FanPost

Iowa vs Syracuse

(2-1) #23 Syracuse vs. (2-1) Iowa

Iowa and Syracuse will meet Friday afternoon (4pm) after losing their semifinal games in the 2k Classic. Iowa started off fast and energized against the 10th Ranked Longhorns, leading after the first 20 minutes by 6 points. The second 20 minutes didn’t go quite so well for the Hawkeyes. The Hawks were outscored 47-27 in the second half by the Horns and shot a mere 29.6% on the game. Syracuse was the favorite in their game vs California at Madison Square Garden. California did a great job at forcing turnovers, and running the court to prevent the Orange from getting their 2-3 zone set. It also didn’t help that the Orange only shot 4 for 17 from 3 pt. range.

The Breakdown

Iowa’s 2nd half against Texas was disappointing to watch. Aaron White is going to need more support on a nightly basis if the Hawkeyes plan on going deep in the tourney this year. Iowa’s guards shot a combined 5 for 29 from the field (17%). Syracuse will be heavily focusing on White, and the guards need to step up and make shots. I know Texas is a top 10 team, but Iowa showed in the 2nd half many of the same problems they had last year. They can’t finish games. They started off the game with a ton of energy, hitting jumpers, and were also running the floor well. Once the second half started they forgot what got them the lead. They weren’t getting on their man, or getting back on defense in general.

Syracuse are long and tall with a very active 2-3 zone. With the way the Hawkeyes guards shot against Texas, much of the Orange’s zone will be shifted in Aaron White’s direction. Clemmons and Gesell need to step up their play if they want to take Bronze at the 2k Classic. The effectiveness of the Hawks ball movement, penetration in the lane, and looks from beyond the arc will rely heavily on Clemmons and Gesell’s play. California had much success against the Orange by running, and that is what the Hawks need to emulate. Syracuse have three forwards that can shoot and rebound well. SR Rakeem Christmas (6-9), FR Chris McCullough (6-10), and SO B.J. Johnson (6-7) crash the boards hard and provide over half of the Orange’s points per game.

The Hawk’s Focus

More support for White- The Hawkeyes are a very deep team that play many players a lot of minutes. In a positive this helps the Hawkeyes effectiveness with their face paced offense, but also presents a negative. It’s hit or miss every night as to who may have the hot hand. Who will step up to relieve some pressure from White? Clemmons and Gesell are the starters at the moment, and they need to be more consistent in bigger games to help take the Hawkeyes to the next level.

Free throws- This may be the biggest focus for the Hawks not for just this game, but every game. The Hawks attribute much of their success on getting to the charity strike. For the Orange, 7 of their players occupy most of their minutes so far this year. If the Hawks get to the line frequently, foul trouble could be a problem for the Orange.

Run- The Hawks need to run often and early against the Orange. A weakness of Boeheim’s 2-3 zone is that by not allowing them time to set it up, easy baskets follow. If the guards of the Hawkeyes can get up and down the court quickly, there should be plenty of holes, and easy buckets. If they try to take it into a half-court game the Hawks will struggle to score points on a consistent basis, and have stretches of scoreless minutes throughout the game.

Video of the Day

Malice in the Palace-10 year Anniversary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO1ejvao9GU

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