Juanita Ward knew the question was coming, and she was already tired of it.

When asked about Saturday’s opponent, basketball juggernaut No. 1 Connecticut (16-0, 3-0 Big East) – a topic that eclipsed all other weekly chatter – she decided to answer with another question.

‘I mean, have they heard of coach (Quentin Hillsman)?’ Ward asked. ‘Have they heard of the Syracuse women’s basketball team?’ I understand it’s UConn, but I’m not going to put anyone on a pedestal.’

It was a statement that, before last year, may have turned some heads. But considering the 2008 matchup, when the then-unranked Orange had a chance to take the lead with a minute left, this Saturday’s game (2:30 p.m., XL Center) takes on a new light.

‘Last season, playing them well, it just seems that we’re just as good as they are,’ junior forward Nicole Michael said. ‘I mean we play all Big East teams well – them being No. 1 is really the only difference between us.’

Easy for Ward and Michael to say. More than likely, a brunt of the work is going to fall on the defensive play of sophomore guards Tasha Harris and Erica Morrow. They will be responsible for slowing down the nation’s top scoring offense in the country, led by UConn two guards.

Headed by Player of the Year candidate Maya Moore and senior guard Renee Montgomery, the two have combined to average a generous 35.4 points per game allowing their team to roll, winning each of its 16 games by an average of 33.6 points.

‘We’ve been checking out scouting reports, watching clips and watching them on TV,’ Morrow said. ‘But we know they’re going to be up-tempo and they’re going to have a roster full of All-Americans. We have to match their intensity, we have to play hard.’

Slowing down the Huskies does not mean diverting from his patented 2-3 zone, Hillsman said. Instead, the focus starts with Harris and Morrow cutting off preseason All-American Moore before she even touches the ball.

This entails going after Montgomery, a strategy that, if effective, could prevent a UConn scoring barrage typical in most games.

‘We’re mainly concerned with Montgomery, the point guard,’ Hillsman said. ‘She can push the ball down the floor and she puts pressure on the defense at all times. If you’re not going to stop the ball, and you’re not aggressive and don’t apply pressure – you’re going to have a problem. First key: stop Montgomery.’

Some of the Orange (13-4, 2-2 Big East) players, who began preparing specifically for Connecticut on Thursday, admitted that the zone defense may be cycled with a box-and-one – which calls for a 2-2 zone with one player guarding a specific member of the other team, pitting Morrow against Moore.

‘We may play a box-and-one on (Moore),’ Michael said. ‘Morrow will probably guard her but I think anybody could. We have some great defenders on this team.’

Having to guard the best player on the opposing team proves a unique challenge for Morrow, who played with Moore throughout high school and in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

‘I love defense and if that’s the role I need to play in order to win this game, than that’s what I’ll do. That’s my thing, so anybody I have to stop, that’s what I’ll do,’ Morrow said. ‘But (Moore) doesn’t take possessions off.’

But just knowing the opposing team’s best player may not be enough. The Orange doesn’t rank in the top 50 in overall defense or turnover margin for the season.

If the Orange manages to slow down the Huskies though, history could be at stake. Currently, UConn has beaten Syracuse 16 straight times, and the Orange has never beaten the nation’s top-ranked team.

‘It’s a great opportunity,’ Hillsman said. ‘I mean how many times you get to play a No. 1 team in the country?’

At the least, it seems the Orange is over the immediate hurdle many worried about leading up to Saturday’s game – the ability to overcome its first Big East folly of the season Wednesday, a 70-66 loss at the hands of Seton Hall.

‘I know a lot of teams would come into a game like this and say, ‘Oh well if we only lose by 10 points, that’s a statement because it’s UConn, but that’s not how we’re thinking,’ Morrow said. ‘We want to come into every game with a winning mindset – we love to win.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on January 16, 2009 at 12:00 pm