Who will have to adjust more?

[Lawrinson14]

Being that SU is now ACC, the team will be going up against a bunch of teams, venues, coaches, and even reffing styles that they are not used to facing. However, this is not a one-way street. ACC teams are not familiar with the Zone and most assuredly have never played against anything like it.

So the question is this...

Who will have the steeper learning curve? SU playing at small, hostile arenas/gyms against unfamiliar teams and coaches...or opposing ACC teams having to go up against the zone?

 

[sherrillcuse]

In my opinion the opposing ACC teams will have the larger learning curve. We are used to playing away games at various venues. The opposing teams are not used to the zone. You cannot prepare for the length, size and quickness of our players and the zone. The zone SU runs is different than the typical zone most other teams play.

 

[njcuse]

Easy, going against the zone will be a more challenging task than playing in the new hostile arenas. The great aspect of good defense is that you can make it a constant; offense goes here and there from night to night. Good offensive teams will be good most nights. Good defense if there every night, in and out.

 

[stuckinbig11]

We could practice at the Armory (if it still exists) and would get a good feel for playing at Cameron Indoor Crackerbox.

 

[Cheriehoop]

I remember reading Tyler Cavenaugh's blog in the PS about the ACC (he's a local JD grad playing at Wake Forest). Here are some of his impressions of the ACC venues after his first game playing there. There may be more but I just found these 4. Some interesting observations.

http://blog.syracuse.com/sports/2013/01/former_j-d_star_tyler_cavanaug.html
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/02/tyler_cavanaughs_postcards_fro.html
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/01/former_j-d_star_tyler_cavanaug_1.html
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/03/tyler_cavanaughs_postcards_fro_2.html

 

[4evaOrange]

Zone hands down. Teams will not know how to go about it, some teams will get hot from 3 and I guess we will go from there.

I'm excited. Will be a very interesting and fun year.

 

[SUintheVille]

A good team can play well in any venue. SU showed they can play well in tiny Canadian gyms this summer. Of course, the 2nd or 3rd time they play somewhere, they will be more familiar with it. Not sure about the reffing...would think it might take a bit of getting used to the amount of physicality allowed. But I agree with others in that the zone will be tough for many. Heck, teams in the BE played against SU's zone for years and some still had lots of trouble. Gonna be a great season coming up with a great SU team in a new league.

 

[orangefan13]

I think the whole zone adjusting thing is little to no factor. There will always be a few games (15%) where it makes a huge difference, but its more the toughness of our zone because of our talent that is built to play zone. 95% of the time you have to have toughness and a no giving up attitude to stay in the game agianst our zone, doesn't matter who you are.

You can say the same thing about our offense, we run some motion, run alot of transition, some years a pick and roll with a point, but in the end we run quite a bit of isolation offense. Effective passing against a zone is alot like our motion sets, except our motion sets work at a much much higher rate at getting good looks in the paint. With man to man you double the high percentage shot with our zone you double anything that comes into the paint.

In recent interviews players have expressed how JB traps, doubles, extendes his center, and changes the extensions of his zone game by game. You can't prepare for a storm you don't know is coming only adjust in game.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Probably a wash...we're not going to have the luxury of playing in half empty NBA arenas anymore so I honestly won't be surprised if we pick up a surprise L or two.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Probably a wash...we're not going to have the luxury of playing in half empty NBA arenas anymore so I honestly won't be surprised if we pick up a surprise L or two.

Absolutely. People are waaaaay overestimating the zone in this thread. It's a good defense. But come on these teams aren't going to fall over dead upon seeing it.

 

[jdubs30]

I know it's a small sample size, but since 2010 (that's the year I think our zone really hit it's stride), look at our results vs. the ACC:
W 87-71 vs. UNC at the Garden
W 80-76 vs. GaTech in AC
W 65-59 vs. NC State in the Dome
W 69-58 vs. VaTech at the Garden
W 88-72 @ NC State

Again, not a huge sample size, but 5-0 since 2010. Obviously only 1 was a true road game and who knows if "ACC reffing" had an effect on them.

Those teams weren't to the caliber that we will see from Duke this year, but all of those teams really struggled against the zone.

 

[RF2044]

Absolutely. People are waaaaay overestimating the zone in this thread. It's a good defense. But come on these teams aren't going to fall over dead upon seeing it.

Executing against it, however, is another matter.

Nobody is overestimating the zone. They are correctly forecasting what it will be like for new conference mates to face a unique defense. Doesn't mean that they won't adapt or adjust over time, just like big least teams did. But in year 1, there will be a learning curve.

 

[realorange]

Absolutely. People are waaaaay overestimating the zone in this thread. It's a good defense. But come on these teams aren't going to fall over dead upon seeing it.

No, but they're not going to be able to run up as many points as they're used to either.

 

[bballbeadle]

I remember reading Tyler Cavenaugh's blog in the PS about the ACC (he's a local JD grad playing at Wake Forest). Here are some of his impressions of the ACC venues after his first game playing there. There may be more but I just found these 4. Some interesting observations.

http://blog.syracuse.com/sports/2013/01/former_j-d_star_tyler_cavanaug.html
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/02/tyler_cavanaughs_postcards_fro.html
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/01/former_j-d_star_tyler_cavanaug_1.html
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/03/tyler_cavanaughs_postcards_fro_2.html

I loved reading these articles, and hadn't seen them before. Thank you, Cherie! It got me wondering: what are our visitors locker rooms like? I would be interested in reading an opposing player's viewpoint. Tyler's description of Cameron also sounded very intense, rather the opposite of the Dome. I was also surprised by his description of how ugly and old (and dirty?) the FSU gym and locker rooms were.

 

[cuserulesall]

I all want CUSE to do is beat Pitt . Seems like they alwas have are number . Now the rest of the ACC is in for a shock wave !

 

[HOFCeluck]

I know it's a small sample size, but since 2010 (that's the year I think our zone really hit it's stride), look at our results vs. the ACC:
W 87-71 vs. UNC at the Garden
W 80-76 vs. GaTech in AC
W 65-59 vs. NC State in the Dome
W 69-58 vs. VaTech at the Garden
W 88-72 @ NC State

Again, not a huge sample size, but 5-0 since 2010. Obviously only 1 was a true road game and who knows if "ACC reffing" had an effect on them.

Those teams weren't to the caliber that we will see from Duke this year, but all of those teams really struggled against the zone.

I don't think you can draw any conclusions from that. ... only one of those teams didn't miss the dance.

 

[igor]

they have trouble with the personnel, not the zone.

 

[sutomcat]

We could practice at the Armory (if it still exists) and would get a good feel for playing at Cameron Indoor Crackerbox.

The Armory still exists but it is filled up with museum exhibits (the MOST). They could still go to the Center of Progress barn at the State Fair, I think the Nats played there at times back in the black and white era.

I believe the gym at the former St Vincent de Paul high school is also still available.

 

[dasher]

they have trouble with the coach , not the zone.

fixed it for you.

 

[stuckinbig11]

The Armory still exists but it is filled up with museum exhibits (the MOST). They could still go to the Center of Progress barn at the State Fair, I think the Nats played there at times back in the black and white era.

I believe the gym at the former St Vincent de Paul high school is also still available.

Many years ago, I had just finished playing a men's league game at the Armory, and we stepped out into the lobby area and watched Bob Parker avoid taking charge along the baseline, and Syracuse beat UNC to advance in the tournament. I can still envision it.