Instant Juice: Syracuse 64, Duke 62

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Tyler Roberson notched a double-double against the Blue Devils
roberson
Tyler Roberson notched a double-double against the Blue Devils

A quick take on Syracuse’s 64-62 win against Duke on Monday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium:

WHAT HAPPENED: With 7 seconds left on the clock and Syracuse up 63-62, Greyson Allen drove to the lane and missed a runner. In the ensuing scrum for the ball, Malachi Richardson was fouled and hit the first free throw before missing the second. Duke rebounded, but without any timeouts, wasn’t able to get a shot off with three seconds left, and Syracuse held on for a dramatic win on the road. The Orange survived by shooting 11-23 from downtown, making up for 35.2 percent overall shooting from the field.

» Related: Syracuse routs Wake Forest for road win

ANALYSIS: There’s a tangible difference with Syracuse now that Jim Boeheim has returned to the bench. For the second straight game, the Orange put forth an outstanding defensive effort. Duke shot just 37.1 percent from the field and 10-37 from downtown, while surrendering a -7 rebounding margin. Just a week ago, the Orange seemed destined for the NIT, having lost its first four ACC games. But now with its third straight win, and first over a ranked opponent since the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Orange is right back in the thick of the chase for the tourney.

HERO: Tyler Roberson played one of the best games of his career, scoring 14 points and adding 20 rebounds, 12 on the offensive end to tie a school record. He was joined by three other players (Trevor Cooney, Richardson and Michael Gbinije) at the 14 point mark. For Duke, Marshall Plumlee led the way with 19 points and 17 rebounds, 11 on the offensive end. Grayson Allen chipped in 18.

ZERO: Luke Kennard and Matt Jones combined for 2-20 shooting from the field. SU, meanwhile, was just 3-8 from the free throw line.

WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse finishes its 3-game road swing when it travels to Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 23 at noon. TV: ESPN/ESPN2.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.