SU RESPECTS FOE: Gonzaga plays like no ordinary No. 8

BUFFALO — Gonzaga, and especially head coach Mark Few, have a deep respect for Syracuse.

But don't think the Zags are a bit intimidated by playing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the leaders of the toughest conference in the country.

"You always respect your opponent, but you don't fear them," said Few, whose team meets SU in today's West Region second-round game at HSBC Arena. "I believe beating a phenomenal team like Syracuse almost in their back yard is one of the biggest challenges we've faced since we've started our run (of 12 straight NCAA bids). I liken it to playing (eventual national champion) North Carolina in the Sweet 16 last year."

Many people still think of this as a David vs. Goliath matchup. A Big East powerhouse against a team from a mid-major league, the West Coast Conference.

However, Gonzaga is not your ordinary eight seed, and the Zags are certainly not averse to taking on and beating nationally known opponents.

"I think what they've done there is amazing," SU coach Jim Boeheim said of the Gonzaga program. "I've been to their campus and they have tremendous support. They've proven they can compete with any of the great teams in the country."

Few, an assistant under Don Monson at Gonzaga before taking over the program 11 years ago, said people get caught up in overanalyzing leagues when they should be more concerned with just watching teams play.

"There are so many sweeping generalizations as far as our league is concerned," Few said. "We won in Maui, we've won big games on the road, and we won our league. Look at us objectively and you'd have to say they are one of the top 20 teams in the country."

Boeheim agrees wholeheartedly.

"I honestly believe they could compete year-in and year-out in the Big East," Boeheim said. "They have great players, a great coach and aren't afraid of scheduling anybody. To me, that's what makes a great program."

But as far as beating the Orange, Few said it's going to be a "monumental task. To me, they've been the most consistent team in the country all year."

Gonzaga certainly has the size and athleticism to give the Orange a tough battle. They have a physical 7-foot center in Robert Sacre, a talented 6-8 freshman forward in Elias Harris, a smooth small forward in 6-5 Steven Gray, and a do-everything leader in 6-5 senior guard Matt Bouldin.

"When you think of Gonzaga, you just think of success and toughness," said SU guard Andy Rautins. "They have a lot of smart, heady players. They make the extra pass like we do, and are very headstrong as far as defending and rebounding."

Gonzaga outlasted one of the tallest teams in the tournament, Florida State, here on Friday night with a combination of strong defense, outstanding rebounding and making just enough shots.

"I thought we played with great poise and pace," Few said. "That's something you must do in spades against Syracuse."

Few, like most coaches playing SU, said attacking the Orange 2-3 zone is difficult.

"We don't see much zone in our league and they play it differently than most teams," he said. "The key is always taking shots on our terms, and then making some. Everything else takes care of itself."

Gonzaga is not a great outside shooting team, hitting 36 percent from 3-point range. The Zags are more of a penetration offense, using the dribble drive to get into the lane and to the foul line.

The Zags have made almost as many free throws (575) as their opponents have taken (605).

Boeheim said there is no great secret to beating the SU zone. "If you're good against a zone, you're good against a zone," he said. "Ours is a little better than some, but any defense can be beaten if the shots are falling. Georgetown didn't have much trouble (shooting 71 percent in the second half in the Big East quarterfinals)."

"We can't be afraid to take the ball inside," said Gray, Gonzaga's best outside shooter. "If you settle for jump shots, you're playing right into their hands."

Conversely, Gonzaga plays mainly aggressive man-to-man defense and has held opponents to just 40 percent shooting from the field. Florida State shot just 35.6 percent Friday night.

"They are active and play great team defense," said SU's Wes Johnson. "Our mindset is to attack them and make them defend all five guys. That's been successful for us all year long."

Boeheim, like Few, said making some shots is always a key to success.

"We shot well Friday (10-for-22 on 3-pointers) and that opened up a lot of driving lanes," he said. "Our execution was good, but we turned the ball over too much (16)."

SU will again be without senior center Arinze Onuaku. Boeheim said he has not practiced this week after injuring his right quad against Georgetown at the Big East tournament.

"I never play anybody who has not practiced," Boeheim said.

Few said he didn't notice much difference with Onuaku out of the lineup. "They looked impressive and didn't seem to skip a beat."

The Orange appear to be in the right frame of mind. Confident, but not cocky.

"We believe in ourselves and what we do,"' said SU's Scoop Jardine. "This team has come too far to se our season end (today)."