Mick Cronin sat at the postgame press table a beaten man.

Cincinnati’s head coach had a plan. And, to the surprise of many, it worked for a while. But eventually, Syracuse’s 2-3 zone catches up to teams. Frustrates teams. Haunts teams. It manifests into 35-second intervals of migraines for opponents.

‘The mental grind of having to attack that zone wears you down,” Cronin said after his Bearcats lost to SU, 71-54, on Sunday. ‘You can’t get an open shot.”

The reason for the lack of open shots is the two guards up top in the 2-3 zone. Taking away Plans A, B and C each possession, the Orange’s guards warped Sunday’s win into an eyesore. Cincinnati misfired at a reckless rate, continually taking bad shots. Cronin’s team went scoreless over the final six minutes.

Against underachieving Connecticut (14-9, 4-6) tonight, that’s the key. Seduce UConn’s athletic tandem of Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker into hoisting a surplus of 3’s. Limit penetration. Keep rolling. The zone’s reaction to various offenses is the biggest reason No. 2 Syracuse (23-1, 10-1) has reached its highest ranking since the 1989-90 season.

For 32 minutes on Sunday, Cronin’s plan worked. He promoted tall, agile freshman Lance Stephenson to point guard in order to peer over the zone and create offense. Stephenson found Cincinnati’s awkward group of bigs, who converted around the rim. Almost instantly, the Bearcats built an 11-2 lead.

But as the case has been for so many of SU’s opponents this season, the success was temporary.

With Andy Rautins and Scoop Jardine pestering up top, the Bearcats scrambled to simply get attempts off before a shot-clock violation. Syracuse’s wings extended higher. All at 6 feet 2 inches or taller, the Orange’s exterior dictated the tempo. The worst 3-point shooting team in the Big East had no choice but to fire away from deep. And they went 5-of-19.

‘When we went cold from the field, we let them pull away from us from the free-throw line,’ Cronin said. ‘It takes time to break down their zone. It is hard to get a shot against them in two to three passes because they are so long.’

Connecticut won’t go that route. The Huskies will attack off the dribble. Unlike Cincinnati, don’t expect Dyson and Walker to lollygag around the perimeter, waiting patiently for someone to flash. The tandem will blast full speed ahead into SU’s zone. They’re slashers, not shooters. Further, both read the floor well. The four-year starter Dyson and sophomore Walker average 10.5 assists per game – second most of any duo in the Big East, behind Tory Jackson and Ben Hansbrough of Notre Dame.

Then again, UConn has been an enigma all season. After knocking off then-No. 1 Texas, it promptly lost to three mediocre Big East teams. Winning in Syracuse would certainly be the brownie points Connecticut needs to impress the NCAA selection committee. A keynote win. Right now, its bubble is waiting to burst. Expect the Huskies to lean on what worked against Texas. The guards will penetrate. Against the more physical Longhorns, Dyson scored 32 points and Walker had a double-double (19 points, 10 assists).

Syracuse makes adjustments, sure. But don’t expect anything drastic. The goal of the 2-3 never changes. SU wants to cut off the entry pass, make the paint a Bermuda Triangle. Nothing can flow through that area.

Wearing a ‘Shut it Down’ T-shirt after Sunday’s win, the rapper of the team’s trademark song, assistant coach Rob Murphy, made that much clear.

‘That’s our ultimate goal – keep the ball out of the high post,’ Murphy said. ‘Once you get it in the middle of the zone, you have a lot of options.’

Cincinnati’s formula failed. A raw, inexperienced team, the Bearcats were borderline frightened to venture into the lane. Stephenson’s freewheeling playing style didn’t fly. And the Bearcats’ offense self-destructed.

After the game, Rautins balked at the notion that youth had something to do with it. At its best, SU’s zone should be effective against any offense and any level of experience, he said.

Tonight may be the zone’s stiffest test yet up top. Syracuse faces the best pair of guards it has seen to date.

‘I think the zone is effective regardless of who you play,’ Rautins said. ‘It all depends on how active you are and how vocal you are. If you’re active and energetic the whole game, it’s tough to beat.’

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on February 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm