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When Syracuse trudged into the away-team locker room at halftime in Cameron Indoor Stadium, one player had a declaration to make. 

“I didn’t play defense in the first half,” Jim Boeheim remembers one of his players saying. 

Boeheim didn’t reveal who stated the obvious, but it could’ve applied to almost anyone. Syracuse surrendered 52 first-half points on Monday, failing to press the Blue Devils’ shooters. Boeheim said he “can’t understand” the lack of effort to start the game. But it was eerily reminiscent of SU’s previous game, when it allowed Notre Dame to jump out to a massive lead by raining 3s. 

“It’s not one, two, three people that are giving up 52 in a half,” Buddy Boeheim (21 points) said postgame. “It’s everyone. We’ve got to be better positionally, and we’re going to work on that.” 

Thirty of Duke’s 52 first-half points came on 3s, and several others came on putbacks off missed triples. Duke shot 10-for-18 (55%) from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes, and Syracuse never pulled back within 14 points. Slight second-half defensive strides weren’t nearly enough for Syracuse (13-7, 7-6 Atlantic Coast) to recover against Duke (11-8, 9-6) in an 85-71 loss. 

SU needs to work on defensive intensity to start games, knowing the rotations in the zone and studying the personnel, Buddy said. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but there’s not much time for it. 

A late February game between Syracuse and Duke usually isn’t a bubble game for both teams. But Monday night, everyone in Cameron Indoor Stadium — there weren’t fans in one of college basketball’s signature venues this year — was on the outside of the NCAA Tournament looking in, according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. 

Duke was one of three scheduled teams remaining on SU’s schedule, and the two’s bubble statuses made Monday a natural inflection point. The drubbing sets Duke and Syracuse on divergent paths, with the Blue Devils inching toward an NCAA Tournament bid and the Orange fading away. Syracuse’s fourth straight loss to Duke will likely be a major catalyst in keeping SU out of March Madness for the third time since 2014. 

“I think just communication and knowing where we need to be, knowing personnel,” Buddy said. “Notre Dame’s a great shooting team, and we didn’t really get out on shooters. We didn’t rotate, we didn’t work hard enough on defense and talk. Tonight, similar thing. They got easy looks, rebounds.” 

Duke opened up the game with a Mark Williams dunk but followed that up with three consecutive 3s. With Wendell Moore Jr. wide open in the corner. With Jeremy Roach off a Matthew Hurt backtap. With DJ Steward from above the break.

The Blue Devils hit from downtown in the halfcourt and in semi-transition, but never in isolation. Each of Duke’s first 10 field goals were assisted, and it started 10-for-16 from deep. 

Boeheim said postgame the issues aren’t on the guards at the top of the zone but rather the forwards failing to play actively on the wings. SU was playing its forwards high above the arc, but Duke still managed to generate wide-open shots — its 27 assists on 34 made field goals were the most by a Duke team in the ACC since 2001. 

Prior to Monday, Syracuse held opponents to 31.2% from behind the arc, the 60th best mark in the nation. But its overall lack of defensive efficiency suggested regression was inevitable, and it came all at once. The 10-for-18 first half was all Duke needed.

“Tonight they shot it really well, maybe better than they normally would, but we still have to do a better job on defense. You can’t spot them that lead,” Boeheim said.  

Jeremy Roach had 14 points and shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Courtesy of Duke Athletics

Because of the lackluster perimeter defense, Syracuse found itself down 20 in the second half for the second straight game. Its chances at a Quadrant 1 victory dwindled, so it turned to a full-court press again, something Boeheim admitted SU isn’t great at. On its first try, Syracuse forced a jump ball. Kadary Richmond intercepted the inbounds pass, and Syracuse cut Duke’s 21-point lead to 14. 

Desperation didn’t beat talent. Unlike Notre Dame, though, Duke had the athleticism and skill to not only decipher the press but also punish it. After the Blue Devils settled down, Duke broke down SU’s press with ease. Jordan Goldwire dribbled through a trap and right down the middle of the court. Moore got a free layup off the press break. A cross-court pass led to a Williams alley-oop — a recurring theme on Monday.

Due to the press, Duke attempted seven fewer 3s in the second half. But even when SU reverted back to the zone, it was better at closing out to shooters. John Bol Ajak, who was a team-best +16, anchored the defense briefly, and freshman Robert Braswell played solid on the backline. Quincy Guerrier played just 25 minutes, eight fewer than his average. Joe Girard III registered only 18 minutes, just two above a season-low. 

“We’re playing the same defense in the second half, there’s just more effort at it,” Boeheim said. “A couple of guys are more interested in their offense, and you can’t win that way.” 

Published on February 22, 2021 at 9:11 pm

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