The USF Bulls, 17-10 (10-4) are on the road as they continue to surge late in the Big East schedule but are facing a huge test as they visit 2nd ranked Syracuse. The Orange are 27-1 and seem to dominate anyone they face. They have size and speed and can run up and down the court, but they have been beaten before and by slowing the pace, it can frustrate them a bit and the slight chance of an upset is possible. To find out more about the Orange, I asked my friend Nicole from the Volvo Biggest Fan Challenge to give us some inside information (make sure to check out her site HERE).
1. How do teams attack the 2-3 zone defense that Syracuse tends to run?
So taking Nicole's advice, I decided it was a good idea to ask Lisa (check out here site HERE) to find out how her Fighting Irish, were able to hand Syracuse their only lose this season.
"A lot of teams have great difficulty defending against the 2-3 zone defense that Syracuse has had so much success with this season. So many teams are so used to man-to-man defensive strategies, and when they see the 2-3 zone defense, it looks overwhelmingly like 5 guys with 25 arms! But in reality, the 2-3 zone defense isn't so hard to play against, just ask Notre Dame. What Notre Dame did with Syracuse, and has seemed to do all season long, is to manage to slow down their opponent's game. Notre Dame takes possession of the ball, and kills the time clock, and waits until the very last second to put up a shot. This is infuriating to teams like Syracuse who like a fast paced, high scoring game, in which the possession of the ball changes quickly. I think if USF wants to be successful against Syracuse, they need to steal a page from the slow-paced, patience is a virtue, Notre Dame playbook! Good luck!" (some great advice here, seems to play into USF hands right?)
2. When Fab Melo was out, Cuse struggled, especially rebounding the ball, something Jim Boeheim continues to stress for the Orange. What does his presence in the paint do not only for the team but for the energy and moral of the players to have him back?
He's a natural leader so you can just tell the energy and dynamic is much more comfortable with Fab on the court. Doesn't mean Boeheim will ease up come game time but after Saturday's Pitt game, we can't really afford to get too comfortable with his return!
3. What is it like for an opposing team to play at the Carrier Dome? How intimidating can it be there?
I strongly urge the opposing teams to bring an extra change of undergarments for each matchup.
4. How can the Bulls try to slow down Kris Joseph in this game?
On court: nothing. Off court: horse tranqs might help a little.
5. USF has the size inside and the length to match up with Syracuse inside, but with that said this is going to be a tough game. Final score prediction?
66-58 SYR
Special thanks to Lisa and Nicole for helping put together this great information.
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