WASHINGTON — Outside of the perimeter, there’s an obvious hole in the 2-3 zone. It’s an open area in the high post, in between the two men up top and the three down low. What happens in that spot, whether it be scoring, facilitating or a lack of either, can decide games for Syracuse. 

On Saturday in Capital One Arena, Georgetown (7-3) shot 44% from the field including 11-of-25 from beyond the arc, but Syracuse (5-5, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) head coach Jim Boheiem said it wasn’t the 3-pointers that undid his team. It was the passes and drives inside that led to easy buckets off the wing or free throws. The Hoyas sank 24 free throws and had assists on 20 buckets, and dominated the hole Syracuse’s leaves for its opponents in a 89-79 victory. 

As the ball whipped around and the orange jerseys trailed behind it, that spot, the open one in the middle, became the epicenter of Syracuse’s issues as it allowed the most points it has all year. 

“They are such a threat inside and outside, and they have guys who can get in the lane,” Boeheim said. “It was very difficult to defend them.”

Georgetown knocked down 3-pointers early and shifted how Syracuse could play defense. The Hoyas, who started 4-of-5 from 3 in the first half, shot better from beyond the 3-point line than Syracuse players expected. The outside shots forced Orange defenders to move up and rotate faster in order to contest them. 

Once that movement toward the 3-point line occurred, Georgetown moved the ball inside. Early on, the ball went to Omer Yurtseven, who hit a jumper from the high post, another from the wing and drew a foul down low when going for a dunk. 

Screens in that area caused a problem for Syracuse as well. Georgetown guard Terrell Allen often circled the paint, flashing his hands around the elbow, catching a pass and hitting a mid-range turnaround jumper. 

When he didn’t shoot it, Allen had options outside the arc which led to 3-pointers from Jagan Mosely and Jahvon Blair, who combined for seven makes from 3. 

“It’s tough when we’re rotating, rotating, for 25-20 seconds and they make that extra (pass),” Syracuse guard Howard Washington said. 

Washington said it’s not as simple as the players in the top of the zone stepping down to negate a pass into the high post. It’s personnel-based, and while Georgetown had players that could score inside that area, guard Mac McClung (26 points) – among others – posed a threat for the SU defense. 

Some of the success generated from screens inside the defense, near the hoop. If those were handled better, Georgetown’s plays could’ve been shut down, Washington said. 

“It’s tough especially playing in a zone that’s kind of designed to give up contested 3s and contested shots,” Washington said. “They were making the contested ones and the open ones.”

Syracuse center Bourama Sidibe noted that players driving down the lane were a major issue. When a player drove, their passes often went to an open man on the outside, and if that player wasn’t open the next man he threw it to was. 

Georgetown initiated movement in the Syracuse defense, and the Orange could never settle back in. 

“When guys keep driving to the rim you got to stop them or you got to wish they miss a shot,” Sidibe said. “They had too many wide open look shots.”

Boeheim noted after the game that the team is young and the zone defense has been good some games and not as good others. Saturday can be chalked up as the latter. 

The zone will never prevent a good shooting team from doing just that. But it needs to prevent easy buckets. It didn’t against Georgetown and the Orange are back to even on the year, searching for a way to fill their holes before conference play.

Published on December 14, 2019 at 5:43 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44