In wake of Syracuse’s 55-53 upset win over Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 on Sunday, the magical tournament run of the 11-seed Orange will continue on Friday night in a rematch with the 2-seed Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet Sixteen at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
In the 11 contests between these two premiere programs, the Blue Devils lead the Orange 6-5. Jim Boeheim and his stifling 2-3 zone will look to even the score on Friday with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.
Duke cruised by Syracuse in this year’s regular season contest, 60-44, holding the Orange to their season-low point total. In the two years prior, however, Syracuse emerged victorious on both occasions, 64-62 in 2016 and 78-75 in 2017.
Should Syracuse pull off the miraculous on Friday, the score will likely look similar. The Blue Devils have solidified themselves as one of the most talented teams in the country this year, posting a 28-7 regular season record and finishing second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Syracuse’s 23-13 record and 11th place finish in the ACC imposes major Cinderella implications on this contest. Boeheim is no stranger to the underdog role, as he is just two years removed from leading his Syracuse team to the Final Four as a 10-seed.
The Orange find themselves here after their defensive showcase against 3-seed Michigan State. The Spartans were one of the best offensive teams in the nation this season, but the Orange zone forced 14 turnovers and held them to a 28% field goal percentage on 17-66 (8-37) shooting.
Spartan star and highly-touted NBA prospect Miles Bridges only managed 11 points on 4-18 (3-12) shooting, but the star power on Duke poses a challenge far superior to anything Tom Izzo’s Spartans threw at the Orange.
Wendell Carter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III, the duo that comprises arguably the most talented frontcourt in the nation, both enjoyed success in their last meeting with the Orange, posting lines of 16p/10r and 19p/7r respectively. Defensive success is indisputably the motor that has powered Syracuse’s tournament run, and on Friday, that will begin and end with how well the Orange can slow down Duke’s dynamic duo.
It does not get any easier outside of the paint. Grayson Allen, Trevon Duval, and Gary Trent Jr. are all talented scorers and facilitators, but for the Orange to have any chance, they must force the ball to the perimeter as much as possible, where the zone thrives.
Catch Syracuse's Sweet Sixteen game against Duke on WAER this Friday, with Countdown to Tipoff starting at 9:00, only on 88.3 FM.
Against Michigan State, Syracuse’s big 3 of Frank Howard (13 points), Oshae Brissett (15) and Tyus Battle (17), kept the pace offensively. Their scoring can make or break games for the Orange, and with Syracuse lacking other ways to generate reliable offense, they must do more of the same against Duke.
This will undoubtedly be an uphill battle, but two major keys to a tournament upset are defense and star power. Syracuse checks both of those boxes with their 2-3 zone and Tyus Battle, and both will need to make their presence known for there to be any glimmer of hope.
The Orange will tip-off against the Blue Devils on Friday night at 9:37pm. The game can be seen on CBS and heard on 88.3 FM.