NEW YORK – At Syracuse some things, like winning and cold winters, never change. The past three-plus decades of Syracuse basketball have seen several constants: Jim Boeheim roaming the sidelines and adding victories, almost annual tournament play and an adherence to a philosophy of 2-3 zone defense. Boeheim has heard the critics suggest he play man-to-man more often or against certain teams. A career with over 800 wins attests to the fact he knows what is best.
Syracuse utilized that patented 2-3 to register a 95-73 triumph over California in the Coaches vs, Cancer semifinals at Madison square Garden. The Orange were set to face North Carolina, who with stood a late run to defeat Ohio State 77-73 in the second semifinal.
“Their size and zone cause you problems,” Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. “But not to the extent I expected.”
Montgomery was without the injured Theo Robertson, an 18 PPG scorer and three-point threat, but refused to use that as an excuse. “We have players ready to step up,” he said. Senior guard Jerome Randle led the way with a game-high 25 points. But no one else on the Golden Bears posed a serious threat.
All too often Cal struggled to get the ball inside. If they did, the big men saw collapsing defenders. And all too often Cal settled for a trey – one that missed. “Our 2-3 is designed to stop three-point shhoters,” Boeheim said. It did just that as Cal shot 6 for 20 beyond the arc for the game.
Offensively the Orange received good guard play from Scoop Jardine (22 points, six assists) and Andy Rautins (eight points, four assists). Boeheim emphasized that the Orange are getting acclimated from being guard-oriented (last year) to the present team with solid inside threats, as Arinze Onuaku (12 points) and Wesley Johnson (17 points, six blocks). Those big men are making an impact on both ends of the floor as Montgomery noted, “(Syracuse) blocked nine of our shots. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
