The Syracuse Orange (15-11, 6-7) head back to North Carolina tonight to face the #4 Duke Blue Devils (23-2, 12-1). Syracuse is 0-2 in the state this season and will be looking for a win that could get them back into the bubble discussion. Tip-off is 7:00 on ESPN and here’s what we’re predicting:
Kevin: Duke 79, Syracuse 66
It’s going to take a full 40 minutes from the Orange, but I think they’ll be unable to shake Duke’s defense and turnovers will be the difference. Will the Orange go zone and hope
to take away Cameron Boozer’s impact inside? After a strong week, I think Syracuse is going to spend another Monday night overmatched on Tobacco Road.
Dom: Duke 83, Syracuse 65
Props to the Orange for rallying as of late, but Duke is just in a different tier compared to California and SMU. Duke’s lone conference loss came against UNC at the buzzer and on the road. Boozer is going to put pressure at the rim all game. Duke doesn’t allow easy looks from the perimeter, controls the glass and its own turnovers. If the guard trio for Syracuse can all click, this will be a lot closer of a game, but the Blue Devils are rightfully a heavy favorite.
Szuba: Duke 91, Syracuse 70
Some say basketball is an art, but Duke has it down to a science. The Blue Devils are one Christian Anderson heater and one strong stretch of play from Derek Dixon away from being undefeated. I don’t think Syracuse will be the first team to hand Duke a home loss this season, or Jon Scheyer’s fourth career loss in Cameron. Cam Boozer is too big of a matchup problem for Syracuse in man-to-man and the 2-3 zone is too porous against an Isaiah Evans perimeter. That’s not to mention how good of an offensive rebounding team Duke is. There’s just too many exploitable holes on the Syracuse side against a stout defensive team with no major weakness.
Max: Duke 82, Syracuse 63
I do believe the Orange can hang around for a bit, but there’s no way they can play a complete game against an opponent that has the advantage in nearly every statistical category. While the primary goal will be to stop Boozer, he can also hurt you with his passing, as he leads the Blue Devils with four assists per game. Even if Syracuse turns in its best all-around performance of the season, Duke will capitalize on any mistake and use a few big runs to blow this one open.
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What’s your prediction for tonight?
