Michigan vs. Syracuse LIVE Score, Updates: Trey Burke, Wolverines Must Face Orange 2-3 Zone Defense

LIVE: Michigan vs. Syracuse
Syracuse players work during practice for their NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game against Michigan, Friday, April 5, 2013, in Atlanta. Syracuse plays Michigan in a semifinal game on Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Syracuse players work during practice for their NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game against Michigan, Friday, April 5, 2013, in Atlanta. Syracuse plays Michigan in a semifinal game on Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

It will be a matchup of strength vs. strength when No. 4 Michigan and No. 4 Syracuse tip off in the second national semifinal on Saturday night. The multi-faceted Wolverines' offense led by Trey Burke, the AP player of the year, will need to unlock the stingy 2-3 zone defense of the Orange.

The offenses of Indiana and Marquette broke against the 2-3 like waves on the shore. Marquette managed just 39 points in the Elite Eight, a record low for an NCAA tournament regional final in the shot clock era. Indiana was held to a season low 50 in the Sweet 16.

"We've just got to try to find different ways to attack the zone," Burke said ahead of the Final Four, via The Associated Press. "They play a really good 2-3. It's tough. We've got to make sure we knock down uncontested 3s."

If three-point shooting is the key, then Michigan may have the right player hot at the right time. Freshman guard Nik Stauskas scored 22 points against Florida in the regional final, sinking all six attempts from three-point range.

Can Michigan handle Syracuse's zone just like it did VCU's vaunted "Havoc" defense? Will Orange scorers C.J. Fair and James Southerland be able to keep pace even if it does?

Stay tuned for live updates and tweet @HuffPostSports to join in the conversation:

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot