Syracuse has suffocated many an opponent over the years with its vaunted 2-3 zone. A blend of length and synchronized movement often chokes off passing lanes, driving angles, and shooting space. Facing it may be sometimes frustrating, but it is almost always challenging.

Virginia certainly knew all of that as it entered Saturday’s game. Freshman London Perrantes and sophomore Malcolm Brogdon said they had watched many games this season to study the zone and with Cuse ranked No. 1 in the nation a few weeks back, there had been ample opportunities for players to peek at the Orange.

The coaches also prepared the Hoos with film divided to show both sides of the coin against Jim Boeheim’s signature defense.

“The film that we watched, we watched teams how they beat it and we watched teams and how Syracuse kind of suffocated them,” senior Joe Harris said. “One of the main things was the teams that really didn’t do well against it, the ball just moved around the top and the guards were just stagnant. There wasn’t a lot of action or paint touches or anything like that. That was one of the main focuses, trying to get paint touches, moving the ball and being unselfish.”

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