Syracuse Shocks Duke at the Buzzer For One Of The Greatest Shots In History

The Syracuse basketball team may have just punched their ticket to the dance. It all happened because of one of the greatest shots in Carrier Dome history.

Sports are a beautiful thing. While in just a matter of seconds, they can inflict either heartbreak or pure joy. That’s what makes them so special: the outcome is completely unknown until the final buzzer.

It’s the only form of entertainment that isn’t scripted. Syracuse’s win over Duke was too good to script. The best producers in Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better.

Syracuse has been an underdog all season. Many even counted the Orange out of the NCAA tournament. But through much adversity, the NCAA tournament is looking very probable at the moment.

Everyone dreams about beating their rival in dramatic fashion. However, rarely is that dream made a reality. John Gillon’s game-winning three was something out of a fairy-tale.

Syracuse wasn’t supposed to win that game. They were coming off of a sloppy loss to Georgia Tech and Duke has been playing terrific basketball. This is a team in Syracuse that got blown out by St. John’s and lost to Georgetown at home.

As cliche as it may sound, this game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Duke showed why

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they are a top-10 team in the country. They were efficient, effective, and were able to consistently finish.

Freshman Jayson Tatum led the charge for the Blue Devils in the first half, as he finished with 19 points (14 in the first half) and 13 rebounds. But Duke’s go-to guy was undoubtedly Luke Kennard, whose impressive shooting performance almost won it for the Blue Devils. He scored 23 points and was 5-9 from behind the arc. Kennard is Duke’s most consistent player and will continue to star for them through March.

As good of a team that Duke is, Syracuse never let the game slip out of reach. Duke’s largest lead was 10 points and came around the one minute mark in the first half.

Offense seemed like a struggle at times for the Orange. Some possessions even looked contrived. That being said, Syracuse did what they have done all season: fought back. This season has been filled with miraculous comebacks, as the Orange’s three top-10 wins involve playing from behind for the majority of the games.

It’s easy to attribute this win to John Gillon, who scored 26 points and hit one of the greatest shots in Carrier Dome history.

However, this was a team win in every sense of the way. Duke is tremendously gifted on the offensive end. They have three-point shooters all over the court and have great rebounders. Freshman Harry Giles was very active on the boards. When he wasn’t grabbing rebounds, he was tipping the ball back to the key, leading to second chance points.

In fact, Duke outscored Syracuse in second-chance points 17-5. That just shows Dukes effort in being able to effectively crash the boards.

Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange guard John Gillon (4) drives to the basket around Duke Blue Devils forward Harry Giles (1) during the second half at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

While the second-half was a duel of attrition. The two teams went back and forth, just waiting for someone to make a mistake. Each possession had so much meaning to it. Boeheim’s 2-3 zone was put to the test. At times they looked vulnerable, but were able to persevere. Ultimately, they made the stops when they needed to. Was John Gillon terrific? Absolutely. But it was the team defense played by the Orange that won it.

I wish I could say that John Gillon played the game of his life, but all Syracuse fans know that was against NC State, where he scored 43 points and hit the game-tying three to send it into OT. But Gillon was a force to be reckoned with last night. He was consistently able to drive to the basket and had some excellent finishes. His game-winning three will be replayed for a long time. It was truly a historic shot.

However, Gillon wasn’t the only Syracuse player who rose to the occasion. Tyus Battle was unstoppable on offense, scoring 18 points on 6-11 shooting.

While the moment never seemed too big for the freshman phenom. His jump-shooting ability was on display for the country to see and he put everyone on notice.

Sophomore star Tyler Lydon was his usual self, as he had a solid game. His 11 points won’t stand out on the stat sheet, but his nine rebounds were vital, including the one on the final possession.

The Carrier Dome is a unique venue.

It’s energy swings like a pendulum. A single basket is the difference between complete silence and pandemonium.

Last night’s win against the Blue Devils showed the power of Syracuse’s home court advantage. Whether it’s the rowdy noise when on defense or the peaceful hush of the crowd on offense, the Orange are able to feed off of the energy.

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This win was a perfect storm. Everything had to go right in order to win this game. They played great defense and hit every shot when they needed to. This was an all-time win, Syracuse fans. Enjoy it.

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