A tale of two styles: Octopus-like Syracuse counting on zone to shut down run-and-gun Michigan

ATLANTA – Syracuse is brimming with confidence, largely because of its suffocating style when the other team has the ball.

Next up, a guy who knows a thing or two about breaking down opposing defences.

Trey Burke, meet the Orange Crush.

The Final Four semifinal between Syracuse and Burke’s Michigan team will present a clear contrast in styles Saturday. The Orange are a veteran squad and perfectly content to settle into their octopus-like zone. The brash young Wolverines love to run, run, run and have been compared to those Fab Five teams of the early 1990s.

All eyes will be on Burke. The Associated Press player of the year was huge in the regionals, leading Michigan to an upset of top-seeded Kansas. But he’s never played against a defence quite like this.

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