DAILY REPORT

Last season, Kentucky defeated Syracuse during the regular season, 77-71, with the Orangemen playing man-to-man defense the entire game. The Wildcats will face a different defense tonight with Syracuse’s 2-3 halfcourt zone.

“It was not our defense that got us beat at Kentucky last year,” Boeheim said. “They had the same guys they basically have now, but it was other things that beat us, not our defense.”

Boeheim said Kentucky’s reputation as a three-point shooting team will not move the Orangemen out of their base zone defense. He pointed out that Kentucky shoots only 38% from long distance.

“We’ve played a lot of teams that shot the same percentage during the season,” he said. “It’s just that they take so many. But, if we play like we have, especially during the tournament, it should not make a difference.”