Syracuse Basketball: Flashback to instant classic, 'Cuse vs. Duke in first ACC battle

This match-up saw two legendary head coaches, both in the basketball hall of fame, go head to head for the first time as conference opponents, as head coach Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse basketball team would take on coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils, in the first of two meetings between the two teams that season, with the first being in front of a sold-out Carrier Dome crowd.

This game would also see two ranked teams, The Orange, being the number two ranked team, and the Blue Devils, ranked No. 17 in the nation, each had talented players going head to head as well, as we would see forward Jerami Grant, guard Tyler Ennis, forward CJ Fair, and guard Trevor Cooney of the Orange go head to head with forward Jabari Parker, guard Rasheed Sulaimon, forward Amile Jefferson and guard Rodney Hood of the Blue Devils.

This was a back-and-forth contest, with both teams fighting for every rebound, knocking down key shots, and playing lockdown defense, and the Orange fans were in for a treat when this game would eventually be decided in overtime.

With the Orange leading 91-89, after a made free throw by Fair, Duke would have one more chance to win with 5.5 seconds to go and no timeouts. Duke's guard Quinn Cook would throw up a prayer attempt that would hit off the backboard, but miss the bucket, as the Syracuse Orange would hold on to take down the Blue Devils, 91-89, in the first meeting of these two legendary programs since the 'Cuse joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2013-14 season.

Syracuse basketball and Duke played an instant classic in early February of 2014.

Fair would finish with 28 points, five rebounds, and one assist, however, it would be Grant who would lead the Orange with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and shooting a perfect 10-of-10 from the field, as the Orange would advance to 21-0 on the season and remain undefeated.

Parker would have 15 points, nine rebounds, and one assist, while Jefferson would finish with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, as the Blue Devils would fall to 17-5 on the season.

This was just one of two battles that the Orange would face off with the Blue Devils that year, as the next time these two teams would meet, it was at Cameron Indoor, where the Orange would fall to Duke, but many people call it the game where Boeheim would lose his jacket and get ejected after an offensive foul was called on Fair driving to the basket and colliding with Hood.

This rivalry between Syracuse basketball and Duke has been one to watch over the past few years, and we hope to see another great matchup this upcoming 2024-25 season.