It used to be easy for Collin Falls to slip under the radar. Last season as a freshman, the 6-foot-5 guard often went unnoticed surrounded by hot-shooting guards Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn.

This season, though, Falls has added another weapon to Notre Dame’s lethal 3-point shooting attack. And Falls hasn’t been just a compliment to Thomas and Quinn. His clutch, late-game 3-point shooting has every opposing coach worrying about the sophomore.

His 43 percent 3-point shooting percentage leads Notre Dame – the second-best 3-point shooting team in the Big East at 38.1 percent. The hot-shooting Fighting Irish will visit the Carrier Dome on Saturday at 9 p.m.

‘He’s all over the radar now if you look at how he’s been guarded,’ said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. ‘He’s not a guy who sneaks into a game anymore.’

Even with Falls’ ability in the open, Syracuse will still have a tough time defending Falls and the rest of Notre Dame’s shooters. SU’s 2-3 zone defense is vulnerable to 3-point shooting.

When an opposing team drops the ball down low, SU’s two guards at the top of the zone have to drop down low to help guard the big men. Often, it’s easy for the big men to then kick out to open guards.

In the past, Notre Dame has used this strategy with success. In first meeting between SU and Notre Dame on Jan. 10, the Fighting Irish shot 40 percent from the 3-point line, before SU contained the long shot in the second half.

Two seasons ago, Notre Dame led the Orange by 10 points with nine minutes left in the game, largely because of its 3-point shooting. Notre Dame ripped through the Orange’s zone in the first half, forcing SU to switch to man-to-man defense in the second. Notre Dame shot 46 percent from behind the line in that game, but SU still won, 82-80.

Last year, on Feb. 16, Notre Dame’s shooting finally caught up with the Orange. In an 84-72 Irish victory, Notre Dame shot 47.8 percent from 3-point range.

‘It’s a tough matchup for us,’ junior guard Gerry McNamara said. ‘They have three or four guys that can shoot the ball. In the past we’ve had problems in the zone against them.’

Recently, SU has struggled against teams with strong 3-point shooting. In Syracuse’s Jan. 24, 86-84, overtime victory over Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights shot 46 percent from 3-point range in the first half before the Orange came out in man-to-man defense to start the second half.

‘If we’re forced to play man, we’re capable of doing it,’ McNamara said.

And if Falls is a key part of forcing the Orange to switch to man defense, it will surprise no one. SU head coach Jim Boeheim called him the best 3-point shooter in the Big East. Brey said Falls ranks in the Big East’s top four, along with McNamara, Villanova’s Allan Ray and Rutgers’ Quincy Douby.

The Park Ridge, Ill., native has had several clutch shots this season. In a 66-65 win over Seton Hall on Jan. 5, Falls knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer from the corner. He would have notched another game-winning 3-point shot against Georgetown if not for a dunk by Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert as time expired, handing GU the 55-54 win.

That clutch shooting along with the presence of Thomas and Quinn – 36 and 41 percent 3-point shooters, respectively – provides Notre Dame with dynamic weapons against SU’s zone. Brey knows his team must knock down the long shots for the Irish to be successful.

‘It’s a different rhythm against the zone,’ Brey said. ‘You do have to make some (3-pointers) if you’re going to play against it.

‘If you look at our 3-point percentage, right there that’s the strength of the team. You don’t want them to turn down shots.’

Published on February 3, 2005 at 12:00 pm