Melo earned four of Boeheim’s minutes Friday, without tallying a single statistic. The four minutes were the first four of the game, as the preseason Big East Freshman of The Year started in his fifth consecutive game.

 

After those first four minutes, Melo’s fellow freshman center Baye Moussa Keita replaced Melo. From there on out, Melo sat on the bench while Moussa Keita played 26 of the game’s final 36 minutes. Moussa Keita finished the game scoreless as well, but was second on the team for rebounds, with nine. He added two blocks and didn’t turn the ball over once.

 

For the fifth consecutive game, the soft-spoken Moussa Keita said he was merely doing Boeheim’s prescribed job.

 

‘Everytime that (Boeheim) calls me, I am ready to play,’ Moussa Keita said.

 

For the first time Friday, though, that job included starting the second half at center. Through SU’s five games Moussa Keita has been entrusted with the bulk of the minutes at center, logging 21 minutes to Melo’s 12.6. Melo is averaging 1.6 points-per-game, as he has taken only eight shots on the season.

 

Moussa Keita has attempted 12 total shots, but is averaging 7.4 rebounds-per-game to Melo’s two.

 

Two was also the number of blocks Moussa Keita tallied Friday. And following his first second half start of the year, the freshman cemented his importance with a Boardwalk Hall-pleasing block. Over 20 minutes after Melo started the game whiffing on an offensive rebound attempt, Moussa Keita pinned a Wolverine lay-up against the backboard.

 

It’s the same story the SU veterans, including Kris Joseph, are expecting.

 

Said Joseph: ‘We are going to need that from Baye.’

 

Michigan’s brooding offense another example of team playing well against zone

 

Every time down for Michigan, Jim Boeheim expected the same thing against his 2-3 zone. Michigan head coach Jim Beilein drilled it into his young team.

 

The Wolverines would work the ball until the final five seconds of the shot clock. It would come thanks to Darius Morris passes around the perimeter, and Tim Hardaway Jr. slashes to the baskets. As a result, gaps would open up in the Orange defense. The Michigan guards would then occupy them, and pass the ball back out for an Evan Smotrycz or Stu Douglass 3-pointer.

 

Then, Michigan would crash the glass for one of their 13 first half offensive rebounds thanks to the exposed holes in the SU zone.

 

That is how the first half played out. Michigan led 32-29. It wasn’t a surprise to Boeheim, though. Teams have been doing it all year. He expects it, because the team’s Syracuse has faced play against his zone well.

 

‘We are playing teams that are playing good against us,’ Boeheim said. ‘They have a good formula against us. They are teams that match up well against us with what we do.’

 

The SU head coach said again Friday that the Orange is playing against smart zone-teams to start the season. He was most impressed in SU’s game last week against William & Mary, as the heavy underdog lost by only three.

 

The close games prove SU has struggled against what Boeheim calls good zone-offense teams. But SU’s veterans, including Kris Joseph, were impressed with Michigan’s approach. They even said it is good SU is facing deliberate offensive attacks early in the season.

 

‘It helps us, especially when we play zone,’ Joseph said. ‘Teams are going to run offense against us, running the shot clock down to five seconds and then getting the shot. And that will do nothing for us but help us.’

 

Joseph’s fellow junior, Scoop Jardine, was impressed as well. But not only about how well-executed the Wolverine offense was. Rather, the maturity of the approach of Michigan — despite its three freshmen and one sophomore starters – didn’t correlate with the senior-less team.

 

‘In a game like that, no matter if a team has no seniors, they can be patient because we are in the zone,’ Jardine said… ‘Michigan is a patient team and they found their shooters. They are a hard team to play against.’

 

This and that

 

For the fifth straight game, Syracuse shot below 50 percent from the field… Former NBA players Tim Hardaway, Allan Houston and Glen Rice were in attendance at Boardwalk Hall. Hardaway’s son plays for Michigan. Rice’s son played for Georgia Tech in the other semifinal. Hardaway Jr. scored eight points in the win… Georgia Tech defeated UTEP 71-61 in the earlier semifinal… Rick Jackson led SU with 12 rebounds… Jardine and Brandon Triche combined to go 5-of-17 from the field… No SU player had more than three fouls, yielding only four Michigan free throw attempts… SU walk-on junior guard Nick Resavy recorded a trick-shot video that hit the Internet Friday. It is a YouTube clip lasting 3:37 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-5PH70VVGo) featuring Gerry McNamara.

 

aolivero@syr.edu