Syracuse Basketball: Feisty SU falls to Duke in ACC Tournament now await Selection Sunday

The Syracuse basketball squad put up a good fight but ultimately fell to the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament. Here’s how it all played out.

Duke was the favorite in this ACC Tournament matchup vs the Syracuse basketball squad and showed it. SU put up a good fight, but it wasn’t enough and now await Selection Sunday. But before we get there, here’s how it all played out.

No Tyus Battle for the second straight game as expected in this one. On Wednesday night Syracuse basketball fans were worried how the team would respond. Following that Pitt win powered by an incredible second-half performance, SU fans were inspired by what they saw.

For Syracuse to have ANY chance vs Duke in the third round of the ACC Tournament, they’ll need their depth to step up and Duke to falter.

While for Duke it marked the return of the National Player of the Year: Zion Williamson.

To win this game Syracuse needs to score, a great start to the game with Frank Howard drilling an open three.

Also, the Orange have to try and do something with Zion. While he’s known for the slam dunks, he also plays fantastic defense. He got a great steal early in the first stanza and just MJ slammed the ball in open space.

Something that happened early in the Pitt game was early foul trouble for the big guys. Paschal Chukwu racked in two fouls within the first three minutes of the game forcing Jim Boeheim to play some small ball with Marek Dolezaj into the lineup.

Oshae Brissett then took advantage with Duke on its’ heels to drive to the basket to convert in the lane. SU needs to make it easier for themselves on offense.

It was nice to see Jalen Carey get some early minutes in this game. He didn’t play much in the Pitt game and the last time these two squared off in Cameron Indoor, Carey played seven minutes and had several turnovers and looked out of his element.

While something that wasn’t nice to see from Duke was Zion Williamson showing ZERO rust in his return from a six-game absence. Perfect from the field whether it was layups, dunks, or mid-range jumpers WHAT CAN’T THIS MAN DO?

Then in a short period, it appeared to be an NBA All-Star game with no defense but highlight dunks and plays back-to-back for the Blue Devils.

At one point Syracuse was leading, then I blinked and Duke was up double-digits. That continued as Duke increased the lead to 29-15 with five minutes remaining.

One of the big issues is the physicality of the Duke defense. Any time SU had a good look, the Blue Devils crashed so hard and so quickly that the Orange were forcing shots earlier than they would like.

I half-joked before the game that three things can happen when Zion Williamson comes crashing into the paint:

• Zion gets a basket.
• Williamson is fouled.
• Or both.

All of those fears were realized in the first half vs the Orange in the ACC Tournament. Duke maximized those efforts with a 26-6 run over a 12 minute stretch in the first half.

But just when you thought Syracuse was falling apart, Frank Howard scores on three straight baskets to make it a 10-2 run over the last few minutes of the first half. Then Buddy hit a deep three to make it a 13-2 run to end the half.

First-half takeaways: 

• Syracuse has as many turnovers (11) as they had field goals made (11) in the first half.
• Great from beyond the arc: 5-of-9 (55.6 percent)
• Zion Williamson showed ZERO rust in the first half going 9-of-9 from the field. Uhm triple-double alert? Zion at the half had 21 points, nine rebounds, and five steals.
• Frank Howard lone bright spot for the Orange: 15 points, 60 percent from the field, and 3-of-4 from downtown.

Second half

It was the Zion Williamson show in the first half, then the Orange got hot late to make it competitive. Now Syracuse has to show the same heart they showed in the second half of the Pitt game.

More foul issues for the Orange with Paschal Chukwu picking up his fourth foul within the first two minutes of the second half. Historically Chukwu has played amazing vs Duke, especially this season in the three matchups.

Once Syracuse finally tied the game on a Buddy Boeheim three the teams started trading blows going shot for shot over the next several minutes.  But Duke started to find their mojo with a 12-4 run to increase the separation: 60-51 with under nine minutes remaining.

While for the second straight night Paschal Chukwu fouled out. He fouled out on a really dumb play too where he simply just ran into a Duke player with under six and a half minutes remaining.

Syracuse fought tooth and nail, but Duke was the better team Thursday night and found a way to victory. The final tally ended up being Duke 84, Syracuse 72.

Final takeaways:

• Zion Williamson didn’t miss a basket: 13-of-13 scoring 29 points, grabbing 14 boards, and registering five steals.
• Oshae Brissett woke up for this one. Only two points in the first half, but finished with 14 points.
• Frank Howard stepped up in a major way in place of Tyus Battle: 28 points, two steals, three boards, and three assists.

Syracuse has done everything they can and now must await their fate on Selection Sunday. Although the Orange should feel the safest they’ve felt in over five years. The Orange are in the tournament but Sunday will provide us the backdrop of who they’re playing and what seed they ended up with.