Third-ranked Duke put a beatdown on Syracuse basketball inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night, handing the Orange its worst loss since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2013-14 campaign.
It's not that the 'Cuse played altogether awful. It's simply that the Blue Devils are the best team in the ACC and perhaps across the entire country. Duke dominated the Orange on both ends of the floor in Durham, N.C., with Syracuse basketball ultimately falling by a final score of 101-64 in Durham, N.C.
What a disaster. Duke (24-2 overall,13-1 in ACC) snapped SU's two-game winning streak from last week, and the 'Cuse has lost 11 consecutive encounters to the Blue Devils. In their all-time series together, the Orange is now just 6-18 against Duke, which eyes a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and a second straight trip to the Final Four.
Syracuse basketball (15-12 overall, 6-8 in ACC) will next host No. 16 North Carolina on Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. Earlier this month, the Tar Heels knocked off the 'Cuse, 87-77.
Syracuse basketball got embarrassed by No. 3 Duke on Monday night.
In this win, the Blue Devils were quite impressive on both ends of the floor. Duke shot 62.3 percent from the field, 60.0 percent from beyond the arc and 65.0 percent from the charity stripe. The Orange made 41.3 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from downtown and 25.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Duke dominated on the glass, 39-29 in total rebounds and 28-16 in defensive rebounds. The Orange led 13-11 in offensive boards. In other statistical categories, the Blue Devils led 21-10 in assists, 11-4 in turnovers forced, 39-16 in bench points, 12-8 in fast-break points, 10-3 in steals, 17-4 in points off turnovers, 52-30 in paint points and 22-14 in second-chance points.
The 'Cuse led 5-2 in blocks. That was it. Senior center William Kyle III paced Syracuse basketball with 12 points. Redshirt senior small forward Nate Kingz had 10 points and made a pair of 3-pointers.
Senior shooting guard J.J. Starling and sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman each had nine points, while junior point guard Naithan George added eight points. Freshman shooting guard Kiyan Anthony connected on two 3-pointers, finishing with six points.