ATLANTA — Four years ago, Michael Carter-Williams played against Trey Burke for the first time. The two were 10th-graders right in the middle of a development that transformed them into two of the top players in college basketball.

Even then, Carter-Williams saw all the talent Burke had. And even then, Carter-Williams had a significant size advantage over Burke. It was a precursor to a game they would play four years later in the Final Four, with a trip to the national championship on the line.

“He’s a great player. He’s explosive, he’s quick off the ball, he has quick hands,” Carter-Williams said. “It’s going to be good, it’s going to be fun.”

And challenging.

Burke is arguably the best player in the country. He’s quick, athletic, and has a poise that allows him to knock down big shots in big moments. When Syracuse plays Michigan in the Final Four on Saturday at 8:49 p.m. in the Georgia Dome, the Orange will look to keep him from penetrating the middle of its zone. If he breaks through the web of long arms, that’s when he can do the most damage.

It’s a system Michigan has thrived off all season.

“He takes care of the ball and he gets his teammates involved,” Carter-Williams said. “He likes to work off the pick-and-roll and we play zone, so we’re going to take that away a little bit. He’s going to try to get in the gaps and we’re going to try to limit him as much as possible.”

Burke is averaging an astounding 18.8 points and 6.8 assists per game on the season. In the NCAA Tournament, Burke is averaging 15.5 points per game and has handed out 31 assists over Michigan’s four games. On Friday, Burke won the Associated Press National Player of the Year award.

Against Kansas in the Sweet 16, Burke drained a clutch 3-pointer with four seconds left in regulation that sent the Wolverines and Jayhawks to overtime in a game Michigan ended up winning 87-85.

He’s been a consistent reason why Michigan climbed the rankings and spent most of the season in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

“We’re going to have to find different ways to attack the zone. They play a really good 2-3 zone and it is tough playing against a long team like Syracuse,” Burke said. “We have put in some sets that will allow us to get different looks against their zone.”

Some of Syracuse’s players, though, said playing a zone defense is going to take away a part of the Wolverines’ offense that it typically uses successfully, and of course, it involves Burke.

He’s exceptional off the pick-and-roll, a play Michigan won’t be able to run as much against the zone.

What’s going to make life even more difficult for Burke is that he’s going to have to fight past the long wingspan of the 6-foot-6 Carter-Williams. It’s a height advantage that could help Carter-Williams considerably, although SU head coach Jim Boeheim said height advantages are not necessarily a given.

“You think about those things before. But most of the time, it never evolves,” Boeheim said. “As the game evolves, you can see whether you have an advantage or not and try to capitalize on it.”

But Carter-Williams did say Friday that his size advantage will let him take Burke to the basket and get on the block.

Carter-Williams said Burke’s Player of the Year honors are “well deserved.” But he said it also means Burke is going to have added pressure to live up to the expectations the award carries.

Burke disagreed and said there isn’t any extra pressure since he isn’t playing for himself, but for the team instead. On Saturday, his awards won’t mean a thing. All that matters for Michigan is that Burke continues the standout play that led him to receive it.

Regardless of where the pressure is, it’s going to be one of Carter-Williams’ biggest tests this season. Four years after playing Burke for the first time, Carter-Williams is tasked with stopping him once again.

“I’m just looking forward to it,” Carter-Williams said. “It’s going to be a great challenge for me.”

Published on April 5, 2013 at 5:55 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman