Duke @ Syracuse preview
Carrier Dome
Last Meeting ( Jan 22, 2022 ) Syracuse 59, Duke 79
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim square off for what could be the final time Saturday when the seventh-ranked Blue Devils visit the Orange in New York.
Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in Division I basketball history, while Boeheim ranks second on the all-time victories list. The two coaching legends have met 16 times over the years, with Coach K holding an 11-5 advantage after Duke's 79-59 win over Syracuse on Jan. 22 in Durham, N.C.
"We're really good friends, and that's separate from basketball. When we come here, we want to win," Boeheim said after facing Krzyzewski at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the final time. "There's so many good memories on the court, but more than many off the court."
Four Duke players scored 15 points in that contest, including A.J. Griffin, who went 5 of 9 from behind the arc, and Paolo Banchero, who grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out four assists.
That win kicked off a stretch of 10 victories in 11 games for the Blue Devils (24-4, 14-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who lead second-place Notre Dame (20-8, 13-4) by one game in the ACC standings. Both teams have three regular-season games remaining.
In Duke's most recent win, Griffin hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers and made another late bucket to guide the Blue Devils to a 65-61 road triumph against Virginia on Wednesday.
"We have confidence that his next shot's going to go in," Krzyzewski said of Griffin, who has made a team-high 50 3-pointers on the season with a 48.1 percent success rate. "Three of his next shots went in in the last four minutes and God bless."
Banchero, the team's leading scorer at 16.6 points, scored a season-low eight points on 2-of-13 shooting versus Virginia. He is 1 of 13 from 3-point range in the last four games and has not scored more than 17 points in any of his last seven contests.
"I think he's going through a growth period right now," Blue Devils coach-in-waiting Jon Scheyer said. "I've been there before as a player. You miss a few shots and it turns into -- whether you want to call it a slump or not -- you probably start overthinking it a little bit, which for him, he just needs to shoot and let it go. And that's going to come."
Meanwhile, the Orange (15-13, 9-8) are fighting just to make a postseason tournament of any kind.
Syracuse shot poorly from the field (35.3 percent), the 3-point arc (5 of 29, 17.2 percent) and the foul line (6 of 12, 50.0 percent) in the first matchup with Duke. The only starter for the Orange who shot well in the first game was center Jesse Edwards, who is currently sidelined with a broken wrist.
The Orange certainly missed Edwards in their last contest -- a 79-69 defeat at Notre Dame in which the team was outrebounded 41-28, including 11-3 on the offensive glass. Additionally, Syracuse allowed the Fighting Irish's two big guys to combine for 37 points and 20 rebounds.
"Our centers are struggling right now defending the paint area," Boeheim said. "We just have to do a better job there."
Boeheim's sons, Jimmy and Buddy, combined for 47 of the team's 69 points against Notre Dame. Buddy leads the Orange in scoring at 19.0 points per game, followed by Jimmy at 13.9.
--Field Level Media