Don’t Give up the Open 3’s
Duke as a team shoots 39.4% from behind the arc. They have four guys who shoot 40% or better. If Syracuse is going to stay close in this game, they are going to need to close out on the shooters and get a hand in their face. Easier said than done.
The Blue Devils are an excellent offensive team and terrific shooting the ball. They shoot 48% overall as a team and are terrific at driving to the hoop and getting high percentage looks. Syracuse is going to need to make a concerted effort of shutting down the driving lanes. Gbinije and Cooney are going to need to play lights out at the top of the zone and not allow penetration into the middle.
If the top of our zone can stay in front of their guards and limit them to tough, contested shots, we could definitely force them into some uncharacteristic misses and get out on the fast break. Duke is not a great defensive team, so we can really exploit them in transition if we can get to the rebounds and make some solid outlet passes.