A Zion Williamson-less Duke Blue Devils team enters the Carrier Dome on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip against Syracuse. The on-campus attendance record is projected to be broken by eight people as the Orange look to beat Duke twice in just over a month. The Blue Devils are coming off a loss to No. 8 North Carolina, while SU beat No. 18 Louisville, 69-49, on Wednesday night.

Here’s what you need to know about Duke.

All-time series: Duke leads, 7-6

Last time they played: On Jan. 14, the Orange pulled off a massive, 95-91, win in overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Junior guard Tyus Battle led SU with 32 points. Four other Syracuse players scored in double-figures: Elijah Hughes (20 points) Frank Howard (16), Oshae Brissett (14) and Paschal Chukwu (10 plus 18 rebounds). Duke’s Cam Reddish did not play and point guard Tre Jones missed most of the game.

Said SU head coach Jim Boeheim of SU’s offensive strategy: “We did a lot of ball screens with Tyus and Frank, try to get them to go downhill,” Boeheim said. “If they switched, they had a center. If they tried to get over them, they had an edge to get to the basket.”

The Duke report: The Blue Devils have the best two offensive players in the conference, both of whom are still teenagers: RJ Barrett (23.1 points per game) and Williamson (21.6). Their entire offense is balanced and potent, with multiple ways to score from the inside and outside. With Williamson out, Duke’s interior presence is significantly reduced. Barrett, Reddish and Jones will have to try to pick up the slack because either Barrett or Williamson has led the team in scoring every game but one.

Until Wednesday night’s 88-72 loss at home to UNC, Duke hadn’t lost since the Syracuse game — the Blue Devils had won nine in a row. They edged Virginia at home. Then they blew out five-straight teams before beating Virginia again. In the past two weeks, they came back from a 23-point deficit at Louisville and smacked NC State, 94-78. They’re tied for first in the ACC, with only three losses all season long — one of which came against Syracuse.

How Syracuse beats Duke: The road to a win got significantly less cluttered with Williamson’s injury. The Blue Devils do, however, still maintain a strong frontcourt. SU probably will see Reddish and Jones in earnest, unlike the teams’ last meeting. Senior point guard Frank Howard, who’s been streaky of late, may be tasked with one of the nation’s premier defenders.

Duke’s glaring weakness: shooting. The Blue Devils aren’t good from the free throw line, and they don’t shoot well from beyond the 3-point arc. A strong perimeter defense from SU could be the ticket to a win.

Stat to know: 13 — Duke ranks 13th out of 15 ACC schools in 3-point field-goal percentage. The Blue Devils are shooting just 30.6 percent from deep, worse than Syracuse (11th — 32.4 percent) and nearly 9.8 percent worse than ACC-leading Virginia Tech. When the Blue Devils are forced to shoot contested 3s, their offense could be slowed, at least slightly.

KenPom odds: KenPom gives Syracuse a 20-percent chance to beat Duke and predicts a 77-67 Duke win.

Player to watch: RJ Barrett, freshman forward, No. 5

Barrett is the Blue Devils’ leading scorer and, with Williamson out, all eyes will be on him. At 6-foot-7, he’s a difficult matchup who can score from just about anywhere near the basket. His placement in the 2-3 zone offense will be key for Duke: He had 23 points and 16 boards last time against SU. He’s coming off a 33-point, 13-rebound explosion against UNC, and he’s averaging 23.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.

Published on February 22, 2019 at 10:24 pm

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