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Syracuse men’s basketball prepares for new-look Duke come Saturday night

Jesse Edwards (14) and Judah Mintz (3) celebrate amid a massive night from the duo in an upset win over NC State.
(Cuse.com)
Jesse Edwards (14) and Judah Mintz (3) celebrate amid a massive night from the duo in an upset win over NC State.

If it seems like something is missing Saturday night, you’re probably right. Since the December 1989 matchup between Syracuse and Duke, it was always Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski battling it out as some of the greatest minds in the history of college hoops. Now, it’s just Boeheim. But Coach K left the Blue Devils in good hands, ensuring the rivalry between the two programs isn’t losing any steam just yet.

Krzyzewski’s final chapter of his 42-year-long coaching career at Duke saw the passing of the torch to Jon Scheyer. A familiar face to Blue Devil fans, Scheyer starred in Durham from 2006-10, where in his senior year he won a national championship. Before that, Scheyer was led his high school to its first state championship in 2005; the next year he was named Illinois’ Mr. Basketball in 2006. Now at just 35 years old, Scheyer is the youngest head coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Scheyer and the Blue Devils (18-8, 9-6 ACC) come to the 315 in the midst of a down season, currently on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament with six conference losses. Coming into Saturday’s matchup with Syracuse (16-10, 9-6 ACC) Duke is just one win shy of the program's 700th ACC regular-season win, the second most wins all-time.

Freshman Kyle Filipowski, Duke’s leading scorer (15.1 ppg), has led the way for the Blue Devils all season. The Wooden and Naismith Award Finalist leads all conference freshmen in rebounding and double-doubles. The former Syracuse recruit’s 11 double-doubles are the most by any freshman nationally, while his 9.1 rebounds pace all power conference freshmen.

“He’s such a difference maker for us, the attention that he gets,” head coach Jon Scheyer said postgame following Duke’s most recent outing, a 68-64 win over Notre Dame. “He’s resilient. He’s been a guy really since day one this summer it hasn’t been smooth sailing for him. He’s had his ups and downs, he continues to work and he just wants to win.”

One of the downs Scheyer was referring to came a week ago down in Charlottesville, in a 69-62 overtime loss to No. 8 Virginia. The forward was held scoreless through 30 minutes, his first goose egg of the season. To make matters worse, Filipowski sprained his ankle on the last play of regulation. The freshman was hardly able to practice leading up to the game with the Irish, unable to go contact or five-on-five. But even injury couldn’t slow the freshman down. The Westtown, N.Y. native notched 22 points against ND, ending any doubts about his ability to play.

Junior captain Jeremy Roach, Duke's only returning player that saw significant playing time from last year's Final Four run, scored a team-high 16 points in last Saturday's game at Virginia. The guard has scored 108 points over his last eight games (13.5) since returning from a toe injury that held him out for three games. He's averaged 15.2 points over the last five, including 21 in a win over Wake Forest and 20 in a win over North Carolina.

On the defensive end, Duke is third in the ACC and 31st nationally in blocked shots per game (4.7). Much of that can be credited to Dereck Lively II. A calf injury restricted the 7-foot-1 freshman for most of the preseason, but the No. 1 recruit in this year’s class and the preseason ACC Rookie of the Year is second in the conference and 15th nationally in blocked shots (2.3). The versatile big has emerged as one of the game’s best rim protectors, helping the Blue Devils to hold 22 teams below their season scoring average this year. With Lively on the floor, opponents are shooting .453 on field goals at the rim — that percentage jumps to .532 without Lively on the floor.

Despite a Duke roster brimming with talent, Syracuse is probably in the best position all season to face the Blue Devils. The Orange are riding a three-game winning streak, coming off arguably their best win so far in a 75-72 upset win over No. 23 NC State on Tuesday. The win helped to keep the ‘Cuse’s outside hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid alive.

SU was led by 18 points and 16 rebounds from Jesse Edwards, securing his 11th double-double of the season. Perhaps the senior’s biggest moment came in the second half with the Orange down two. With the shot clock about to expire, the center heaved up his career’s first 3-point attempt. The big man buried it, injecting a newfound life into the JMA Wireless Dome.

To accompany Edwards’ performance, Judah Mintz had one of his best games in a Syracuse uniform. The freshman tallied 20 points on an extremely efficient 7-12 shooting, dished out nine assists, and had only one turnover. Sixteen of those 20 points came in the second half, when SU needed its guard most.

“He just keeps aggressive, keeps moving, keeps going,” head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame. “He’s been really good in the last parts of games. Really good.”

Judan Mintz takes it to the cup during his 20-point performance against the Wolfpack Tuesday night.
(Cuse.com)
Judan Mintz takes it to the cup during his 20-point performance against the Wolfpack Tuesday night.

Mintz has yet another chance to stay aggressive on Saturday when Syracuse and Duke meet for the first time this season in the JMA Wireless Dome. The Blue Devils have dominated the all-time series, leading 14-6 and winning the past seven straight. The Orange have not beaten Duke at home since 2017 when John Gillon hit the game-winner at the buzzer to stun the Blue Devils. Now in a new era of Duke basketball with Scheyer at the helm, who knows what historic moments will come next? Game time is at 6:00 with WAER’s Coverage starting at 5:30 with McClurg Team Countdown to Tipoff.