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Message: [QUOTE="Ceerqqq, post: 2670049, member: 6702"] I'm not sure I agree with this speculation, as I expect Boeheim will try to overwhelm opponents with [I]more pressure[/I] from his defense this year in an attempt to force more turnovers. No, I don't expect him to apply full-court pressure on every possession, which some observers have advocated, but I do expect to see him employ it more often, simply because [I]he can[/I] do it this year---barring injuries---without worrying about exhausting the players he needs to rely on at the end of the game. More important is the ramped up pressure I expect to see from the zone in the half-court. That is what Boeheim's athletes can do with his zone once they've gotten beyond the "mastering the rotations" portion of the learning curve, where they are simply trying to make sure they are [I]where they need to be[/I] to make the zone work. When players still need to [I]think [/I]about what they are doing on the court, it can slow them down, and on defense that can mean missing an opportunity for a steal. But when it all starts to become more intuitive, when they [I]know what to expect[/I] the other team to try to do to beat the zone, that is when they will begin to anticipate the next pass and use their athleticism/length to make the steal. Those lobs, those interior passes from the top of the key, they will all be expected. Indeed, the smart zone player will overplay his opponent in a certain way to encourage him to pass it where it will be picked off by a team mate who knows what is coming. I'm talking about the kind of half-court pressure Boeheim's best defensive teams in the past were able to impose on their opponents, forcing them into turnover after turnover. That is what I am expecting to see this season: 1) more turnovers forced by Boeheim's [B][I]Pressure Zone[/I][/B] in the half court, 2) more use of full-court pressure utilizing fresher bodies, and 3) an abandonment of the 'deliberate' offensive approach Boeheim used last year in desperation, simply to survive his lack of a bench. Should be a fun season to watch... [/QUOTE]

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