Syracuse Basketball: Keys for Orange to beat Duke at home
Saturday sees Syracuse host Duke, in their second meeting of the year. The Orange were able to pull off the upset in North Carolina. Can they do it again?
Jim Boeheim‘s Syracuse came away from Durham, NC with a huge win as they defeated Duke 95-91 in OT, on January 14th. This was largely down to a huge individual performance from junior guard Tyus Battle, who put up 32 to take down the monstrous Blue Devils. Since their last meeting a lot has happened. What hasn’t changed is the firepower of Mike Krzyzewski‘s team, who regain their No.1 spot.
This game will be a very intriguing one for two teams with aspirations spanning to the NCAA Tournament and further on. Duke will look to secure the top spot in college basketball, while Syracuse tries to boost their resume – something that’ll come on heaps and mounds if they were to take the scalp of Duke twice this year.
This game will signal an integral time for Syracuse basketball, as far as 2019 is concerned, as the Orange will travel to face UNC on Wednesday. If Syracuse were to pick up one of two from the North Carolina foes it would be looked at as successful. ‘Cuse currently hold a 18-8 (9-4) record and are projected to be an eighth or ninth seed when March Madness comes knocking. Games of this caliber will prove vital when the NCAA is deciding the fate of the Orange in March, therefore, remain the most important of games.
There’s no doubt that Duke will be favorites coming into the Carrier Dome, on Saturday night. A No.1 school with the likes of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cameron Reddish does seem almost impossible to topple, but, ‘Cuse have done it once this season – in Cameron Indoor – so why not do it in New York?
On Wednesday night, Zion left the Duke-UNC game after 33 seconds, as he went over on his left foot, leaving his sneaker ripped open – a bizarre incident that isn’t seen too often. It’s unknown whether he’ll return in time for Saturday or not, but this is certainly something that’ll give Syracuse a huge boost, in terms of their chances. Let’s look at the three keys for Boeheim’s team to repeat their heroics from January.