In anticipation of No. 3-seed Syracuse’s second-round matchup with No. 14-seed Western Michigan on Thursday, The Daily Orange spoke with David Drew. Drew covers Western Michigan University sports for the Kalamazoo Gazette and MLive Media Group.

The Daily Orange: What was the team’s initial reaction when it found out it was playing Syracuse?

David Drew: Seeing their name up on the big screen was a big thrill because it hadn’t happened in 10 years for this program, but the seed that they got was a little disappointing. I think they were expecting to be a No. 13 seed or a No. 12 seed, especially given the fact that before they entered the Mid-American Conference tournament semifinals, Western’s RPI was over 100. And by the time they beat Toledo (in the championship game), their RPI was 69. So I think when you look at some of the work that some of the major programs have done to kind of come in on a roll, maybe Western felt that they deserved to move up a seed or two. I think they come in with a little chip on their shoulder.

The D.O.: Looking at the matchup, one of the first things that jumped out to me was Western Michigan’s turnover rate. Do you think that could be an important factor going against SU’s zone?

D.D.: I think it could be a problem. A few times, even late in the season when they’ve been playing really good basketball, they’ve dug themselves a hole. And look no further than Friday against Akron in the MAC tournament semifinals. They fell behind 18, went into halftime down 17 and really just looked out of sync offensively. They went on a big run in the second half to win, obviously, but Western cannot afford to do that against a Syracuse team that is deeper, has more talent, is longer and is just going to come in with more experience. So Western cannot turn the ball over and have success.

The D.O.: How much zone has the team faced this season?

D.D.: As much as people talk about the Syracuse defense, I don’t think it is going to be as intimidated as another lower seed might be for the simple fact that Western played Eastern Michigan twice this year. And Eastern Michigan’s coach is Rob Murphy, who was an assistant at Syracuse from 2004-2011. So the Broncos are going to fall back on their knowledge of the Eastern Michigan zone, which is very similar to Syracuse’s, in preparing for this game. It’s anyone’s guess if that preparation will pay off, but I think that is a small advantage that Western has over another team that’s going to face Syracuse for the first time this year.

The D.O.: So if Western Michigan is to upset Syracuse, how do you see it happening?

D.D.: It’s got to be an inside-out game because that’s when Western is at its best. It’s got to be inside to Shayne Whittington for the first touch on a lot of possessions. He’s got to have a lot of success. Looking at the two matchups with Eastern, against that zone, Shayne was 3-for-12 in the first game for six points. In the second game, I want to say he had 22 points and he was 8-of-15 from the floor. If you’re going to be successful, you’ve obviously got to make that zone collapse and kick it out and hit 3s. When David Brown, the other Western senior is on, that guy can shoot from anywhere in the gym. He’s going to pull it whether he’s 0 for his last three, or three for his last three.

The D.O.: Besides David, I saw Austin Richie (41.2 percent) is a very good 3-point shooter. What kind of secondary shooters do the Broncos have?

D.D.: Austin, I would say he’s a solid point guard, good ball-handler. But in terms of offense, he’s not a real big scoring threat. With that said, when Richie scores 10 or more points this season, the Broncos are undefeated. That says how important his offense can be at times. If you’re looking for secondary scoring in this game, I would look for Connar Tava and I would look for Tucker Haymond. Those two guys were kind of X-factors in the MAC tournament for Western.

The D.O.: On the flip side of the ball, how do you think Western Michigan can defend against the length of Syracuse?

D.D.: That’s going to be tough for Western. If Syracuse is going to go to the rim and take it down low, and if Whittington gets in foul trouble, that’s big trouble for Western. The Broncos have some nice role players on the bench, but they don’t have anybody near 6-11. Not a lot of teams do. When Whittington is not on the floor, the Broncos lack a lot of scoring inside because their bench forwards are kind of the defensive, rebounding, maybe-hit-a-shot kind of guys. They don’t really have a double-digit scorer coming off the bench,

The D.O.: Is there anything else that we haven’t covered that you think will be crucial on Thursday?

D.D.: At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to turnovers. I think Western will be ready for the zone, but I don’t think they’ll be ready for the atmosphere and that big stage that Syracuse has experience with. It’s pretty much going to be a Syracuse home game.

The D.O.: Has the team experienced anything like that?

D.D.: Not really. They went to Missouri in the nonconference, but it was over Christmas break so it wasn’t a full house. So not in terms of what they’re going to see. I just don’t see Western being ready for that element just in terms of how loud it’s going to be there.

Published on March 18, 2014 at 2:20 am

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