How Syracuse Can Beat North Carolina in the Final Four

This feature is part of VICE Sports' March Madness coverage.

Syracuse is in the Final Four for two reasons. The first is the Orange's trademark 2-3 zone defense, which held Virginia to 0.97 points per possession in an NCAA tournament Elite Eight game—well below the Cavaliers' season average of 1.18 points per possession, despite Virginia connecting on a relatively normal percentage of its three-point shot. The second reason was coach Jim Boeheim's willingness to adapt and go to a full-court press with 10 minutes left against UVA, setting the stage for a massive comeback.

If the No. 10 seed Orange's miracle run is to continue, they're going to have to rely on the same things against top-seeded North Carolina in Saturday's national semifinal game: the 2-3 zone at its very best, and an ability to adapt on the fly as circumstances dictate.

Syracuse's perimeter length tends to bother opposing three-point shooters, which is why it's harder to shoot against the Orange's zone than other 2-3s. Problem is, that won't matter to the Tar Heels, because they don't shoot three-pointers in the first place. UNC ranks No. 285 nationally in three-point percentage, and No. 337 in three-pointers attempted.

The Tar Heels also have one of the best frontcourts in the nation, which can find and exploit the interior gaps in Syracuse's zone. More important, North Carolina is outstanding at exploiting the zone's biggest flaw: surrendering offensive rebounds. UNC ranks No. 3 in the country by rebounding 40 percent of its own misses, while Syracuse ranks No. 337 in allowing teams to rebound 35 percent of their own misses.

In these two teams' previous Atlantic Coast Conference meetings this season, that's exactly what happened. In an 11-point win in Syracuse, UNC hit 64 percent of its two-point shots and rebounded 32 percent of its own misses. In a five-point win in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels only hit 51 percent of their two-point shots, but they rebounded 46 percent of their own misses.

For things to go differently this time, the Syracuse zone needs to be stingy but fluid in ways it typically isn't.

The good news for Boeheim? His Orange have already made the adjustments they'll need to make against North Carolina against tournament opponents Gonzaga and Virginia, just to a lesser degree.

Gonzaga didn't have very good guard play, but it did have one of the best frontcourts in the nation in Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer. Syracuse kept collapsing inside, but to little effect: both Sabonis and Wiltjer had good games, scoring a combined 42 points and pulling down nine offensive rebounds.

The Orange needed to be much better against Virginia, and they were. Against a star-studded Cavaliers frontcourt, Syracuse was able to collapse to protect the paint and the mid-range. Virginia forward Anthony Gill scored 10 points but only took four shots, with UVA seemingly scared to pass the ball inside. Fellow forward Isaiah Wilkens had zero points. The Cavaliers made just 44 percent of their two-pointers and, crucially, Syracuse crashed the boards, allowing UVA to rebound just 25 percent of its own misses.

Even at the rim, Syracuse's impressive 22 percent block rate cause the Cavaliers to shoot a below-average 58 percent from point-blank range. The shot chart against Virginia, via Shot Analytics, is a blueprint for success against North Carolina:

Against North Carolina, Syracuse will have to take its Virginia game plan to the extreme. The Tar Heels don't make threes, but they thrive on mid-range shots and short-range bunnies. The zone is typically best at using its length to fluster outside shooters. Against North Carolina, it needs to be compact. The Orange can still use their length, but to beat the Tar Heels they need to focus those long arms on altering close shots and grabbing offensive rebounds.

North Carolina has the traditional tools to beat a 2-3 zone, but Syracuse's zone is unique. If Boeheim is willing to adapt like he was against Virginia, the Orange have a real chance to reach the title game.