BOSTON – C.J. Fair cracked a bit of a smile and then declined to answer the question. When asked about the difference in athleticism between Syracuse and Wisconsin, the SU sophomore wanted no part of that discussion.

That’s because there is no comparison. But Fair knew better than to create bulletin board material the day before the Sweet 16 matchup between the Orange and the Badgers.

Thursday night marks a date between two teams with polar opposite philosophies. Top-seeded Syracuse (33-2) has dominated teams this season by pushing the tempo and getting out in transition whenever possible. Wisconsin (26-9), by contrast, has the best scoring defense in the country and plays a methodical, slow-down game against its opponents.

Thus the battle over tempo becomes crucial, as each team will try to impose its very different style onto the other.

‘In the Big East we were able to play both (styles),’ SU guard Brandon Triche said. ‘We had a few games playing in the 50s. A lot of teams tried to slow us down. I think the biggest thing for us is being able to rebound, try to speed them up a little bit as much as we can.’

Bo Ryan’s team holds its opponents to 52.9 points per game this season, best in Division I and more than a full point of second-place Virginia.

It’s a stark contrast from the points-happy team the Badgers face Thursday. All season long, Syracuse has run teams out of the gym with backbreaking stretches to blow games open. SU enters the game against Wisconsin scoring 74.5 points per game.

‘This isn’t the first time we’ve faced a team like that, but obviously they are extremely good at (fast breaking) and extremely athletic, and they run with the best of them,’ Wisconsin forward Jared Berggren said. ‘So we are going to have to do a good job of sticking to our system, taking care of the ball, getting good shots and that’s the things that help us be successful.’

Syracuse forward James Southerland said the Orange must be prepared to defend for at least 30 seconds on every defensive possession. Offensive efficiency is the trademark of Bo Ryan’s swing offense, and his point guard, Jordan Taylor, is as efficient as they come.

Taylor holds the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the history of NCAA basketball among players with at least 400 career assists.

‘I know for a fact that Jordan Taylor is a good ball handler, and he likes to penetrate and dish it out to open shooters,’ Southerland said. ‘If we lock down on defense – we’re going to be playing like 30 seconds of defense every possession – and making sure we get those rebounds, we’ll be fine.’

Defensive rebounding against a team like Wisconsin becomes paramount for the Orange. If the Badgers are going to make SU defend for nearly the entire shot clock, giving up offensive rebounds and having to defend even longer will be devastating.

‘No team wants to play defense for a minute straight, just sliding,’ Fair said. ‘We have to make sure we crash the boards hard and not give them too many second-chance points.’

On the other side of the coin, guard Brandon Triche said SU hopes to capitalize on tipped balls, traps and steals. Once the Orange comes up with a loose ball, it will be full speed to the rim in an attempt to get the game out of the 40s and into the 60s or 70s.

But Berggren said other teams in the Big Ten have tried to force tempo against the Badgers, so it won’t be anything new Thursday.

What is new, though, is the length of SU’s 2-3 zone. And that extra size is what could cause problems for Wisconsin, SU assistant coach Gerry McNamara said.

Problems lead directly to turnovers, which Syracuse can use to create fast-break opportunities.

‘We just have to get the ball and push it and try to beat them down the court,’ Fair said. ‘Then we have to convert on a lot of our offensive trips and not make silly turnovers.’

Even if Wisconsin is able to dictate tempo to force a low-scoring game, McNamara remains confident. Teams like South Florida and Louisville succeeded in slowing the Orange down, but they still didn’t win the game.

The only two times SU left the gym with a loss were slow-down games in which the opposing team lit it up from 3-point range as well.

That leads McNamara to think Syracuse can win at any tempo it faces.

‘I think teams have tried to play us in the 40s,’ McNamara said. ‘I think it’s very difficult to hold us to that point, I honestly do.

‘If we’re scoring in the 40s, I like our chances to be honest. Simple as that. I don’t imagine we score in the 40s very often.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on March 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13