In the game of the year, No. 17 Duke (17-5, 6-3 in the ACC) fell 91-89 in overtime at No. 2 Syracuse (21-0, 8-0) Saturday at the Carrier Dome. In front of a record-setting crowd of 35,446, the Blue Devils and the Orange pushed each other to the limit in a game that seemed like the start of a budding rivalry between the new conference foes. Syracuse showed its strength and balance on both ends of the court, shooting 57.4 percent for the game and controlling the paint with its frontcourt length. Junior forward Rakeem Christmas blocked six shots and the other Orange starters all scored at least 14 points, led by senior forward C.J. Fair who had a career-high with 28.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Penetrate the gaps: The Blue Devils had trouble penetrating the gaps against the Syracuse zone and too often looked hesitant early in the game. Duke’s coaching staff did a great job of emphasizing ball movement and man movement and the Blue Devils responded by getting much more penetration in the gaps of the zone as the game wore one. Duke’s penetration frequently did not result in points in the paint, but led to wide open 3-pointers that the Blue Devils cashed in at a 41.7 percent clip. Duke’s penetration was inconsistent for the 45-minute game, and was not good enough for the Blue Devils to come out on top.
- Shoot over the top: Duke did a great job of shooting over the top of the Syracuse zone when given the opportunity, especially off of penetration. Although 36 attempts from beyond the arc is an insane number, most of the attempts were in rhythm and the best shot available to the Blue Devils because of Syracuse’s stifling defense in the paint. Duke’s perimeter shooting also allowed the Blue Devils to crash the glass even when the shots weren’t falling. Duke made 15 3-pointers—something that should give the Blue Devils a ton of confidence for the rematch in three weeks.
- Crash the offensive boards: As noted above, Duke lived by the 3-pointer for much of the contest and got points in the paint by being assertive on the offensive glass. Jefferson was the star early for the Blue Devils and pulled down six huge offensive boards and Parker got himself going after a slow start by attacking the glass, eventually finishing with five offensive rebounds himself. The Orange had a tough time maintaining block-out assignments because of Duke’s activity and the fact that many of the Blue Devils’ misses resulted in long rebounds. Duke’s aggressiveness on the offensive glass was the Blue Devils’ most consistent attribute on Saturday.
Three key plays:
- 4:27, second half: Thornton knocks down his third consecutive 3-pointer, this one from the corner, to bring Duke back to within two and give the Blue Devils a chance late in the game. Thornton’s hot streak started with the Blue Devils down 66-59 and completely changed the complexion of the game. Duke’s offense was becoming stagnant and the Blue Devils were having trouble getting any type of defensive stop when Thornton put his shooting stroke on display and showed tremendous leadership as a senior captain on the road.
- 0:01, second half: Sulaimon makes Boeheim pay for not having Fair give the foul with the Orange up three by racing past the Orange bench and knocking down a game-tying 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. It was Sulaimon’s second clutch 3-pointer of the game and one of the best plays of the season, silencing the largest basketball crowd ever on a college campus in a matter of seconds. It is safe to say that Sulaimon is out of the doghouse and definitely out of his early-season sophomore slump.
- 0:15, overtime: With Duke down 90-89, Hood takes advantages of a crevice in the Syracuse zone and attacks Christmas, the rim protector for the orange. Hood tries to throw down a monster left-handed slam but Christmas rises up and knocks the ball away while arguably making contact with Hood’s elbow. Because Christmas cleanly hit the ball before clearly making contact with Hood, the referees elect not to call a foul and let play continue. It was one of many 50-50 calls that did not go Duke’s way Saturday night, but Christmas’ ability to somehow avoid making obvious contact as an aggressive shot blocker was one of the biggest reasons the Orange remained unbeaten.
Three key stats:
- Quinn Cook goes 2-of-12 from the field, 1-of-8 from beyond the arc: While most of Duke’s guards were knocking down open perimeter shots at a high rate, the Blue Devils’ point guard struggled to find the range. Cook missed several wide open attempts and looked much less aggressive offensively, likely because he was fatigued from chasing Syracuse’s freshman point guard Tyler Ennis around the court on defense. Cook’s performance stood out even more because every other starter for both teams seemed to make huge plays at one point or another while Duke’s fiery point guard was unable to perform under the bright lights. Poor shooting nights are nothing new for Cook, who will likely have the rematch with Syracuse three weeks from now circled on his calendar.
- Jerami Grant—a 65.5 percent free throw shooter—goes 10-of-10 from the free throw line: Grant started the game slowly and looked frustrated by Duke’s quickness early in the contest. However, the explosive sophomore figured out how to use his strength and athleticism to gain leverage on the Blue Devil post players and started working his way to the foul line. Grant scored his first six points from the free throw line and took off from there, showing off his all-around game by posting up, penetrating and knocking down open jump shots. Grant’s offensive performance opened things up for Ennis, Fair and sharpshooter Trevor Cooney, and the sophomore beat the odds late in overtime by knocking down a pair of huge clutch free throws.
- Dawkins and Sulaimon combine for 30 points and eight made 3-pointers off the bench: After Jefferson and Parker fouled out, it looked like the Blue Devils were going to have no chance to attack Syracuse’s zone from the high post. However, Sulaimon adjusted his game and started penetrating more to draw two defenders before kicking it out for open shots. Dawkins was the beneficiary, knocking down multiple late shots from beyond the arc and finishing with 14 points. Sulaimon also had an outstanding game from beyond the arc, finishing with 16 points and six dimes to lead Duke in both categories. Although the Blue Devils lost, the performance by Duke’s role players has to give the team a ton of confidence moving forward in ACC play.
And the Duke game ball goes to… Rasheed Sulaimon
Although Jefferson had an outstanding game with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists from the high post, Sulaimon stole the show late in the game with his brilliant play and finished with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, 4-of-7 from the free throw line and six assists. The sophomore showed much more poise and awareness than he did early in the season, playing unselfish basketball after penetrating when appropriate and knocking down timely 3-pointers when his team needed him most. Sulaimon also showed his versatility, guarding Fair just as well as any of Duke’s defenders at different points of the game. His buzzer-beater will be the most memorable part of his game, but the sophomore’s efficiency and six assists likely have the Blue Devil coaching staff just as excited.
And the Syracuse game ball goes to… C.J. Fair
The preseason ACC Player of the Year showed why he is one of the craftiest offensive players in the entire country, punishing every defender Duke threw at him in a variety of ways. Fair got going early in the game by getting to the hoop and had his outside game working as well, finishing with a career-high 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting and adding five rebounds and two blocks. The Orange would not have been able to muster enough offense to overcome Duke’s 15 3-pointers without Fair’s monster game as the senior is Syracuse’s main offensive threat. Ennis, Cooney and Grant are only able to play as efficiently as they have all season because of the attention Fair consistently draws. Saturday’s contest was no different as Fair led his team to victory yet again and has now led the Orange to their best start in school history.
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