart decisions to know when to attack the 2-3 zone and not turn the ball over will be key." - Glidehoyas
My article I wrote on breaking the 2-3 zone
Click here>Breaking the 2-3 zone
Together, We Are Georgetown
Hoyasaxa!
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