Duke @ Syracuse preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 14, 2019 ) Syracuse 95, Duke 91

A tumultuous week for both No. 1 Duke and Syracuse comes to an end Saturday when the Blue Devils visit the Orange in ACC action. The focus was on the court last month, when Syracuse upset Duke on the road in overtime, but much has changed over the course of the last few days.

Duke star Zion Williamson sprained his knee early in Wednesday’s loss against North Carolina and, while the likely No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft is considered day-to-day, he apparently will not play in Saturday’s affair. Meanwhile, Syracuse won Wednesday night against Louisville, however, coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a pedestrian with his car several hours after the game. The 74-year-old Boeheim will coach Saturday’s contest in which the Orange will go for a season sweep of the Blue Devils after posting a 95-91 road win on Jan. 14. Tyus Battle scored 32 points to pace Syracuse that day, while Duke shot 9-of-43 from 3-point range in suffering a rare home loss to an unranked opponent.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT DUKE (23-3, 11-2 ACC): The Blue Devils, likely rattled by Williamson’s scary injury, were never competitive against the Tar Heels as they shot under 35 percent from the field and missed 31 of their 39 3-point attempts. “Obviously, you lose a national player of the year candidate, there are going to be gaps of what you have to do,” said coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team hasn’t lost back-to-back games in over a year. In Williamson’s absence, Duke will continue to depend on fellow freshmen R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish, who combined for 60 of the team’s 72 points versus North Carolina.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (18-8, 9-4): The earlier win over Duke is by far the signature victory for the Orange, who posted another solid win with a 20-point triumph over Louisville. That game - the first in a five-game stretch for Syracuse in which it faces four ranked opponents - featured suffocating defense, as the Cardinals only shot 25.9 percent from the field and 6-of-28 from 3-point range. Battle struggled for the second straight game, as the junior is shooting 7-of-23 from the floor with only one 3-pointer over that stretch.

TIP-INS

1. Williamson, who had 35 points and 10 rebounds in the first matchup with Syracuse, is averaging 21.6 points and 8.8 rebounds on the season - and those averages obviously dipped a bit after he played less than a minute against North Carolina.

2. Duke G Tre Jones is shooting 6-of-26 from 3-point range since suffering a shoulder injury against Syracuse last month. He had three points on 1-of-11 shooting from the field against North Carolina.

3. Battle has made more than two 3-pointers in a game only four times all season. He is shooting a career-low 29.4 percent from 3-point range.

PREDICTION: Duke 73, Syracuse 59