Syracuse basketball and No. 16 Duke, two of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference these days, will go toe to toe on Tuesday night in Durham, N.C.
The ‘Cuse (10-3, 1-1 in the ACC) has won five straight games, most recently storming back in the second half this past Saturday afternoon on the Hill to conquer long-time rival Pittsburgh, 81-73, for the Orange’s first conference victory of the 2023-24 season.
Riding a strong wave of current momentum, Syracuse basketball has also gone 7-1 over its past eight encounters.
The Blue Devils (9-3, 0-1 in the ACC), meanwhile, have captured four consecutive wins, most recently crushing Queens University at home, 106-69, last Saturday.
How to watch Syracuse basketball at top-20 Duke this week.
The ‘Cuse and the Blue Devils are scheduled to tip off beginning at 9 pm from Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Jan. 2. ESPN is expected to air this league clash. You can also check out fuboTV as a possible coverage option.
Duke, in recent years, has owned the Orange. The Blue Devils have defeated Syracuse basketball on eight straight occasions, and they’re 15-6 versus the ‘Cuse in their all-time series together.
So far in 2023-24, Duke has wins over Dartmouth, Michigan State, La Salle, Bucknell, Southern Indiana, Charlotte, Hofstra, Baylor and Queens University. The Blue Devils have fallen to Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia Tech.
When I penned this column, Duke arrived at No. 20 in the NCAA NET rankings, while the Orange was No. 78. Over at KenPom, the Blue Devils were No. 9 nationally, and Syracuse basketball was No. 81.
The ‘Cuse defense will have to contain numerous talented Duke players, led by sophomore center and former Orange recruiting target Kyle Filipowski.
To date this season, he’s averaging 18.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per contest, while hitting on 51.9 percent from the field.
As collective units, Duke is scoring 83.3 points per game and allowing 66.7 points. Conversely, Syracuse basketball is averaging 78.4 points per meeting and giving up 70.4 points.
The Blue Devils hit on 49.4 percent from the field, 73.8 percent from the free-throw line and 36.5 percent from 3-point land.
The Orange, on the other hand, makes 45.6 percent from the field, 73.3 percent from the charity stripe and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Duke takes good care of the ball, only committing 8.9 turnovers per contest, as compared to 12.4 miscues for the ‘Cuse.
In other statistical categories, the Blue Devils average 36.3 rebounds, 16.9 assists, 4.0 blocks and 7.0 steals per affair. For Syracuse basketball, the Orange averages 38.1 boards, 14.1 dimes, 5.2 blocks and 9.4 steals per game.
Since joining the ACC in 2013-14, the Orange has had some success against Duke on the road, but the ‘Cuse will have to play at an ultra-high level to knock off a top-20 Blue Devils squad on Tuesday evening.
After the Orange heads to Duke, Syracuse basketball will host Boston College on Wednesday, Jan. 10, beginning at 9 pm and with television coverage on the ACC Network.