Syracuse Basketball: Projected line-up if and when SU plays man defense

One of the most fiercely debated topics among Syracuse basketball fans whom I interact with on social media and in chat rooms centers on the Orange’s defense.

For quite some time now, ‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim has relied exclusively on the zone, whether it’s a 2-3 scheme or some other version.

And that zone, when it employs athletic, instinctive and lengthy players, can be ultra-dangerous. The Syracuse basketball zone, for example, in 2013, 2016 and 2018, to me, was stellar.

In March Madness, said zone is a huge advantage for the ‘Cuse when it is playing opponents that don’t have a lot of time to prepare for it, and also haven’t seen a lot of zone throughout their regular seasons.

As such, I believe that the zone was a pivotal reason why Syracuse basketball advanced to Final Fours in 2013 and 2016, and went to the Sweet 16 in 2018.

Of course, if the zone doesn’t have the characteristics I described above, it can be a massive detriment to the team. We can look no further than a stanza ago, when the Orange’s zone was awful, and the squad finished at 16-17 overall.

Could Syracuse basketball use some man-to-man defense in the 2022-23 term?

To be fair, in 2021-22, the ‘Cuse could really light up the scoreboard on offense. Yet the roster wasn’t all that athletic, and foes would often shred the zone.

By extension, though, some fans would opine that last season’s roster would have fared even worse had it played man-to-man defense. I agree with that assertion.

The 2022-23 roster, however, looks drastically different. It remains to be seen whether Orange players in the upcoming campaign will be as lethal from beyond the arc, but early reports from journalists and national analysts suggest that Syracuse basketball will be much more athletic in 2022-23.

Boeheim, himself, has noted that the team may play some man-to-man defense in the upcoming campaign. Is he going to go away from the zone altogether? That would shock me.

Yet with the athletes on the 2022-23 roster, I’d personally love to see the ‘Cuse do some full-court pressing, and take a stab at some man defense when appropriate.

If Syracuse basketball does, in fact, rely on man-to-man defense at times, here is my ideal line-up best suited for this sort of defensive set.

Guard No. 1, Judah Mintz
The 6-foot-3 Mintz, a 2022 four-star combo guard, has been lauded by experts for his defensive prowess, in addition to a terrific offensive skill-set.

Sophomore forward Benny Williams, in a recent interview with college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, said in part that the freshman Mintz “has a dog mentality.”

"On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw recently said, “Word out of Syracuse is there may be more man-to-man played this season, and Mintz is the perfect player to usher in that look.”"

Guard No. 2, Symir Torrence
The 6-foot-3 Torrence, a senior, showed his abilities in 2021-22 to facilitate for others, drive the lane and get after it on the defensive end.

No disrespect to fellow senior guard Joe Girard III, but if we’re talking about man defense, I’d prefer to have Torrence and Mintz in the line-up.

Torrence is super athletic and quick, and he has great defensive instincts, in my humble opinion.

Forward No. 1, Benny Williams
The 6-foot-8 Williams, a sophomore, didn’t play a ton as a freshman, and that irritated a lot of Syracuse basketball fans. But he also was competing for minutes with a senior and a graduate student.

In 2022-23, Williams has a year in the ‘Cuse system under his belt. He is poised for a break-out stanza, according to some experts. And I think that Williams’ athleticism, height and length would be well-suited for the times that the Orange may go man-to-man on defense.

Forward No. 2, Justin Taylor
Full disclosure, I have absolutely no clue on the second forward spot. The 6-foot-6 Taylor, a 2022 four-star wing, certainly could be a solid candidate for this position.

While some folks seem to think of Taylor as primarily a long-distance shooter, I’ve read a ton of comments from analysts and scouts since he committed to the ‘Cuse that his athleticism and defensive skills are vastly underrated.

That being said, you could probably make the case for any number of Syracuse basketball players here, including 2022 four-star small forward Chris Bunch, 2022 three-star big man Peter Carey, 2022 three-star power forward Maliq Brown, or even redshirt junior power forward John Bol Ajak.

Center, Jesse Edwards
The 6-foot-11 Edwards, a senior, was a menace to foes a season ago, when he was among the Atlantic Coast Conference leaders in blocked shots, despite unfortunately getting injured in February.

Edwards, who is competing in international competitions for the Dutch national team according to SU Athletics, will get the bulk of minutes at center for the ‘Cuse, and I think he would do well if and when the Orange may play some man defense.

I could also see either the 6-foot-11 Carey or 6-foot-11 Mounir Hima, a transfer from Duquesne, being potential candidates for the center spot in man-to-man schemes.