Syracuse basketball, unsurprisingly, is a large betting underdog at No. 4 Duke on Monday night. The Blue Devils are having a stellar 2025-26 season, plus Duke has beaten the Orange on 10 consecutive occasions.
When I wrote this article on Monday morning, FanDuel had Duke as a sizable 19.5-point betting favorite over the 'Cuse in Durham, N.C., with the over/under set at 142.5 points.
The Orange (15-11 overall, 6-7 in ACC) and the Blue Devils (23-2 overall,12-1 in ACC) will tip off on February 16 at 7:00 pm EST, with television coverage on ESPN.
Over the years, the Orange has won twice at Cameron Indoor Stadium, however, Duke has owned the 'Cuse of late, and Syracuse basketball is a mere 6-17 in its all-time series against the Blue Devils, according to SU Athletics.
The latest metrics for Syracuse basketball at No. 4 Duke on Monday evening.
Syracuse basketball
NCAA NET ranking: No. 69 overall
Home record: 12-4
Neutral-site record: 1-3
Road record: 2-4
Quadrant-one record: 1-6
Quadrant-two record: 3-3
Quadrant-three record: 4-2
Quadrant-four record: 7-0
KenPom rating: No. 69 overall
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 79
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 67
Duke
NCAA NET ranking: No. 2 overall
Home record: 12-0
Neutral-site record: 3-1
Road record: 8-1
Quadrant-one record: 10-2
Quadrant-two record: 5-0
Quadrant-three record: 1-0
Quadrant-four record: 7-0
KenPom rating: No. 2 overall
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 10
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 2
Syracuse basketball plays at No. 4 Duke on Monday night. Per injury reports submitted to the ACC, out for 'Cuse are freshman wing Calvin Russell III, freshman wing Aaron Womack (redshirt) and sophomore guard Noah Lobdell. For Duke, grad student center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu is out.
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) February 16, 2026
So how does the Orange stun the Blue Devils at Cameron? The 'Cuse will have to play a near-flawless game and hope it catches Duke on an off night. The Blue Devils are extremely well-balanced, with a high-scoring offense and a defense that's quite efficient.
The Orange will have to limit its turnovers and also get a lot of easy buckets in transition following defensive rebounds and/or steals. The 'Cuse also must shoot well from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line, something that doesn't often occur for the team in 2025-26.
Last but certainly not least, SU has to hold its own on the glass, particularly on the defensive end. Syracuse basketball is prone to giving up a lot of offensive rebounds to its opponents, and if that occurs on Monday evening, Duke could have a massive edge in second-chance points. That is not a recipe for the Orange to spring an upset.