A subpar performance simply isn’t good enough to defeat a well-oiled machine such as Duke.
Syracuse Orange
The Orange shot just 30.6% from the field, hit just three of their 20 three-point attempts, coughed up the rock on 15 occasions, and allowed 17 offensive rebounds against the fourth-ranked Blue Devils, who captured their ninth straight victory with a 73-54 win.
Justise Winslow, who showcased his NBA readiness, lead Duke with a career-high 23 points to accompany his 10 rebounds, top prospect Jahlil Okafor racked up another double-double with 13 points and 14 boards, senior guard Quinn Cook had 17, and Tyus Jones had 9 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who exemplified their capability to make a deep tournament run with a dominant display.
Outlined as a crucial aspect heading into the game, the SU bench was virtually nonexistent, as the reserves could only muster two points (coming on a Ron Patterson fastbreak layup) throughout the entire contest. Rakeem Christmas struggled mightily against the pressures of the Duke defense as well, putting up just six shots en route to recording 11 points and five rebounds before fouling out midway through the second half.
Feb 28, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) and Syracuse Orange forward Rakeem Christmas (25) scramble for a rebound in their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Tyler Roberson was the lone bright spot for Syracuse, making five of his nine attempts for 16 points in addition to nine boards. Michael Gbinije made just five of his 20 shot attempts for 12 points to go along with four steals, while Trevor Cooney had his share of struggles from the field before hitting a few in garbage time, finishing with 13 points of 5-of-16 shooting. Point guard Kaleb Joseph was a non-factor for the Orange, missing all four of his shot attempts while turning it over twice in limited minutes.
Syracuse began the game on a positive note, as a pair of free throws from Cooney gave them a 13-10 advantage with 11:37 left in the first half, however a subsequent Duke run seemingly threw the Orange’s momentum into the doldrums. After Matt Jones’ three with 9:41 left gave the Blue Devils a 17-14 lead, Syracuse failed to even sniff the lead for the rest of the game.
Feb 28, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Roberson (21) shoots against Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) and forward Justise Winslow (12) in their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Following a Roberson jumper, Winslow pioneered a 9-2 Duke run solely by himself, giving the Blue Devils an eight-point advantage, one which would grow to 34-25 entering the half. Christmas began with a surge, scoring the first six points for the Orange as they cut the lead to seven, however consecutive threes from M. Jones and Winslow put the nail in the Syracuse coffin far too early.
Although Roberson was able to cut the deficit to eleven with two free throws, two buckets from Cook coupled with a Winslow three gave Duke an insurmountable 51-33 lead with 12:12 left to go. The Orange failed to mount a run, and with Christmas disqualified with five fouls, they seemingly had nobody to look to for instant offense.
The Duke advantage grew to as much as 20, with T. Jones’ floater with 4:14 remaining giving them a 64-44 lead.