SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When Syracuse hosted St. Bonaventure on Dec. 29, the Orange’s goal was to take away the Bonnies pass into the middle. In the second half of Saturday’s game at Notre Dame, though, SU did the opposite, something it rarely ever does: the Orange vacated the middle of their own 2-3 zone.

“It was either make an adjustment or lose,” Syracuse point guard Frank Howard said. “We got out on (Notre Dame’s T.J. Gibbs) a little bit, kind of gave away the middle, not normal for us.”

“It was a great adjustment from coach.”

The Orange defended the backside lob and prevented open 3s. That was the difference between four 3s in the first half for Gibbs and two 3s in the final period. From a one-point halftime deficit, Syracuse (10-4, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) came back to beat Notre Dame (10-5, 0-2), 72-62, in Purcell Pavilion behind its adjusted defense midway through the game. For much of the season, SU has been burned by an opposing guard getting hot from the outside. In its ACC opener, the Orange proved it could stifle that.

“I think they were just more aware of getting out on Gibbs and making him take tougher shots,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “In the first half, (Gibbs) had pretty open looks. (D.J.) Harvey had open looks. Guys can make that; they can make those shots.”

In Syracuse’s second regular season game of the season, Jordan Walker led Morehead State with 24 points and six 3s. Cornell’s Matt Morgan dropped 26 on the Orange with six 3s of his own. Buffalo’s CJ Massinburg scored 25 with four 3s. Even Arkansas State’s Ty Cockfield made three 3s en route to 13 first-half points against the Orange on Dec. 22. Often, their 3s came from the top of the key, in the zones SU guards Tyus Battle, Howard or Jalen Carey were responsible for covering.

Dynamic guards under 6-foot-3 who can shoot from well beyond the 3-point arc have proven to be an issue for SU this season. Gibbs was the latest example on Saturday.

In the game’s first half, he shot 4-for-8, all on 3-pointers. Gibbs continued to shoot from near the outlined four-leaf clover at the center of Notre Dame’s court. At times, Syracuse’s guards seemed hesitant to close out on him that far.

“In the first half, I don’t think we were aware of where their shooters were or how they were shooting the ball,” Boeheim said.

Syracuse hesitated to guard Gibbs beyond the 3-point line in Saturday’s first half. He shot and made a 3 after this catch. Via WatchESPN

Gibbs has shot more than 100 3s this season in 15 games. Against Syracuse, Gibbs kept the score close as the first half went along, and his shooting threat allowed him to pass to a wide-open kickout 3 for Nate Laszewski at the first-half buzzer.

But the open looks changed in the second half. Even when Gibbs squared up to shoot 30 feet from the basket, one of SU’s lanky guards, Battle or Howard, was ready to cover. Frequently, he looked to shoot before passing off to someone else, but Gibbs had hands in his face beyond the arc. The Orange had solved the issue.

“We just tried to limit him from shooting 3s, honestly,” Battle said. “That’s all he was getting his points on was open looks. So once we limited that, we were fine.”

It created a hole in the middle of the defense, though. Syracuse was burned on backside lobs in the first half, so its centers remained deep in the paint to defend the high passes, and the guards pushed out beyond the arc at times to defend Gibbs. From three successful backside lobs and seven Irish 3s in the first half, UND was held to zero alley-oops and four 3s in the second.

The only space available in SU’s defense was near the free throw line, and John Mooney exploited it, finishing with 14 points. But mid-range jumpers, from anyone on UND, were a better option than Gibbs’ first half 3-point shooting.

“It just came down to us as a team not hitting shots,” Gibbs said. “Coach always says to never turn shots down. I think I did that a little bit in the second half. Can’t be hesitant.”

Syracuse played Gibbs multiple feet beyond the 3-point line in the second half, leaving space in the middle of the 2-3 zone. Via WatchESPN

Syracuse’s adjustment allowed it to pass its first ACC test, eventually pulling away from the Fighting Irish. Next up is Clemson in the Carrier Dome on Wednesday. The Tigers, although they’ve shot below the national average this season, like to shoot often from deep. Four players — Marcquise Reed, Shelton Mitchell, Aamir Simms and Clyde Trapp — have attempted 40 or more 3s this season. In Syracuse’s final regular season game last year, Reed drained 5-of-7 from deep in the Carrier Dome.

Maybe the Orange will have to guard him five feet from the 3-point line like Gibbs. Maybe there’ll have to be a focus on shutting down the middle like against the Bonnies. But Syracuse’s defense has proven one thing it’ll need to do to win in the ACC: it can make midgame adjustments.

“We just made a few defensive plays in the second half,” Boeheim said. “That was really the difference, I think, in the game.”

Published on January 8, 2019 at 12:41 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3