March 27--When emergency strikes, Syracuse doesn't break glass. It breaks out its full-court press.
It's a weapon the Orange actually would rather save. Like a long reliever in baseball, it's only used if you're losing -- and losing hope.
But with a shade less than three minutes to play Friday night at the United Center against Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16, the Orange unleashed it when they trailed 59-54.
They won 63-60.
"It turned the game," coach Jim Boeheim said.
It works because it makes the opposition panic.
"We sit back the whole game in a (2-3) zone and then out of nowhere, we start pressing," guard Franklin Howard said. "It takes them out of their rhythm."
Said forward Tyler Roberson: "Everything happens so fast. We're scrambling all over the place."
Syracuse used it four times against the Zags and got four defensive victories. Here's what happened:
--Gonzaga's Kyle Dranginis could not inbound the ball, so he called a timeout with 2 minutes, 56 seconds to play, leaving his team with only one.
--Dranginis tried to inbound the ball, but guard Trevor Cooney swiped it and hit a quick layup.
"We were desperate, running all over the place," Cooney said. "If you make those rotations, then they'll have to make a tough pass, a long pass or you'll get a 10-second call."
--The Zags broke the press, but Kyle Wiltjer tried a contested layup with 24 seconds on the shot clock -- and missed.
"It's a fantastic shot, one he always makes," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "It just didn't happen."
--The Zags were on their way to breaking the press, but Domantas Sabonis passed it backward, leading to a 10-second violation.
"A mental error," Few said.
So to review: One forced timeout, one steal/basket, one quick Zags miss, one 10-second violation.
Why was it so effective?
"You're playing that press with a sense of urgency and usually against a team that has a lead," said Boeheim's designated successor, assistant coach Mike Hopkins. "So they're trying to protect, rather than attack. They're playing defensively. And you're playing defense offensively."
And as far as enlivening the arena, the United Center in this case, it works even better than a T-shirt cannon or one of those on-screen doughnut races.
"It's fun when we press," Syracuse guard Malachi Richardson said. "It's a boost of energy for us."
Boeheim said the press actually has not been much of a weapon for this Syracuse team, with the exception of an overtime victory over Virginia Tech. The Orange trailed the Zags 55-48 with 2:26 to play.
"Our press is usually good for about two minutes, that's it," Boeheim said. "But these guys made some unbelievable plays (Friday)."
Gonzaga ended up with 17 turnovers, and Syracuse ended up in the Elite Eight against Virginia with a Final Four berth on the line Sunday at the United Center.
But here's the thing about Virginia: It's a veteran team that ranks fifth nationally with an assists-to-turnover ratio of 6-to-1. The Cavaliers assisted on an outrageous 26 of 32 baskets Friday night in throttling Iowa State 84-71.
And they had no trouble with Syracuse's pet 2-3 zone when the teams met Jan. 24 in Charlottesville. Virginia shot 56.8 percent, the highest percentage the Orange allowed all season.
"You have to be able to attack it in different ways," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "The ball has to move, you have to get on the glass. It's a challenging zone, no doubt, and if you're too hesitant against it, you can have trouble. I think I have guys with the right mindset, guys who have made the shots and made the plays."
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
