CLEVELAND, OH -- Rick Jackson walked through security at Quicken Loans Arena knowing this was his last NCAA tournament, while four wide eyed freshman marveled at the hoopla surrounding practice day. The hoopla was equally as impressive for SU’s opponent Friday, but #14 Indiana State will more than likely not be as impressed when they’re facing Syracuse’s famous 2-3 zone on Friday night.“We haven’t faced a zone much this year,” said Sycamore’s Head Coach Greg Lansing, “let alone the best zone in the country. With the length and athleticism that we’re going to be going against, we can’t simulate it in practice”.
That said, Coach Boeheim isn’t taking Indiana State lightly. “They attack zones very well. We’ve seen a lot of zone footage of them. They do a good job of moving the ball. They have good passers, and they have guys that can shoot the ball and penetrate the zone.”
As mentioned, many of the younger Syracuse players will be learning on the fly, and many of them like Dion Waiters, Baye Moussa Keita and C.J. Fair could play significant minutes as they try to feel out what it takes to be successful in the NCAA Tournament. The extra practice time combined with two tough games in New York may especially have prepared freahman center Fab Melo, who Coach Boeheim says could be an “X-Factor”.
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