The Clemson Insider

By William Qualkinbush.

Lots of teams play against the legendary 2-3 matchup zone employed by Jim Boeheim at Syracuse. In fact, many coaches and players have seen it a bunch of times over his 38 seasons at the helm of that program.

You’d think, in that time frame, somebody would have cracked the code on how to have success against it. But you’d be wrong, because Syracuse still stops people on a regular basis. In fact, the zone has been so effective, almost the entire old Big East—including current ACC members Louisville and Pittsburgh—has adopted some version of it, at least in part, over the past several seasons.

Currently, the Orange rank 29^th in the country in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score only 59 points per game. That average jumps to 62.8 points per game in conference play, but it also includes an overtime game where Wake Forest scored 83.

When you throw in per-possession numbers, the Orange still rank among the nation’s best. They are 27^th in defensive efficiency (91.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) and 15^th in effective field goal defense (42.7 percent).

It would seem like a difficult matchup for Clemson today, and it is. However, because we have nearly 40 years of tape on Syracuse and every scheme has holes and things that are open for the opposition, we know there are ways to consistently break down the defense.

You can’t pick just one of these strategies. The ability to score against Cuse is predicated on forcing them to defend in its base set without cheating to take away one of those gaps. Here are my thoughts on how the Tigers can exploit each one:

1. Screen the zone.

Lots of casual basketball fans probably think the way to beat a zone is to use spacing and ball movement to make the zone move. That’s true, but only in part. A 2-3 zone like Syracuse’s is susceptible to a ball screen, especially at the top.

When you set a ball screen inside the zone from the wing on offense, it forces one of two things to happen. Either the man in the middle has to step up and cut off the dribbler—that doesn’t happen with Syracuse—or the backside guard must play the middle of the floor.

It becomes a penetrate-and-kick situation that forces a man on the block to jump out and guard a shooter on the wing. An overload set should lead to an open shot from the corner after the defense is stressed, or there could be an entry pass available.

Rod Hall does generally well with this, and players like Damarcus Harrison, Jordan Roper, and Donte Grantham are capable of capitalizing on the defensive rotations. Still, it’s not Clemson’s strength as an offensive team.

You can also double screen the backside defenders and make a skip pass across the floor for an open shot when the zone flows to one side. My sister’s high school basketball team played for a state title a few years ago, and that play worked every single time against a zone defense. It was ridiculous.

2. Throw the ball to the high post.

This is my favorite strategy because it constricts the zone, almost like squeezing a sponge. K.J. McDaniels and Landry Nnoko split these duties in last season’s game until McDaniels became exclusively a wing player in Brad Brownell’s scheme. Nnoko was surprisingly effective, to the point that his second foul—a cheap call, by the way—was the biggest play of the game because it triggered a first half-closing 9-0 run by the Orange.

Jaron Blossomgame seems like a candidate to play this role, but he has to be strong with the ball. He possesses the capabilities to attack when the defense collapses and to kick out to shooters or dump the ball down to the block in a high-low set.

Clemson could use Nnoko or Sidy Djitte this way, but I believe Josh Smith could do this, as well. In fact, this might be a way to capitalize on his passing abilities and floor vision. I know many fans see Smith as a lost cause, but he is gaining confidence and might be critical in a game like this.

3. Work the short corner.

This seems like a Harrison, Blossomgame, or Grantham duty. It’s similar to what you might see when you screen the zone, except the offensive player must be closer to the basket, in the 12-15 foot range.

Overloading the 2-3 on one side of the floor is the primary goal of any team trying to score against it. In a base 3-around-2 offensive set—three wing players and two posts—it makes sense to have someone roaming the baseline looking for a pass. This forces either the middle man to step out of the paint, leaving a major gap for other players to fill by stepping off of shooters, or it forces a guard to drop down and leave a wing shooter. If the Orange rotate correctly, a skip pass should lead to a shot.

Syracuse tends to trap these short corner passes as a way to combat the inherent weakness of its defense there. Whoever does this for Clemson today must be strong with the ball and aware of what the defense is doing.

4. Take a step back and make a deep three.

This is sort of the copout method of attack, but it works. Syracuse has length and size, so passing lanes inside the arc will be tight, if not closed down completely. However, the Orange aren’t deep at all, relying on seven players to go pretty much the whole way. As such, they will be hesitant to extend the defense past 20 feet, but they will be able to contest most outside shots.

Harrison is perhaps the only Tiger player that has shown an ability to consistently knock down the kinds of three-pointers Syracuse will allow opponents to shoot. Hall, Blossomgame, Grantham, and Roper all seem like on-the-line shooters without a ton of range. Late in the shot clock, Harrison will probably be the go-to guy if the ball is still on the perimeter.

All of these strategies only work if shots fall, and making some tough baskets will make the difference in what promises to be a tight game between Clemson and Syracuse today.

God Bless!