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Duke Basketball: 3 keys for the Blue Devils to win versus Syracuse

By Zach De Jong

TALLAHASSEE, FL - JANUARY 12: Cam Reddish #2, Jack White #41 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Donald L. Tucker Center on January 12, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - JANUARY 12: Cam Reddish #2, Jack White #41 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Donald L. Tucker Center on January 12, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NY – DECEMBER 08: Tyus Battle #25 of the Syracuse Orange shoots the game winning basket in the final seconds against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated Georgetown 72-71. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY – DECEMBER 08: Tyus Battle #25 of the Syracuse Orange shoots the game winning basket in the final seconds against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated Georgetown 72-71. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

3. Shutdown and limit Tyus Battle

Tyus Battle was the workhorse for the Orange last year. If Battle didn’t put up at least twenty points in a game you could consider the Orange losing. This year is different though with a deeper and more complete team. This being said, Battle is still the center of attention for this Syracuse team.

Battle loves to have the ball in his hands and make his defenders dance. He has struggled to knock down the three-pointer this year, but loves the dribble pull-up from the mid-range. Battle is averaging 17.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in his junior campaign. White, Reddish, and Williamson will most likely be tasked with guarding Battle as Tre Jones would be too small to guard him.

Elijah Hughes and Oshae Brissett are also impact players for the Orange. Hughes is a 6-foot-6 junior forward who is averaging 15.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He is a transfer from East Carolina. Brissett is a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward who is averaging 13.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He was a breakout player on last years team at the end of the season.

Next. Biggest takeaways from last week. dark

The Blue Devils should have more than enough on the defensive side of the ball to shut down the Orange. They are currently ranked third in adjusted defensive efficiently according to KenPom. With the ball pressure from Jones and the aggressive nature of the rest of the team – they should have no problem containing the lackluster Syracuse offense.

Prediction: Duke 83 – Syracuse 61

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