A look back at the memorable Duke-Syracuse moments since the Orange joined the ACC

<p>Marvin Bagley III led Duke to a comfortable win against Syracuse this season in his return from a knee sprain.</p>

Marvin Bagley III led Duke to a comfortable win against Syracuse this season in his return from a knee sprain.

In 1966, when Duke and Syracuse met for the first time ever, the Orange got 15 points from then-guard Jim Boeheim in an NCAA tournament loss to the Blue Devils. Now, Boeheim and Syracuse will get a shot to exact revenge when they meet Duke Friday night in Omaha, Neb.

Since the Orange joined the ACC at the start of the 2013-14 academic year, they've found themselves in several epic battles with the Blue Devils as five of the seven contests have been decided by eight or fewer points. With a shot at the Elite Eight on the line, The Chronicle looks back at the recent history between Duke and Syracuse:

Feb. 1, 2014 — Syracuse 91, Duke 89

After 14 years without a game between the two sides, the Blue Devils ventured to upstate New York for the first time in program history, and it lived up to the hype. In front of a record-setting crowd at the Carrier Dome, Rasheed Sulaimon canned a trey at the regulation buzzer, tying the game and sending the teams' first ACC contest to overtime.



Unfortunately for Duke, foul trouble proved too much in the extra stanza, and a questionable no-call on a Rodney Hood dunk attempt sealed the Blue Devils' fate.

Feb. 22, 2014 — Duke 66, Syracuse 60

This one will go down in the annals as "The Boeheim Game." With just about 10 seconds to play, Orange forward C.J. Fair drove the baseline, plowing into Hood for a charge that gave the ball back to the Blue Devils. The Syracuse coach went berserk and got himself tossed from the game. Duke then hit the two technical free throws to clinch the game and exact revenge just three weeks removed from a painful loss to the Orange.



Feb. 14, 2015 — Duke 80, Syracuse 72

Back at the Carrier Dome, the Blue Devils dug themselves an early hole, falling behind by double digits despite being heavy favorites against the Orange. Fortunately, Duke had its freshman center to turn to, getting a 23-point, 13-board double-double from Jahlil Okafor, as the Blue Devils bounced back for their first-ever win on Syracuse's campus.

Feb. 28, 2015 — Duke 73, Syracuse 54

With the Blue Devils cruising and on an eight-game win streak entering the contest, they leaned on a different freshman to crush the Orange. Justise Winslow scored a career-high 23 points to help break through Syracuse's patented 2-3 zone, and Duke stayed perfect at home against the Orange—the Blue Devils held the visitors to 30.6 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers in the win.

Jan. 18, 2016 — Syracuse 64, Duke 62

For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Blue Devils suffered a third consecutive loss, dropping one at home to the Orange despite a double-double from Marshall Plumlee. Duke trailed by nine with five minutes to play and closed to within a pair, but Grayson Allen could not get his scoop shot to fall in the final 10 seconds, and two no-calls that could have put Matt Jones on the line infuriated Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Feb. 22, 2017 — Syracuse 78, Duke 75

In the first half of the teams' only 2017 matchup, it was the Jayson Tatum show—the freshman posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds before intermission, and though Duke failed to capitalize on early opportunities to seize control, it held an eight-point advantage at the break.

But the Orange chipped away, eventually taking the lead as the Blue Devils struggled with foul trouble all night. And with the game tied at 75, Luke Kennard's brick set up Syracuse guard John Gillon for a chance to send the Orange faithful home happy.



Feb. 24, 2018 — Duke 60, Syracuse 44

It certainly wasn't pretty, but with Duke perfecting its own 2-3 zone, the Blue Devils shut down in the Orange inside Cameron Indoor Stadium just last month in Marvin Bagley III's return from a knee injury that had kept him out the previous four games. Syracuse shot just 31.5 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers as Duke continued its late-season groove.

What will happen in the next chapter of the series? Follow along this week as we provide continuing coverage of Duke's NCAA tournament run and get you set for Friday's Sweet 16 battle between the Blue Devils and the Orange.


Mitchell Gladstone | Sports Managing Editor

Twitter: @mpgladstone13

A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak." 

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