COLUMBUS, OH – The narrative emanating from North Carolina’s locker room Saturday afternoon sounded more like an echo caroming off the walls over and over.
The one constant during UNC’s open session with the media focused on Washington’s 2-3 zone defense, which bears a strong resemblance to what Syracuse runs. Of course, Huskies coach Mike Hopkins played for the Orange and worked for Orange coach Jim Boeheim, so he knows a thing or two about employing a successful zone.
But it’s not an exact replica. It’s similar, for sure, but there have been some tweaks with what top-seeded UNC (28-6) will see Sunday when the Tar Heels face the eighth-seeded Huskies (27-8) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena.
“We run a very similar zone,” Hopkins said Saturday afternoon. “We have different types of personnel, so we have to utilize it a little bit differently based on our personnel. But it's all, the foundation is definitely what we did at Syracuse.”
UNC Coach Roy Williams is quite familiar with the 2-3, which is predicated on limiting opponents’ 3-point attempts and forcing them to try and move the ball through the zone. Syracuse’s approach works because the Orange always have plenty of length at the top and on the edges of their zone.
Washington’s opponents have converted just 33.1 percent of their 3-point shots with 35.6 percent of the attempted field goals coming from beyond the arc.
Williams sees that similarity with what Washington does.
“It's a little different, but the basis the same,” he said. “They're long, athletic, quick to the ball. They're aggressive. They'll probably double team in the corner maybe more than Jimmy's teams have done in the last couple of years.”
The thing about the Syracuse-Washington zone, while it often stymies opponents, Carolina has had its share of success versus it.
Just last month, the Heels scored 93 points versus the Orange, though they shot just 40.3 percent from the field. But they got shots, including Coby White, who netted 34 points in the win. UNC was 29 points above the norm for what Syracuse had allowed to that point in the season.
In fact, UNC has won eight straight games against the Orange averaging 83.6 points in each of those victories, which is 18 points above the average Syracuse has allowed in that span.
That doesn’t mean Carolina will blister Washington’s defense, but it does mean the Tar Heels know how to deal with that kind of defense. And with a quick turnaround, UNC’s confidence knowing it’s taking on a zone team works to its advantage.
“No matter what the zone is, whether it’s a 1-3-1 or a 2-3, we always want to get the ball inside the free throw line area, so that never changes,” UNC senior Kenny Williams said. “That’s the easiest thing it our philosophy never changes no matter what the zone is.”
Perhaps the best example of the Heels executing from that area of the defense came in 2016 when Brice Johnson registered eight assists dumping passes down to Isaiah Hicks on the block or extended out along the baseline. Hicks scored 21 points with six of Johnson’s assists serving as feeds to Hicks.
If UNC gets something like that going it will open up so much else for its offense.
And that’s the mantra heading into Sunday’s game with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
