Syracuse exploited VT when they had the ball by setting "like" screens (meaning setting guard-to-guard screens or big-to-big screens). They would then attack VT based off of how they chose to defend them.

Typically VT switches like screens 1-4. When VT would do this, SYR would get a matchup they like and simply post them up, and shoot over top. No help ever came in the post, even when it was Jalen Cone being backed down for 4 or 5 dribbles.

So VT went with defending ball screens the way they normally do, but the guards defending the screener dont have a lot of experience in that role, so they were usually too low and werent stringing out the ball handler, leading to free runs at the rim.

The one action Syracuse ran time after time though (which had to have been a gameplan, as they ran this play off the opening tip) was a big-to-big fake screen or slip screen at the FT line. Their 5 would run to screen for the 4 at the FT line and the last second would never set the screen. This meant the ball defender was set up to defend a screen so when the screen left they were out of position and the ball handler would get another free run at the rim, with zero help.

Surprisingly, the player I saw defend with help on a drive was Darius Maddox. He helped over to stop a drive after a ball screen then jabbed and recovered to his man, but then subsequently didnt fight the drive of his own man, who then got a free run at the rim. Theres a pattern here.

VT hasnt been a great team in scramble situations (or "rotations" as Ive called them before) and theyre big enough in the post to not need help 1 on 1. Theyre also good enough in their positioning to defend straight line drives by guards. Syrcause flipped this on its head though, posted up their wings and had their bigs drive the ball.

This is where I would like to see VT change a bit of their philosophy...

Ive mentioned before that Im not a huge fan of how they have decided to defend ball screens. But you can still be good defending using their scheme, it just has some nuance to it. But when teams start to scheme for the weaknesses in how youre defending those ball screens you have to be able to adapt. Id love to see VT switch all like screens 1-4 (which they already do a good amount of the time) and then double the post anytime someone who isnt a 4 or 5 is defending a post-up. This means they will HAVE to get way better in their rotations, but I would much rather give up a scramble 3 (as VT finds their footing in how to rotate) than a 6 ft lightly contested jumper over a much smaller defender.

There were some troubling things offensively as well, but Ive alresdy written a book in this post. Ill check back later to talk about why VT was having trouble on that end