Sports are all about match ups. When a team match ups well with another team, you can just about throw the records out the window. Sometimes the match ups have to do with personnel on the team and other times it has to do with coaching. Some coaches just have the “answers” when going against certain systems, teams or other coaches.
As a Syracuse fan I think we see this quite frequently. Certain types of players, who may look average at best against other opponents look like All-Big East performers against Syracuse. There seems to be two type of players that consistently hurt Syracuse; the shooter and the banger.
First let's look at "the shooter." Even against Syracuse's normally stellar 2-3 zone a consistent long range shooter can cause serious problems. This has gone on for as long as I can remember. I don't have the time or resources to know this for sure, but I would wager that if you look through opposing record books Syracuse would be listed as the opponent under the record for most threes made by an individual in a game. It always seems that at least 2 or 3 times a year a shooter will "catch fire" against Syracuse and hit 7 or 8 three pointers in the game. Many times "the shooter" is not enough and Syracuse will still win the game. However, it can be very nerve racking and frustrating as a fan.
The second type of player Syracuse struggles against is "the banger." This player is physical inside and is not afraid to bump, shove or knee his way to the ball and basket. The natural seams in the 2-3 zone allow "the banger" to be successful. "The banger" can lead to the always present weaknesses in the zone (ie. rebounding) to become more obvious. Again teams with "the banger" don't always beat Syracuse, but they do make the game much more interesting.
There are also types of teams that Syracuse does not normally match up with well. These are the teams that slow down the pace and limit fast break and transition points. As I have stated before Syracuse is at their best when they can run and get into transition and fast break opportunities. When Syracuse has to consistently rely on their half court game they struggle greatly at times.
Disciplined teams can also find ways to score against the zone. Many fans point to Rick Pitino as a coach who understands how to attack the zone. Attacking the 2-3 zone is something that is Coaching 101. Any coach worth anything knows how to attack a 2-3 zone. You don't become a Division I basketball coach without the knowledge of how to attack the 2-3 zone. If you did somehow sneak through the cracks you would only need to watch a halftime report of just about any Syracuse game and the analyst will gladly teach how to attack the 2-3 zone. The difference with a coach like Pitino is he can get his team to put their egos aside and be patient for much of the game while attacking the zone. Think of how many times teams attack the zone effectively for a possession or two. Most of the time these teams get out of the game plan and become undisciplined. Patience is a key asset for a basketball team and an asset that many teams do not practice on a consistent basis.
If a team has a few of the above mentioned factors they have a chance to beat Syracuse. Fortunately many of the teams who have the most overall basketball talent are lacking the above. Teams like Kentucky, Ohio State and North Carolina can beat Syracuse, but they play a similar game to Syracuse. They like to run and survive on athleticism. Overall they have the same or more basketball talent than Syracuse, but I like the match ups against these teams. That doesn't mean Syracuse will beat these teams, but they are favorable match ups. Teams like Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Louisville are more worrisome to me. These teams are disciplined with the ball, play tough defense and have some shooters that can catch fire.
Given the right match ups Syracuse can go very far this season, but don't let rankings and/or seedings fool you. Some of the worst match ups for Syracuse aren't going to be against the top ranked teams.
The second type of player Syracuse struggles against is "the banger." This player is physical inside and is not afraid to bump, shove or knee his way to the ball and basket. The natural seams in the 2-3 zone allow "the banger" to be successful. "The banger" can lead to the always present weaknesses in the zone (ie. rebounding) to become more obvious. Again teams with "the banger" don't always beat Syracuse, but they do make the game much more interesting.
There are also types of teams that Syracuse does not normally match up with well. These are the teams that slow down the pace and limit fast break and transition points. As I have stated before Syracuse is at their best when they can run and get into transition and fast break opportunities. When Syracuse has to consistently rely on their half court game they struggle greatly at times.
Disciplined teams can also find ways to score against the zone. Many fans point to Rick Pitino as a coach who understands how to attack the zone. Attacking the 2-3 zone is something that is Coaching 101. Any coach worth anything knows how to attack a 2-3 zone. You don't become a Division I basketball coach without the knowledge of how to attack the 2-3 zone. If you did somehow sneak through the cracks you would only need to watch a halftime report of just about any Syracuse game and the analyst will gladly teach how to attack the 2-3 zone. The difference with a coach like Pitino is he can get his team to put their egos aside and be patient for much of the game while attacking the zone. Think of how many times teams attack the zone effectively for a possession or two. Most of the time these teams get out of the game plan and become undisciplined. Patience is a key asset for a basketball team and an asset that many teams do not practice on a consistent basis.
If a team has a few of the above mentioned factors they have a chance to beat Syracuse. Fortunately many of the teams who have the most overall basketball talent are lacking the above. Teams like Kentucky, Ohio State and North Carolina can beat Syracuse, but they play a similar game to Syracuse. They like to run and survive on athleticism. Overall they have the same or more basketball talent than Syracuse, but I like the match ups against these teams. That doesn't mean Syracuse will beat these teams, but they are favorable match ups. Teams like Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Louisville are more worrisome to me. These teams are disciplined with the ball, play tough defense and have some shooters that can catch fire.
Given the right match ups Syracuse can go very far this season, but don't let rankings and/or seedings fool you. Some of the worst match ups for Syracuse aren't going to be against the top ranked teams.
No comments:
Post a Comment