Whenever SU plays someone of talent with a different game approach...

[doitallpaul]

I saw someone talk about this in a post earlier and wanted to touch up on it.

Why does Syracuse have to be so concerned about adapting to other opponents schemes for games? Shouldn't Wisconsin be worried about how well we run in transition and how good our 2-3 zone is? I mean most teams have not faced a zone defense all year and if they have it was not even comparable to ours. Does the big 10 ever have a team that loves to run on the break? All year we have had teams who could play physical defense...all year teams have TRIED to stop our fast break and 95 percent of the team we prevailed.Those other times where we happened to have a slow offensive game or didn't run as well as we would have liked...we still won.

As far as I'm concerned preparing for Syracuse is as difficult as it comes and this isn't even including preparing for 4 people off who come off the bench fresh with our skill set.

 

[BuckyBrew]

Because you can't "speed somebody up" outside of forcing turnovers. Wisconsin is extremely sure with the ball and share the ball very well, so the more you try to force turnovers by trapping and aggressively jumping passing lanes, the more guys will be left wide open somewhere on the court. On the other end, if you emphasize running you will likely end of forcing risky passes and throwing up quick bad shots only to scramble back on D for another 30 seconds.

Be my guest to try though, and I would guess that Bo and the Badgers would love it if Syracuse tries to play extra-frenetic. Usually after the 3rd full court pass that gets intercepted teams get sick of playing defense 90% of the time and start to walk it up.

 

[007]

I saw someone talk about this in a post earlier and wanted to touch up on it.

Why does Syracuse have to be so concerned about adapting to other opponents schemes for games? Shouldn't Wisconsin be worried about how well we run in transition and how good our 2-3 zone is? I mean most teams have not faced a zone defense all year and if they have it was not even comparable to ours. Does the big 10 ever have a team that loves to run on the break? All year we have had teams who could play physical defense...all year teams have TRIED to stop our fast break and 95 percent of the team we prevailed.Those other times where we happened to have a slow offensive game or didn't run as well as we would have liked...we still won.

As far as I'm concerned preparing for Syracuse is as difficult as it comes and this isn't even including preparing for 4 people off who come off the bench fresh with our skill set.

Quick reply...Wisc will dictate the tempo b/c it is far more difficult to speed teams up than to slow them down. Wisc/Bennett are masters at slowing the game and it WILL be played at their pace. In theory, SU can try to press and/or they can try to trap everything on the wings to dictate tempo. Other teams have not been successful trying to do that. Not sure SU will either. I doubt they will even try unless they get way behind.

As for defending the break, Wisc does not crash the boards. Instead, they break back on most shot attempts - sacrificing offensive rebound opportunities in exchange for preventing fastbreaks. Most teams will rotate a guard back. Wisc rotates 3-4 players back. That will make it a half court game unless SU can generate a lot more TOs.

 

[All4SU]

Be my guest to try though, and I would guess that Bo and the Badgers would love it if Syracuse tries to play extra-frenetic. Usually after the 3rd full court pass that gets intercepted teams get sick of playing defense 90% of the time and start to walk it up.

Syracuse doesn't play frenetic defense. But the zone does create turnovers just the same. Wisconsin will do everything in their power to slow the game down. If Syracuse can get turnovers and rebounds they will get transition points. If Wisconsin is hitting a high percentage there will be fewer transition opportunities.

 

[DoctorBombay]

You have to beat Wiscy playing THEIR game, at THEIR pace. If you force the issue, you're playing into their hands.
We've proven we can play at that tempo, but we all know to expect a slow, meat-grinder contest.
So be it.

 

[Toga]

Secondary breaks and running dribble penetration plays off the weave = good.

 

[moqui]

Secondary breaks and running dribble penetration plays off the weave = good.

I wouldn't count on too many secondary breaks . . . Wisconsin makes getting back a point of emphasis, to the point that they often concede rebounds to the defenders.

Syracuse doesn't play frenetic defense. But the zone does create turnovers just the same. Wisconsin will do everything in their power to slow the game down. If Syracuse can get turnovers and rebounds they will get transition points. If Wisconsin is hitting a high percentage there will be fewer transition opportunities.

SU hasn't been getting a lot of transition points in the latter part of the season - I posted this earlier today but I will cut&paste the key bit here:

Through the first 20 games, SU had scored 472 points off turnovers (23.6 per game) and 345 fast break points (17.3 per game).

Since then, the Orange have scored just 226 points off turnovers (15.1 ppg) and only 128 fast break points (8.5 per game, half the earlier output).

In the first 20 games, SU generated 18.4 opponent turnovers per game; in the last 15 it is down to 12.7

That being said, the total number is not important in what is likely to be a slow pace, limited possession game. Being plus 7 points off turnovers in a game like this is like being plus 15 in a game against most other opponents.

JB has the press and his various traps in his back pocket. I would not expect him to use them relentlessly, but to break them out opportunistically . . . . lull the Badgers into occasional lapses of complacency then break out a quick change to generate a turnover. Three or four times a game would be enough. It won't be the volume, but the effectiveness of taking advantage of the opportunities.