The talent gap was on full display in the Dome
The Syracuse Orange (10-13, 4-8) came out with some defensive energy last night but they couldn’t do anything on the offensive end and eventually the Duke Blue Devils got their offense going to run away. Here’s a couple of takeaways
Rim Protection Optional
Syracuse did a decent job in the first ten minutes of the game forcing the Blue Devils to take shots off the dribble, but after going zone, it all changed. The Blue Devils knocked Duke was 21-30 on two-point field goal attempts. It doesn’t take a lot of math acumen to know that allowing a team to shoot 70% is a bad plan.
In the second half, Duke used their skill to pull the Syracuse defense away from the rim and then they moved the ball to get 28 points in the paint. It’s easy to shoot well when you keep getting clean looks at the rim….which leads to the other side of the court.
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Off-Balance again
JJ Starling had Syracuse’s first 7 points and the next Orange player to score was Naheem McLeod with 10:53 left in the first half. You aren’t going to win many games scoring 9 points in 10 minutes and that’s not how you’ll be competitive with a National Championship contender.
Eddie Lampkin, Elijah Moore and Lucas Taylor played 50 minutes combined and each hit only one shot. Contrast that to Duke who had balanced scoring and kept Syracuse from focusing on one player. As we’ve seen too often from Orange teams the last few years, too many possessions featured players going side to side and then having to force up a contested shot late in the clock.
Credit goes to Duke’s defense, but Syracuse failed to get going early and keep the crowd engaged. McLeod and Jyare Davis were the only players besides Starling to hit double-figures last night. Both of those players were aggressive and decisive, and down the stretch the Orange need to find a way to get more than 2-3 players scoring each night.
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The Orange have eight games left in the regular season and need to go 6-2 to avoid a second sub .500 season in the last four years. No matter how this year ends, it’s clear that 2025-26 will be a make or break season.