How to attack a 2-3 zone

The 2-3 zone is a defense you will see often in college basketball. It can confuse a team in short bursts or show to be effective over the game (see, Syracuse Orange). However, with a few key concepts, a zone is not that difficult to break down. Even without the defensive 3 seconds rule, there are plenty of gaps in the zone that can be exploited.

First, I want to show what a poor offense looks like against the zone. It features lazy passes around the 3 point line, no movement within the zone and no penetration. See the clip:

Sure, Arizona got an open 3 point shot, but it came without even trying to penetrate the zone for a 2 point attempt. Chase Budinger and Nic Wise were content to pass the ball out top and Jordan Hill did not work to get open at the foul line. Stay with me after the break to see a few ways to break the zone.