It’s not often that I have anything positive to say about Syracuse basketball thanks to the fact that before I get a chance to speak, RJ states something so outlandish about the ‘Cuse that I am forced to shake my head and walk away. This year, however, I have to give credit where credit is due. This edition of the Orange is playing some of the best defense that I have seen in college basketball in a long time. I would dare to say I haven’t seen zone defense this smothering since—can I even say it? Gulp–Amoeba. I know that is a statement, but I think I can stand behind it.

For a long time I looked at the 2-3 as a cop-out form of defense; the proverbial form of a timeout on the defensive side of the ball. So many coaches jump into a zone to rest  bigs before they make the final push in a game by jumping back into a pressure man defense. Au contraire. Syracuse has proven to me that you can use the 2-3 to pressure the ball, as well as protect the defensive boards.

The keys, from my vantage point, is the use of athletic 3′s and 4′s to create a whirlwind of help side rotation. In my prior experience of playing and coaching the 2-3, I have been hoodwinked in thinking that the defense allows 3′s and 4′s to rest. I would literally slump on a block , wink at cheerleaders, and lust for the concession stand while my coach and team would literally dare the opposing team to hit a jumper. That may be true of many other versions of the 2-3 but for Syracuse nothing could be further from the truth. There are three common misconceptions of the 2-3 that coach Jim Boeheim helps shatter in his version of the 2-3:

1. The 2-3 gives up the jumpshot–Wrong. Instead of getting caught in that “no-man’s-land” of figuring out who is to get out on wing shooters, the Orange make it the responsibility of 3′s and 4′s, who get out on the wing tenaciously and force the ball down on the block and forces a shooter and a big man to play proper 2-man basketball against 3 players on the ball side.  While many teams are able to swing the ball to the open man on the help side of the ball, Boeheim wisely raises his help side defender to the elbow to get out on the swing. Advantage Orange.
2. The 2-3 is a good option for non-athletic teams–Wrong. Your 3′s and 4′s have to be horses. They are the first option to ball side rotation in Boeheim’s 2-3. I don’t know how many times I have seen Kris Joseph or Wesley Johnson rotate from off a wing player and clean the glass with what seemed like a sure lay-up. For example, ball comes down on the right wing, then swings to the opposite wing. The ball is then dropped down on the block for a turn-and-shoot opportunity. Nope, the opposite side wing defender is  rotating all the way to the ball side to challenge the ball while the 5 can stand his ground and position for a rebound thus reducing the instances of shooting fouls. Nobody in the nation is better at this menacing style of covering the floor than Johnson and Joseph. Long, athletic and aware–a deadly combination. Advantage Orange.
3. You are supposed to play behind the post–One of the best things I have seen in the Orange 2’3 is not only the 3 or 4 getting out on the wing, but the 5 man also fronting the post. It’s not that this tactic is some sort of genius tweak, it just postures towards aggression. I think that energy is one of the things that gets the whole team dialed in on defense. Many teams play behind the post in order to control the boards, but the Orange seem to compete regardless. Advantage Orange.

And thats our take on the Orange 2-3. Its aggressive and rotates really well this year. I hadn’t seen this kind of tenacity from them and I think the athleticism on the wing is the key. Paul Harris was a step in the right direction defensively but Wesley Johnson is the flat-out answer. Boeheim has found a blueprint of the future. The rest of the Big East should be very afraid.

He mad ... LOL

For those that don’t know, I’m a die-hard Georgetown basketball fan. From the days John Thompson, Sr. and Patrick Ewing became the faces of an emergent power, to the days that Patrick Ewing Jr. was arguably the most valuable player on a team coached by John Thompson III, I’ve ridden with those guys. I take all kinds of shots for my allegiance, mostly from Carolina and Duke fans, and even from … get this … Syracuse fans.

RJ is a known fan of “The ‘Cuse” (chuckle) and often tells me – mostly via e-mail – to not talk to him about anything college basketball related until the season begins due to my devotion to what he often deems an inferior program. In fact, in response to an e-mail I sent out a few days ago about Georgetown’s prospects this season, he responded by saying:

Hey look…

I thought I told you to shut yer mouth until big east play!!! I’m serious. Y’all went 7-11 in conference play.

Fair enough, but excuse me if I have to say something about Syracuse losing 82-79 to Division-II Le Moyne, their “little brother in town,” at the Carrier Dome Tuesday night. Orange guard Andy Rautins called the loss “embarassing,” which pretty much sums the whole thing up.

While the loss won’t count on Syracuse’s record, it counts in the hearts and minds of fans of the game. Over the years, I’ve received all kinds of grief because of everything from Georgetown’s perennially-bad guard play to the string of years – 25 and counting – since their first and only national title.  However, I couldn’t even begin to comprehend the kinds of slaps – again, via e-mail – that I would get from RJ and another guy who will remain nameless if Georgetown lost to Bowie State yesterday at the Verizon Center. You have NO idea.

In all fairness, this did happen to another nationally-ranked D-I team a few years ago, and that Michigan State team went on to win 27 games and reach the Sweet-16 of the NCAA tournament. However, that team wasn’t relying on mushmouths like Kris Joseph and Mookie Jones after Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris decided to leave early and pursue careers at Jiffy Lube and P.F. Chang’s respectively.

In short, if you are a fan of Syracuse basketball, take one of these and a sack of these and, “shut yer mouth until big east play!!! I’m serious..”