Syracuse, N.Y. -- In 1996, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim had a pair of big guards in Lazarus Sims and Jason Cipolla.

Sims was a fifth-year senior, who became a starter when Michael Lloyd abruptly left school the previous summer. Cipolla was a junior college transfer tasked who beat out Marius Janulis for the opportunity to replace Lawrence Moten in the starting lineup.

Neither was a lock-down man-to-man defender. But they were both tall and long and very instinctive defensive players.

That's when Boeheim fully committed to the 2-3 zone defense.

"Before 1996, we played mostly man,'' Wayne Morgan, who was an assistant coach at Syracuse from 1984 to 1996, said recently. "But then when we had Lazarus and Cipolla, one was 6-5 and the other was 6-6. Jim noticed that other teams' guards just couldn't get the ball over them. We started having a lot of success with the zone.''

The decision to go with the zone on a full-time basis resulted in an unexpected trip to the NCAA championship game.

The 2-3 zone has been a Syracuse staple ever since and this year's Orange could prove to be one of the best defensive teams in Boeheim's 43-year career.

"The lineup this year is absolutely tailor-made for success in the zone,'' former St. John's coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said. "This may not be one of Jim's most talented teams, but it's a stereotypical Syracuse team with length at all five spots. This is going to be a juggernaut defense again.''

Syracuse's zone was one of the top defenses in the nation last season. The Orange allowed just 63.8 points per game and held opponents to less than 40 percent field-goal shooting (39.1).

According to noted statistician Ken Pomeroy, Syracuse ranked fifth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, which projects the number of points allowed per 100 possessions.

"Anyone who watched Syracuse play last year is expecting an elite defense again,'' said Fraschilla.

The Syracuse zone requires some essentials. They made sound basic, but they're not always easy to find.

First, it helps to have big guards like Sims and Cipolla.

"He always likes length on the perimeter,'' former Syracuse center Dan Schayes said of Boeheim. "He likes 6-4 to 6-6 up front. The zone is weakest in the middle, so keeping the ball out of the middle is a big deal. Those big guys at the top of the zone make it difficult to pass through the zone.''

As ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas noted, this year's Syracuse team begins with 6-5 senior Frank Howard and 6-6 junior Tyus Battle at the guard positions.

"Having Howard and Battle to point the defense is really a key for them,'' Bilas said. "They both have size and length. They get deflections, they get steals and challenge shots. They discourage passes. They don't deny, but they discourage. They make the easy pass difficult.''

Although it runs contrary to the popular opinion of the zone being more of a stationary defense, Syracuse guards almost always rank among the ACC's leaders in steals. Howard led conference in steals last year.

Syracuse guard Frank Howard (23) chases down a loose ball during a game against Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.

Boeheim, almost like a chef trying to mask his recipe's secret ingredient, poo-poo'd the notion that big guards are a must-have for the zone.

"We've played it with 6-foot guards and 6-6 guards,'' Boeheim said. "It doesn't matter. As long as you can play defense. If you can't play defense, it matters. We've had some of that. Size is OK. It's nice. But it's not the end of the world. Some of our best defensive players haven't been that long.''

It's true. Syracuse has won with smaller guards like Gerry McNamara, Jonny Flynn and Allen Griffin.

"I'm 6-2,'' said Griffin, who is now a Syracuse assistant, in mock protest. "The great thing about the zone is it always puts you in great position to be successful when it's done right.''

The second-most common trait in the zone is the presence of long, athletic forwards. Syracuse's best zone teams have featured the likes of John Wallace, Hakim Warrick and Wes Johnson.

The forwards have to cover a wide swath of the court from the baseline up to the wing at more than a 45-degree angle. When the ball's on the opposite wing, the forward is responsible for an entire half of the court.

Syracuse sophomore Oshae Brissett summed up the forward's key duties.

"The first pass is always you on the wing,'' Brissett said, "and don't get dunked on off a lob.''

After checking the wing out at the 3-point line, the forward will bump down to the baseline where he must be aware of a shooter in the corner and another offensive player in the low post.

"You need quickness and length to be able to do that,'' Schayes said.

Griffin was an assistant at Dayton when the Flyers faced Syracuse in the NCAA tournament in both 2014 and 2016.

