Syracuse Basketball: Revisiting top epic battles vs. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim and long-time friend Mike Krzyzewski of Duke have engaged in some thrilling games since the Orange joined the Atlantic Coast Conference from the Big East Conference during the 2013-14 campaign.

All-time, the Orange is 6-11 against the Blue Devils, according to orangehoops.org. In recent years, though, there have proven about a half-dozen contests between these two ACC squads that I believe are tremendous encounters.

With Krzyzewski recently announcing that he will retire after the 2021-22 season, I figured it might be a relevant time to take a look at these recent beautiful match-ups among Hall of Fame head coaches.

It’s quite challenging to rank these games, so instead I’m going to outline them here as they chronologically occurred. Let me know what you think!

Here are the top-six duels among Syracuse basketball and Duke in recent campaigns.

Feb. 1, 2014
I have a personal affinity for this game, because I attended it in-person, and it was one of the best college basketball games that I have ever watched.

In front of a record crowd of 35,446 inside the Carrier Dome, the No. 2 ‘Cuse outlasted No. 17 Duke, 91-89 in overtime. This contest was played at such an unbelievably high level, and future pro Jerami Grant absolutely demolished the Blue Devils in the extra session.

Feb. 22, 2014
If we’re talking about entertainment value, this Syracuse basketball against Duke battle takes the cake. That’s because Boeheim got ejected in the closing seconds after arguing a charge call assessed to C.J. Fair.

I’m a homer, so of course I think that the foul was a block, rather than a charge against Fair. In any event, Boeheim went ballistic, the memes ensued, and the rest is history.

By the way, the No. 5 Blue Devils prevailed in this game versus the No. 1 Orange, 66-60.

Jan. 18, 2016
The unranked ‘Cuse knocked off No. 20 Duke on the road, 64-62, and this victory proved monumental as Syracuse basketball sneaked into the 2016 Big Dance and ultimately marched on a magical journey to the Final Four as a No. 10 seed.

Tyler Roberson collected 14 points and a ridiculous 20 rebounds in helping to lead the Orange to an impressive conquest.

Feb. 22, 2017
John Gillon – enough said.

Gillon banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key just before the buzzer, and the ‘Cuse stunned No. 10 Duke, 78-75, before more than 30,000 screaming fans on the Hill.

I’ve witnessed a multitude of exhilarating games for Syracuse basketball, and this one is at the top of the list. Seeing the crowd explode after Gillon’s shot went down is something that will never get old to me.

March 23, 2018
In the Sweet 16 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, No. 2 seed Duke snuck by the No. 11 seed Orange, 69-65, in a hard-fought Big Dance match-up.

This was a fairly tight contest throughout, as neither team ever managed a double-digit advantage. In the end, the Blue Devils made several key free throws down the stretch to earn a place in the Elite Eight.

Jan. 14, 2019
In one of the biggest wins for Syracuse basketball in recent memory, the ‘Cuse upset No. 1 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, 95-91 in overtime.

The Blue Devils were missing two critical players, although they still had superstar Zion Williamson, who shredded the Orange 2-3 zone. However, the ‘Cuse hung around with Duke and managed to pull away in the extra period.

For Syracuse basketball, Tyus Battle tallied 32 points, and Elijah Hughes connected on a heave from about 80 feet right before halftime. Pretty cool stuff.