WBB : Orange focuses on defense as it looks ahead to high-scoring USF
With two referees monitoring a complete intra-squad scrimmage, Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman ended his Friday practice on a high note.
‘Feels good,’ Hillsman said jumping off the court Friday. ‘It’s good to get out and run a little.’
The full-court scrimmages are a relatively new addition to Hillsman’s weekly practices, installed around Jan. 17 in preparation for Syracuse’s matchup with No. 1 Connecticut.
‘We need (the scrimmages) to get up and down the floor, to get our kids used to playing and to get our press in and work on pushing the ball up in transition,’ Hillsman said. ‘There’s no better way to do it than to play games.’
Keying a focus on transition defense through these full-court games may be a positive measure for Syracuse (14-8, 3-6 Big East) Sunday as it faces the second-best offensive team it’s played all season in South Florida (16-6, 3-6 Big East), at 4 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
The Bulls, averaging 81.2 points per game, are the third-highest scoring team in the nation next to powerhouses North Carolina and Connecticut.
‘They do score,’ junior forward Nicole Michael said. ‘They’re good shooters and good drivers; we just really have to guard them. They’re a very good team overall.’
Taking on a team like USF will take one of its best defensive efforts of the season for an Orange team ranked in the bottom half of the Big East in field goal percentage defense, 3-point percentage defense and rebounding defense.
‘We have to pressure (South Florida),’ senior guard Chandrea Jones said. ‘We’ve got to keep the pressure up.’
In the Orange’s last six games, of which it has only won one, the defense is giving up an average of 76 points per game. Despite the gloomy numbers, Hillsman uses his new practice technique to keep morale high and make sure his players are ready for Sunday.
‘We don’t have one foot in the grave here, that’s not the way we’re looking at it,’ Hillsman said. ‘We have a lot of games left – we’re looking forward to this home stretch.’
Having his players experience as much game-simulation as possible may help the Orange adjust better to a more team-oriented South Florida attack. Over the last few games SU has faced teams driven by big-time scorers like Maya Moore of UConn, Shavonte Zellous of Pittsburgh and Angel McCoughtry of Louisville, who are all averaging around 20 points per game.
South Florida on the other hand, presents a more balanced attack, with three scorers in double figures.
‘We have to make sure whatever we do, we don’t give them open looks,’ Hillsman said. ‘We have to put a consistent effort on guarding the ball and getting to the glass.’
With just seven games left in the regular season, two of which are against Top 25 teams, the Orange defense needs to come to the rescue in hopes to salvage a .500 record in the Big East and a competitive seed going into the tournament in early March. And in a season that has so far failed to reach its lofty expectations, Hillsman is doing his best to keep his team focused.
‘We’re just trying to come out and compete everyday,’ Hillsman said. ‘We want to let our players continue to know they’re good basketball players, we’re keeping it positive. I remember a few years ago it was West Virginia was the last seed and went to the championship game. Things can happen.’
Published on February 6, 2009 at 12:00 pm
