NC State Wolfpack vs Syracuse Orange
Gametime: 9:00 pm
Streaming: ACC Network (WRDC, channel 28 in Raleigh)
Location: Syracuse, NY

Getting to know the Orange…
You know the deal here. Syracuse is known for being long, athletic and playing zone. This team is no different. Actually, this is Jim Boeheim’s biggest team ever, averaging a tad over 6’8, making them the tallest NCAA team in 10 years. They will start two guards in the 6’6 range, two forwards in the 6’8 range and a 7’2 center. As you can imagine, this team is an offensive rebounding machine. They rank 13th in the nation in OR% and make a living on second-chance points.

They are led by sophomore guard Tyus Battle who averages 20ppg. Frank Howard is their other guard and he is putting up 15ppg. Then there is the 6’8 freshman, Oshae Brissett. This kid is starting to figure things out and is going for 14 points and 9 rebounds per game. After that, there really isn’t much polished scoring talent for the Orange. They are pretty young and still finding their way, but a lot of flaws are covered due to their sheer size.

They are going to play a strict zone, make it very tough to get into the lane and force you to take 3s over the big-bodied close-outs. That plan has really worked out well thus far. They are 6-6 in the conference and on the bubble to dance in March. Only one thing is stopping them. This group really has trouble scoring. As a team, they are second to last in the conference in FG% at 42% and dead-last in 3-pt% at 32%.

Do keep in mind, however, that The Orange are coming off a 2 game winning streak. One over Wake and an upset of Louisville. In those 2 contests combined Syracuse has been on fire, hitting on 48% of their 3s.

Keys to the Game

• Ball movement, ball movement, ball movement. NC State has GOT to move the basketball. This is where it all starts. To beat the Syracuse zone you need to get into the paint. They are huge, so making that interior pass to the middle isn’t coming easy. State has got to whip the basketball around the perimeter, using ball fakes and reversals to get the defense on their heels. Once they are out of place gaps in the zone will appear. This is where you can penetrate or make that entry pass. Slowly passing it around the 3pt line isn’t going to do anything. So if you’re in attendance or if you’re just watching TV and you see State standing around or slowly passing it around the perimeter, feel free to scream “move the basketball!” Keatts knows it, the players know it and even Syracuse knows it. Ball movement is A #1 in beating a good zone.
• Crash the boards! Syracuse isn’t a great defensive rebounding team. Despite their massive size, it’s hard to rebound out of a zone because you don’t have a specific guy you can find to box out. You just have to find the nearest guy and try to get a body on him. Syracuse is averaging 26.2 defensive boards per game (9th in the ACC). This is an area where the Pack can turn the tide. NC State is 3rd in the ACC on the offensive boards. If they can get on the offensive glass and rack up the 2nd chance points, they could have a big scoring advantage.
• Knock down shots.  If you want to beat Syracuse you have to hit your shots. To do that we’ll reference point 1. Ball movement. NC State can knock down 3s, but only when they are getting clean looks. The Syracuse zone is so good because it does not allow for many clean looks. If the Pack is going to just pass it around the perimeter until the shot clock runs out and then take a contested 3, then they’ll lose this game. But if they get into the teeth of the defense, and play inside out, then they’ll find open shots and hopefully knock them down.
• Time to go big? It will be interesting to see how Keatts plays this. He’s been going with a smaller lineup for most of the season, but I’m not so sure that’s the way to play this game. You can try to go small and speed up Syracuse, get out in transition and beat them before they can set up their zone. Most of the time, however, the slower team ends up getting to dictate the game’s pace. NC State is going to have to really keep Syracuse off the offensive glass. They are 13th in the nation in Offensive Rebounding %, and NC State is dead last in the ACC in defensive rebounding. That combination of things seems like it won’t really play well for the Pack. Also, offensively against the zone it never hurts to have big guys around the rim. Every so often ther is a crease when the zone shifts where you can slip in an alley-oop a big on the blocks.