Duke 80, Syracuse 67, March 21, 1998

No. 5-seed Syracuse had a chance to upset No. 1-seed Duke and advance to the Elite Eight.


The score was tied at 49 with 12:21 to go. SU was hanging around despite being the clear underdog. Duke’s roster was loaded with talented players Elton Brand, Shane Battier and Trajan Langdon. Syracuse had Jason Hart, Etan Thomas and Marius Janulis, but was outmatched on paper.

The Orangemen didn’t let the difficult matchup faze them, and they nearly shocked the world. Duke (32-3) held SU off, though, beating Syracuse (26-9), 80-67, in front of 40,589 at Tropicana Field. Brand finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Battier added 14 and seven, and Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils used an 11-0 spurt to pull away in the second half.

Duke’s offense averaged 85.1 points per game on the season, which was good for sixth in the country. But on Saturday, its defense was just as good.

SU shot just 38.1 percent from the field and 61.9 percent from the line, struggling to generate any consistency against Duke’s aggressive defense. Syracuse finished with 16 turnovers, as the Blue Devils’ defense proved stymying when it mattered most.

For seven-and-a-half minutes, Syracuse was silenced. A 49-49 game quickly transformed into a 60-49 cushion for Duke.

The game was nearly even the rest of the way, but it didn’t matter. Duke was going to the Elite Eight and the Orangemen were going home.

Duke scored 40 points in both halves. Its consistent offensive output, coupled with steady defense, propelled it past SU.

The Blue Devils pulled away thanks in part to a breakaway dunk by Chris Carrawell, who scored 10 points. Battier stole the ball and threw it up ahead to Carrawell, who flushed it home.

William Avery hit a 3, which upped Duke’s lead during its pivotal run. Krzyzewski said Avery was crucial during the stretch and he helped Duke pull away.

Duke burst out to a 14-5 lead at the start of the game, looking every bit the part of a No. 1 seed. SU had trouble converting around the basket, while the Blue Devils hit shots from all angles.

The Orangemen embarked on a mini spurt, but Duke ensured SU never seized the lead. A 28-16 Duke advantage turned into a 28-24 game, thanks to an 8-0 run by SU. But the Blue Devils closed the half on a 12-6 tear to bump the lead back to double digits.

Duke outrebounded SU by 11 and racked up more assists and blocks than the Orangemen. It was the kind of complete game necessary in the NCAA Tournament, and Duke’s superb all-around performance paved the way to victory.

Jim Boeheim’s team couldn’t slow down the high-octane offense of Krzyzewski’s crew.

Brand, who was the first pick in the 1999 NBA Draft the following year, was the best player on the floor. He dominated inside, hitting 10-of-14 field goals in 29 minutes.

The Blue Devils fell to Kentucky, 86-84 in the next round, failing to advance to the Final Four.

– compiled by Trevor Hass, asst. sports editor, [email protected], @TrevorHass

Published on January 31, 2014 at 4:06 am