The 2-3 Zone

It never ceases to amaze me how good of a coach Jim Boeheim is. He is one of the best guys you really never hear of outside of the Big East.

I have seen his team play a few times this year, and they never really impressed me, but as the season has gone on, they seem to be getting better. I think the main reason is they are starting to run that 2-3 zone to perfection. I am watching the Georgetown game right now, and they look like they have never seen this defense before.

The Hoyas are too good of a team to get down by 20 in the first half, but they have no answer for what the 'Cuse are doing (on another note, those Syracuse uniforms are horrible). They may come back and win this game, but it won't be because Boeheim isn't doing the job from a coaching stand point. He has a young team right now and has already lost one of his top players for the season in Eric Devendorf (it seemed like he has been there for seven years).

I know a lot of teams run the 2-3 zone, but no one seems to do it like Syracuse. Over the years, Boeheim's defense has become the model for how to run it. After Pat Knight's first win he told ESPN reporters he got out the Jim Boeheim 2-3 zone defense video and really studied it. He was almost embarrassed to mention that on air, but it just goes to show the respect he has for Boeheim.

I flipped over to the UConn/South Florida game, and the Bulls are running the 2-3 against the Huskies pretty effective right now as well.

BTW, I love ESPN360. All college campuses get it for free, so I am sitting in my office going back and forth between the two games.

UPDATE: Syracuse held off Georgetown to pull off a 77-70 win and kept their NCAA hopes alive.

UPDATE2: What a finish in the UConn/USF game. A big 3 by the Bulls at the end of Regulation to force OT and then a pair of baskets in the final 6 seconds and UConn won it by 1. I really do like ESPN360.