CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Tyus Battle-less Syracuse team nearly matched Duke basket-for-basket Thursday night. The Orange, without their star junior guard for a second-straight game, stayed with just about all of Duke, except for freshman phenom Zion Williamson. They’d erased an early double-digit deficit that reached 17 points at one time to close within six at the break, and SU stayed within striking distance the whole way.

But No. 6-seed Syracuse (20-13, 10-8 Atlantic Coast) fell short of topping No. 3-seed Duke (27-5, 14-4) in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. In the teams’ third meeting this season, the Orange lost, 84-72.

Here are three quick takeaways from the game.

Near upset, round two

In six meetings over the past 13 months, Syracuse has matched up well against the Blue Devils, despite Duke’s one-and-done talent. Not only did SU top then-No. 1 Duke on the road in January, but the Orange nearly beat them in last year’s Sweet 16, and they played a quality first half against Duke last month in the Carrier Dome. Even without Battle in round three this year, SU nearly pulled off another upset against a Duke team at near-full strength.

With every Syracuse field goal in the second half, the coaches jolted. The bench stood up and clapped. Assistant coach Gerry McNamara said “Atta boy!” after a Buddy Boeheim 3 cut the Duke lead to one. In his second-straight start, Buddy finished with 15 points, and sophomore forward Oshae Brissett added 14. The loss Thursday ends the Orange’s conference tournament run, but Syracuse is projected to play in the NCAA Tournament next week.

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More coverage 

• Syracuse encouraged by positive signs as Zion Williamson leads Duke past SU in ACC Tournament
• The Final Word: Beat writer’s discuss Syracuse’s ACC Tournament loss to Duke
• Frank Howard, Jim Boeheim insist Howard’s trip of Zion Williamson was unintentional

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Howard loves March

Frank Howard, SU’s senior point guard, scored a career-high 28 points. He had 15 of SU’s 28 first-half points, drilling long jumpers and 3-pointers in rhythm. In the first half, Howard appeared to attempt to trip Williamson. It’s unclear if the move was intentional.

He stepped into a pair of 3s early and held his follow through as the ball sunk through the net. Howard had three assists and two rebounds, as well. After a contested layup missed late, he yelled an elongated “Ah!” in frustration. But he was otherwise stellar for the second-straight night.

Howard’s senior season has paled in comparison to his junior campaign, when he spearheaded the SU offense, especially amid its Sweet 16 run. For most of the regular season, he wasn’t the effective offensive player he once was. So far in two postseason games, he’s played like last year’s star point guard.

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Zion’s return

Williamson, Duke’s best player, missed five games due to injury until Thursday. His first half back included 21 points and nine rebounds. Several ferocious dunks. And a knack for doing what he’s always done along his sensational season: drawing eyeballs, and defenders, his way. He bailed out a Duke team that otherwise didn’t play particularly well. Aside from him, the offense struggled against the Orange zone, and the defense did not contain driving lanes. He finished with a game-high 29 points.

The projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft shined. He showed why he’s the best player in the country, almost single-handedly taking over sequences of the game to send the Spectrum Center crowd into a frenzy with each highlight-reel dunk.

Published on March 14, 2019 at 11:38 pm

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