Key three: Duke needs to attack Syracuse's big men inside

Duke's big men will need to drive to the basket to force Syracuse into foul trouble.
Duke's big men will need to drive to the basket to force Syracuse into foul trouble.

Fresh off a thumping of Rhode Island, the Blue Devils will face off against a familiar foe in Syracuse for the right to head to the Elite Eight. The Orange, which was not expected to make it into the tournament by many, let alone this far, will look to continue its run after a shocking win against Michigan State. The Blue Zone looks at the three keys to the game:

Connect from long range

With Syracuse’s suffocating guard play at the top of key in a zone, entry passes into the paint are very difficult to come by for opposing offenses as the shot clock winds down. The Spartans were forced to chuck up 37 threes and connected on just eight. Although Duke’s big men are certainly more heralded than the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr and Nick Ward, the Blue Devils were forced to shoot 18 threes in their slog of a 60-44 victory Feb. 24, making just two. 

Senior captain Grayson Allen struggled in particular, going 0-of-6 from deep. If the Blue Devils hope to establish more of a separation on the offensive end this time around, Gary Trent Jr. and Allen must be firing on all cylinders as they have been thus far in the Big Dance and Trevon Duval needs to hit the occasional deep jump shot to keep the defense honest.

Attack Syracuse’s big men

Much like Duke, the Orange has a thin bench, which may be a point of emphasis of attack for the Blue Devils' offense. Primary big men Marek Dolezaj and Paschal Chukwu both found themselves deep in foul trouble against Michigan State, both playing with four fouls at the end of the game. Either fouling out would have threatened the effectiveness of the zone and certainly stemmed the upset bid.

If Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter hope to find easy buckets, especially in the later stages of the game, they need to attack early and often. Instead of settling for mid-range jumpers or floaters, the freshmen duo needs to take the ball to net, initiating contact and forcing the officials to make calls. Although they may not see results early, the aggressive mentality might certainly pay dividends later in the game.

Continue strong defensive play

If Duke's offense is hitting shots and dominating inside, there should not be much pressure on its defense— the Orange offense is ranked 140th in Ken Pomeroy’s offensive efficiency rankings. However, if the game is tight down the stretch, the Blue Devils must look to stop freshman forward Oshae Brissett, as they did a month ago. 

A Duke squad that was just grasping the zone concept held Brissett to just 15.4 percent shooting and six points while forcing six turnovers. The 6-foot-8 post player is averaging just under 15 points nearly nine rebounds and only 1.8 turnovers per game. If the Blue Devils can recreate that defensive intensity once again and pair it with a much better offensive performance, they should find themselves playing on Sunday for the right to fly to San Antonio for the Final Four.

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