Syracuse’s 2-3 zone can be broken through the high post. It can be shot over from beyond the arc.

No. 7 Villanova (10-0) gets to and scores from each area of the court better than most teams in the country. Syracuse (6-3) has to slow and stop the same Wildcats in its 1 p.m. tipoff on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

It’s a task that no team in the country has truly completed this year and one that looks especially difficult for the Orange. SU struggled to defend the high post and the perimeter in the first half of its narrow win over Louisiana Tech on Sunday and the Bulldogs highlighted the weaknesses with a series of alley-oops that hushed the Carrier Dome crowd.

“I don’t like people dunking and stuff like that,” SU forward Rakeem Christmas said.

Syracuse guards closing off the top of the zone and simply stepping to the perimeter ended Louisiana Tech’s aerial dominance. But while SU mainly worried about Bulldogs guard Raheem Appleby, Villanova boasts five regulars shooting above 30 percent from 3 this year. And junior guard Ryan Arcidiacono, who’s had a slow start to the season, shot 36.7 percent from 3 coming into 2014-2015.

He’s an underperforming but established part of a backcourt that’s all but built to bust zones with a combination of penetration and sharp shooting. Down low, the Wildcats look to the 6-foot-11 Daniel Ochefu, a skilled passer in the high post who averages 9.4 points per game.

“They do a lot, a lot of things well,” SU guard Trevor Cooney said, raising his eyebrows and leaning back in his chair by his locker. “… They’re not ranked No. 7 for no reason.”

Ochefu and fellow forward JayVaugn Pinkston combine for an average of 18.5 points per game — 24.3 percent of Villanova’s average total. But the Wildcats are hardly dependent upon them. Syracuse gets 43.5 percent of its points from Christmas and forward Chris McCullough.

In Villanova’s toughest test of the season, though, the Wildcats scored 30 points in the paint as they beat then-No. 19 Michigan, 60-55.

After SU’s win against Louisiana Tech, Jim Boeheim bemoaned Syracuse’s perimeter defense, raising his voice to its loudest volume in the press conference when talking about a player who said he couldn’t cover a shooter because he was so far away.

“He’s where you’re supposed to be,” Boeheim said.

The fixes for the SU defense that let a Louisiana Tech attack score so easily in the first half Sunday seem simple: step to shooters, close up the top of the zone, and keep a big man back to protect that basket.

But in Villanova the Orange faces a team that excels where SU struggles. The Wildcats place shooters all over the floor. They’re experienced too, with only one freshman getting regular playing time. The Wildcats put forwards in the posts, set to pass through the heart of Syracuse’s trademark defense.

And they’re deep. Villanova regularly runs out nine players in a game.

“We just need to go watch the film,” Christmas said after beating Louisiana Tech. “We’re going to go watch film tomorrow until all the bad things are behind us and get ready for Villanova and we’ll be fine.”

Published on December 19, 2014 at 3:45 pm

Contact Jacob: jmklinge@syr.edu | @Jacob_Klinger_