"Being on the outside and having to scout the zone in those years, the activeness of the forwards was the most important part,'' Griffin said. "Those guys do a lot. Sometimes they're over on one wing and they've got to come over and make a play on the other side. When those guys are active and really good rebounders, that makes your zone really good.''

Finally, there is the center position where Boeheim has succeeded with an assortment of players. He has won with rugged 6-8 and 6-9 post players like Otis Hill and Rick Jackson. He has seen the athletic (Etan Thomas and Darryl Watkins) and the relatively unathletic (Craig Forth and Arinze Onuaku).

"Everybody's got a difficult job, but I think the center has a really difficult task,'' Bilas said. "The center often has to play the most important area of attack in the zone, which is the middle. When the other team puts a playmaker in the middle of the zone, the center has to make a decision. Do I go out there and challenge the shot or do I hang back?''

That's why Syracuse's best defensive centers have either had great instincts or enough experience to learn the intricacies of the zone. Baye Moussa Keita was almost always in the right position, deciding when to venture out to the foul line and when the stay back and protect the rim.

"It's based on who's in the program,'' Morgan said. "You take an Otis Hill, who's 6-8, 260 pounds and extremely strong. He can play the position as well as somebody who's 6-10 and a great shot-blocker, but he'll do it differently.''

Syracuse center Paschal Chukwu (13) challenges a shot during an NCAA Tournament first-round game against TCU on Friday, March 16, 2018, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com SYR

This year, Syracuse will have the 7-foot-2 Paschal Chukwu at center. Last year, Chukwu finished second in the ACC with 2.53 blocks per game.

"Paschal changes things,'' Howard said. "He gives us a totally different look. He helps us get steals and play passing lanes and get up in people's shots because we know he has our back and he'll erase a few of our mistakes. He's an elite shot-blocker. That's where Paschal is right now.''

But even though Syracuse's defense was outstanding a year ago, why do experts like Bilas, Fraschilla and Schayes think the Orange zone could be even better this season?

Experience and depth. Syracuse had neither last season, but this year Boeheim has all five starters back plus a fortified bench with a quality player at every position.

"They're experienced,'' Schayes said. "Syracuse does a lot of things in the zone that are counter-intuitive. They rotate from the bottom with the forwards instead of the top. They use the center differently. To have that extra experience with your core guys is unusual. To have that team intact will be a big help especially early in the season.''

Howard agreed, noting that what many experts regard as instinct is really just the product of experience.

"Zone instincts help,'' Howard said. "Just having that natural instinct to play your spot and not your man. You have to play your area and not gamble. Take smart angles and help your teammates.

"When you get reps, you get those instincts,'' he added. "That's ultimately to me what it is.''

Last year Syracuse had no depth, which meant that the Syracuse starters had to play through fatigue and avoid getting into foul trouble.

"I feel like it's going to help,'' Brissett said of SU's improved depth. "Throughout the game, guys will be able to come in and give the starters a rest. Defense is where everyone can contribute.''

Critics of Syracuse's zone call it a gimmick. It has been compared it to a knuckleball pitcher. Fraschilla said that misses the mark and prefers another baseball analogy.

"I've always equated man-to-man to a fastball and a good zone as a curveball or a change-up pitch,'' Fraschilla said. "But Syracuse plays it all the time, so it's not a changeup. It's a Mariano Rivera cutter. You know it's coming and it looks hittable, but it's anything but.''

Morgan said the zone takes a chunk out of most teams' playbooks.

"If you sit down with any Division I head coach and say 'Show me your offense,' he'll say here's my man-to-man and two hours later he's still showing it to you with 30 plays and five options on every play,'' Morgan said. "If you say to that same coach 'Show me your zone offense,' he'll show you a 1-3-1 set, a 2-1-2 set, passing the ball round for maybe one play. Maybe.''

The Syracuse players say they can sense when the zone is working.

"The zone is very intimidating,'' Howard said. "When you're playing the zone, you can just see the expressions on the other players' faces. You can see their coach in the background. You can see the problems you're causing. They're not comfortable.''

The Syracuse Orange could make a lot of teams very uncomfortable this season.

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