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Syracuse broke its three-game losing streak by defeating the University of California on Saturday. The victory helped create some separation from the bottom three teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, who will not make the conference’s postseason tournament. SU currently sits tied for 11th place, a game and a half ahead of Boston College in 16th place.

The Orange look to build off their first victory since Jan. 18 by welcoming Duke to the JMA Wireless Dome. The Blue Devils are one of the best teams in the country and haven’t lost a game in over two months. They’re highlighted by Cooper Flagg, the projected No.1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Here’s everything to know about No. 2 Duke (19-2, 11-0 ACC) ahead of its matchup with Syracuse (10-12, 4-7 ACC) Wednesday in the JMA Wireless Dome:

All-time series

Duke leads 16-6.

Last time they played …

On Jan. 2, 2024, Duke defeated Syracuse 86-66 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. SU only trailed by two points at halftime before Duke exploded for 51 points across the final 20 minutes. Syracuse did shoot 54% from the field in the second half, but it was nowhere near the Blue Devils’ efficiency. Duke only missed six shots after the break and went 8-for-8 from 3, leading to the blowout.

Maliq Brown — now a Duke player — led Syracuse with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Judah Mintz added 18 points, no other SU players scored in double figures. Five different Blue Devils scored at least 12, led by Mark Mitchell, who had 21.

KenPom Odds

Syracuse has a 5% chance of winning, with a projected score of 81-63.

The Blue Devils report

It’s been 70 days since Duke last lost a game. The Blue Devils have won 15 straight games since a 75-72 defeat to then-No. 1 Kansas on Nov. 29, 2024. Duke’s other loss came to then-No. 19 Kentucky two weeks prior. In Jon Scheyer’s second season in charge, he’s built a roster with a mix of youth and experience, which has made the Blue Devils a serious national title contender.

Flagg is the centerpiece, but fellow freshmen Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach are also projected lottery picks. Knueppel provides Duke with a boost on the perimeter as its second-leading scorer (13.5 points per game), while Maluach shuts down the paint with his 7-foot-2 frame and 7-foot-5 wingspan.

The Blue Devils’ experience comes from senior guard Tyrese Proctor and Tulane graduate transfer Sion James. Proctor is Duke’s best 3-point shooter at 38.8% and James is a lockdown defender on the perimeter. In the frontcourt, Brown adds depth along with Mason Gillis, who transferred from Purdue.

The collection of talent has produced all season for Duke. Per KenPom, it ranks in the top five in adjusted offensive efficiency and top three in defensive efficiency. The Blue Devils have ripped through conference play, with all but two of their wins coming by double digits.

Alex Levy | Design Editor

How Syracuse beats Duke

There’s not a simple answer to this question because Duke has looked unbeatable for over half the season. To be blunt, Syracuse has to play the perfect game to pull off an upset. That entails making the shots it needs to on offense and playing complete defense. Though doing that effectively will be a challenge considering Duke’s talent.

The Blue Devils’ size across the board will make things exponentially difficult for Syracuse to get clean shots off. Duke allows an effective field goal percentage of 43.6%, per KenPom, the fifth-best mark in the country. SU must look to J.J. Starling to provide a spark with his shot-making, but it needs more than him. Lucas Taylor, Chris Bell and Co. have to make shots, or else it could get ugly early for the Orange.

Stat to know: -141

During Syracuse’s nine-game losing streak to Duke, it has been outscored by 143 points. Only two of the losses were by less than 10 points, while three of the defeats were by at least 20, including the last two. A once hyped-up rivalry has become extremely one-sided. The last time Syracuse lost to Duke by less than 15 points on a non-neutral court was in 2020 when it fell 97-88.

Player to watch: Cooper Flagg, forward, No. 2

Not many players in college basketball have elicited more hype than Flagg this season. The consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class is arguably the front-runner for National Player of the Year. And he’s just 18 years old. Flagg leads Duke in pretty much every statistical category. He’s the Blue Devils leading scorer at 20 points per game, has hauled in the most average rebounds (eight) and dished out the most assists (4.2).

It’s hard to come up with enough superlatives for Flagg. He does everything on the court. He can score in the paint, create for himself on the perimeter and provide highlight-reel posterizing dunks if players challenge him at the rim. On Jan. 11 against Notre Dame, Flagg set an ACC freshman record with 42 points while missing just three shots.

Published on February 4, 2025 at 9:21 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22