The hottest team in the country heads to Syracuse basketball this week.
No. 2 Duke, easily the best team in a lackluster Atlantic Coast Conference so far in the 2024-25 campaign, has won 15 consecutive games after dismantling fierce rival North Carolina this past Saturday at home.
The Blue Devils (19-2, 11-0 in the ACC), the only group to defeat current No. 1 Auburn this term, will battle the Orange (10-12, 4-7 in the ACC) at the JMA Wireless Dome this Wednesday, Feb. 5, beginning at 7:00 pm and airing on ESPN2.
Duke is 16-6 in its all-time series with the 'Cuse, and the Blue Devils have captured nine straight heading into this latest ACC clash. Undeniably, Duke will prove a big betting favorite against Syracuse basketball, and former Orange player Maliq Brown is back in the line-up for the Blue Devils.
Former Syracuse basketball player Maliq Brown, now at Duke, returns to Central New York.
Brown, as a sophomore with the 'Cuse in 2023-24, was named to the All-ACC defensive team after averaging 29.6 minutes, 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 steals per contest, while connecting on 69.8 percent from the field.
However, in the off-season, the 6-foot-9, 222-pound power forward out of Culpeper, Va., decided to hit the portal, similar to numerous other Orange players from 2023-24, and Brown transferred to Duke for his junior season.
Recently, Brown missed a handful of games due to a sprained knee. He came back as the Blue Devils, over the weekend, pounced the Tar Heels, 87-70. Against UNC, Brown logged 16 minutes. He had two points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
In an article on dukechronicle.com, Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer said of Brown's return against North Carolina, "I thought he had some really nice passes. [He’s] easy to play with. He just is a winner. I think that was the biggest thing with him, having him back in the fold helped [us] in every aspect offensively and defensively."
That quote right there from Scheyer takes me to a place of "what could have been." Of all the Syracuse basketball players from 2023-24 who transferred out, to me, Brown's departure stung the most, because of what he can do on the defensive end.
To date in 2024-25, for Duke, Brown has appeared in 16 games. He averages 17.8 minutes, 2.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per encounter while making 63.0 percent from the field.
The Blue Devils have plenty of offensive weapons, but what Brown brings to the table is veteran leadership, a calming presence, and great defense and rebounding, among other things. For the Orange in 2024-25, the team currently allows 77 points per game, which is No. 17 in the ACC, only ahead of Miami.
Could Brown being on the 'Cuse roster this season have helped Syracuse basketball? Of course. Would Brown alone have been a savior for the Orange? Likely not. But still, one can't help but wonder.
I have no inside information as to why Brown transferred. Did he want out, did SU coaches tell him to head out, or was it a mutual thing? I don't know. Of course, some Syracuse basketball fans, after news broke that Brown would enter the transfer portal, speculated that he did so because another power forward coming in, five-star freshman Donnie Freeman, would have eaten up some of Brown's playing time in 2024-25 with the 'Cuse.
Who the heck knows. And it doesn't matter now. Of course, Freeman himself has missed eight games in a row because of an injured right foot.
In any event, Brown is now suiting up for a program that will significantly compete for a national championship later this spring. If he had stayed with the Orange, that wouldn't have been the case.
I assume some fans will boo Brown when he plays against Syracuse basketball later this week. I get it. That's not my jam, and I understand that fans don't care all that much about former 'Cuse players who move on. I'll root for Maliq when he's squaring off versus any team other than my beloved Orange, and I'll feel happy for him if he and his Duke teammates win the grand prize in early April.
At the same time, I'd love to see Syracuse basketball stun the Blue Devils on Wednesday evening.