Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. Syracuse

No. 5 Duke (22-6, 11-4 in the ACC) took down No. 1 Syracuse (25-2, 12-2) 66-60 Saturday, getting contributions from all parts of the lineup to put together a gritty win. Freshman phenom Jabari Parker had his most efficient game of the season—netting 19 points on just nine field goal attempts—and redshirt sophomore Rodney Hood broke down the Syracuse zone from the elbow. Just as it did in the first meeting between the teams three weeks ago, a controversial call late helped decide a nail-biter. If the Blue Devils and Orange meet for a third time in the ACC Tournament, a third classic game could emerge.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Regain the 3-point touch: The Blue Devils struggled again from beyond the arc—going just 7-of-21 on the night—but got enough clutch shots from 3-point range to secure the win. Parker hit Duke’s biggest treys of the night—converting all three of his attempts—and got a home-court bounce on one that barely crawled in but fell in the first half. The fact that Duke was able to win despite shooting poorly from the 3-point line should give the Blue Devils confidence going forward.

• Force Syracuse out of the paint: Duke’s best defensive performance of the season resulted in the Orange being unable to convert on its opportunities inside. After dominating the paint in the first meeting, Syracuse won the contest in the paint 30-28 Saturday, but frequently was turned away by the Blue Devil frontline. Parker, sophomore Amile Jefferson and redshirt sophomores Hood and Marshall Plumlee stepped up to neutralize Syracuse’s biggest strength.

• Frustrate Tyler Ennis: Duke’s biggest accomplishment of the night was shutting down one of the most poised players in college basketball. Ennis was not himself and was frustrated by Duke’s traps and constant ball pressure, scoring just nine points on 2-of-13 shooting. He missed multiple open jumpers off offensive rebounds in the first half when Syracuse had a chance to build a double-digit advantage and played his worst game of the season. Other teams will likely try to emulate the Blue Devils when trying to contain the shifty freshman as the season concludes.

Three key plays:

• 0:10, second half: In a play that will be talked about endlessly in the coming weeks, Fair charges into Hood trying to make a play with his team down 60-58 and tries to finish through contact. The referees call a charge, inciting a huge outburst from normally stoic Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. Boeheim received two technical fouls and was ejected, giving Duke four free throws and essentially ending the game.

Three key stats:

• Plumlee records four points, five rebounds and three blocks in nine minutes: For a team to win its fourth game in eight days, role players have to step. Plumlee did that early in the contest with his energy and emotion to get the crowd into the game. Although he shot just twice, he made both attempts and helped the Blue Devils neutralize the Orange centers. Plumlee’s contributions should not be forgotten and could give the redshirt sophomore huge confidence moving forward.

• Ennis and Cooney go 3-of-18 from the field: Syracuse has very limited depth, so the fact that the Blue Devils were able to shut down the Orange backcourt was a huge accomplishment. Although Duke transfer Michael Gbinije knocked down two treys, Syracuse did not get enough production from its starters to end Duke’s 30-game home winning streak. The Blue Devils got the win because of their 40-minute defensive effort and what learned from Thursday’s loss.

• Duke shoots 13-of-25 from the charity stripe: The Blue Devils got their biggest win of the season despite showing extreme fatigue with the way they shot the ball. Duke needs to make sure Saturday’s performance from the free throw line was an aberration because missing late free throws is a good way to limit postseason prospects.

And the Duke game ball goes to… Jabari Parker

Although Parker struggled with Syracuse’s length and committed five turnovers, he carried Duke’s offense with his big shots, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 10 rebounds. The Chicago native has become a double-double machine and is playing his best basketball of the season at the right time. He seems to have finally figured out how to balance his touches on the perimeter with his moves inside, a great sign for the Blue Devils.

And the Syracuse game ball goes to… Jerami Grant

The sophomore forward has had two of the best games of his career against the Blue Devils. After recording a huge double-double in the first meeting, he had 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting and eight rebounds Saturday night. Grant and Fair carried Syracuse’s offense in the second half and made 14 of the team’s 24 field goals on the night. Grant also frequently quieted the crowd with his punishing drives to the hoop and gave his team a chance to win late despite playing with a bad back.