A quick take on Syracuse’s 73-54 loss to Duke on Saturday evening:
WHAT HAPPENED: Duke, already up by nine at half, used a 13-2 run midway through the second half to take a commanding 51-33 lead with 12:12 left. Justice Winslow hit a pair of 3s and Quinn Cook accounted for four points during that run. SU never got the lead to below double digits the rest of the way in one of its most lopsided losses of the season.
» Related: Syracuse would be on the bubble if it was eligible
ANALYSIS: Round two of the budding Syracuse-Duke rivalry was not nearly as close as round one, an 80-72 home loss for the Orange on Feb. 14. SU never got going offensively, shooting 31 percent collectively and 3-19 from downtown. Syracuse’s “Big 3” of Trevor Cooney, Rakeem Christmas and Michael Gbinije combined to shoot 13-42 from the field, with Christmas limited to six shots by presumptive No. 1 NBA Draft pick Jahlil Okafor.
HERO: Winslow led Duke with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Okafor notched another double-double against the Orange with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Tyler Roberson was a bright spot for the Orange early, and he finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
ZERO: Trevor Cooney has now shot below 40 percent in eight of his last nine games and is 4-28 from downtown over his last four games. The starting guard was 1-9 from the field and 1-8 from downtown.
WHAT’S NEXT: Things don’t get easier for the Orange as they host No. 2 Virginia on March 2 at 7 p.m.
For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.
