2008 Woodie Awards
The Daily OrangeMBB | Syracuse's man defense shines in 2nd half, shuts down Spiders
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 11/19/08, 1:31 AM EST Section: Sports
Jim Boeheim kept coming back to one point. No matter the question, it was always the same answer.
True, Jonny Flynn scored 19 points in the second half in a game Syracuse trailed by seven at halftime Tuesday night. And yes, Eric Devendorf's personal 11-0 run may have been the offensive spark that propelled the Orange to its 76-71 win over Richmond at the Carrier Dome.
But Boeheim returned time and time again - four separate times in three minutes - to a refrain Syracuse fans are not used to hearing from their team's head coach.
"The difference in this game was our man-to-man defense," Boeheim said.
Not the 2-3 zone, Syracuse's bread-and-butter for more than 30 seasons. Man-to-man. And if the Orange plays like it did in the second half Tuesday night all year, Boeheim might be inclined to turn to his man defense more often.
For the second consecutive game, Syracuse abandoned its traditional zone and played man-to-man for almost the whole contest, including the entire second half. After a lackluster first half, in which Richmond shot 58 percent from 3-point range, the Orange picked up the intensity and held the Spiders to one 3-pointer the rest of the way.
"We came out much more fired up," SU guard Andy Rautins said. "We were a little passive in the first half. We got real motivated at halftime and came out and stopped them."
Most importantly, Syracuse found a way to prevent Richmond's guards from seeing open looks. The first half belonged to the Spiders' David Gonzalvez and Kevin Anderson. The duo combined for 23 of Richmond's 38 points and shot 6-of-7 from deep. Gonzalvez proved especially potent, hitting all five of his shots for 14 points, including four 3's. At least two of those were from far beyond the arc.
Both players enjoyed uncontested shots against the Orange's defense, which consistently failed to hustle back after missed shots and jump out at open shooters. Between lackadaisical defense by Syracuse and red-hot shooting by Gonzalvez and Anderson, Richmond appeared primed for an upset.
True, Jonny Flynn scored 19 points in the second half in a game Syracuse trailed by seven at halftime Tuesday night. And yes, Eric Devendorf's personal 11-0 run may have been the offensive spark that propelled the Orange to its 76-71 win over Richmond at the Carrier Dome.
But Boeheim returned time and time again - four separate times in three minutes - to a refrain Syracuse fans are not used to hearing from their team's head coach.
"The difference in this game was our man-to-man defense," Boeheim said.
Not the 2-3 zone, Syracuse's bread-and-butter for more than 30 seasons. Man-to-man. And if the Orange plays like it did in the second half Tuesday night all year, Boeheim might be inclined to turn to his man defense more often.
For the second consecutive game, Syracuse abandoned its traditional zone and played man-to-man for almost the whole contest, including the entire second half. After a lackluster first half, in which Richmond shot 58 percent from 3-point range, the Orange picked up the intensity and held the Spiders to one 3-pointer the rest of the way.
"We came out much more fired up," SU guard Andy Rautins said. "We were a little passive in the first half. We got real motivated at halftime and came out and stopped them."
Most importantly, Syracuse found a way to prevent Richmond's guards from seeing open looks. The first half belonged to the Spiders' David Gonzalvez and Kevin Anderson. The duo combined for 23 of Richmond's 38 points and shot 6-of-7 from deep. Gonzalvez proved especially potent, hitting all five of his shots for 14 points, including four 3's. At least two of those were from far beyond the arc.
Both players enjoyed uncontested shots against the Orange's defense, which consistently failed to hustle back after missed shots and jump out at open shooters. Between lackadaisical defense by Syracuse and red-hot shooting by Gonzalvez and Anderson, Richmond appeared primed for an upset.
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