Jim Boeheim is an expert on zone defense. The Syracuse University men's basketball coach even put out an instructional video outlining responsibilities, rotations and reads for each player on the court.
Vermont will get a live demonstration Friday when it takes on Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
If the Catamounts plan to notch their first victory in the Big Dance, they will need to crack Boeheim's vaunted scheme, one that was influential in winning a national championship in 2003.
Syracuse employs a basic 2-3 match-up zone: two big men pack it in under the basket while three others swarm the perimeter.
"They are real, real long and real, real athletic," Vermont associate head coach Jesse Agel said. "They have so much size on their back line, and they are very aggressive in their zone."
Craig Forth, a 7-foot center, and forwards Josh Pace (6-6) and Hakim Warrick (6-8) could make it difficult for UVM's Taylor Coppenrath, the second leading scorer in the country, to get his normal production from the lane.
Vermont senior guard T.J. Sorrentine had this solution: "It's all going to come down to us making shots. We are just going to have to attack it. We can't fall back and let them dictate the pace."
UVM has the ability to make shots. Just ask Boston University, which was a victim to 13 UVM 3-pointers during a regular-season game. The Cats are one of the nation's top 3-point-shooting teams, averaging 8.53 a game.
Sorrentine leads the way with 105 3-pointers this season, including a 16-of-29 performance from behind the arc during three America East conference tournament games.
The Pawtucket, R.I., native isn't the only long-range threat for the Cats. Alex Jensen, David Hehn, Josh Duell and Ryan Schneider each have made more than 20 3-pointers.
All will have to have quick triggers Friday.
"They take away your sight lines to the rim by just getting out and contesting shot after shot, one guy after another coming out to contest shots," Agel said. "From hearing Boeheim talk about his zone in the past, the one thing he says is if a team hits three 3-pointers in a row against it, and you stop playing it, you shouldn't play it in the first place."
Opponents have sprinkled in zones against Vermont during regular-season games, but this will be the first time the Cats see the defense for 40 minutes.
"What (Boeheim) is going to do is put pressure on you to make shots against his type of players for 40 minutes," Agel said, "and that's trouble for a lot of people, not just the Catamounts.
"We have a bunch of guys that can shoot the ball well, but we can't get stuck on the perimeter," he added. "We have to find some open areas in their zone."
Jensen is up to the challenge.
"Shoot the 3, that's pretty much the only thing I can do," he said, "so hopefully I'll get an opportunity to make a couple.
"If the shots are falling, we have a chance."
Vermont will get a live demonstration Friday when it takes on Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
If the Catamounts plan to notch their first victory in the Big Dance, they will need to crack Boeheim's vaunted scheme, one that was influential in winning a national championship in 2003.
Syracuse employs a basic 2-3 match-up zone: two big men pack it in under the basket while three others swarm the perimeter.
"They are real, real long and real, real athletic," Vermont associate head coach Jesse Agel said. "They have so much size on their back line, and they are very aggressive in their zone."
Craig Forth, a 7-foot center, and forwards Josh Pace (6-6) and Hakim Warrick (6-8) could make it difficult for UVM's Taylor Coppenrath, the second leading scorer in the country, to get his normal production from the lane.
Vermont senior guard T.J. Sorrentine had this solution: "It's all going to come down to us making shots. We are just going to have to attack it. We can't fall back and let them dictate the pace."
UVM has the ability to make shots. Just ask Boston University, which was a victim to 13 UVM 3-pointers during a regular-season game. The Cats are one of the nation's top 3-point-shooting teams, averaging 8.53 a game.
Sorrentine leads the way with 105 3-pointers this season, including a 16-of-29 performance from behind the arc during three America East conference tournament games.
The Pawtucket, R.I., native isn't the only long-range threat for the Cats. Alex Jensen, David Hehn, Josh Duell and Ryan Schneider each have made more than 20 3-pointers.
All will have to have quick triggers Friday.
"They take away your sight lines to the rim by just getting out and contesting shot after shot, one guy after another coming out to contest shots," Agel said. "From hearing Boeheim talk about his zone in the past, the one thing he says is if a team hits three 3-pointers in a row against it, and you stop playing it, you shouldn't play it in the first place."
Opponents have sprinkled in zones against Vermont during regular-season games, but this will be the first time the Cats see the defense for 40 minutes.
"What (Boeheim) is going to do is put pressure on you to make shots against his type of players for 40 minutes," Agel said, "and that's trouble for a lot of people, not just the Catamounts.
"We have a bunch of guys that can shoot the ball well, but we can't get stuck on the perimeter," he added. "We have to find some open areas in their zone."
Jensen is up to the challenge.
"Shoot the 3, that's pretty much the only thing I can do," he said, "so hopefully I'll get an opportunity to make a couple.
"If the shots are falling, we have a chance."
