Syracuse had plenty of chances against Duke
I’m a diehard Syracuse fan, and I know Syracuse had no business making the NCAA Tournament over a couple other bubble teams.
Their run to the Sweet 16 is still mindboggling for multiple reasons, so it’s tough to say they gave something away. However they had multiple opportunities to shock Duke on Friday night.
This Syracuse team was one of the most frustrating teams to watch all year. Between injuries and transfers, they were left short-handed for most of the season. They decided to play their best basketball at the perfect time.
Their defense held three teams that averaged at least 80 points a game, to somewhere in the 50’s. They certainly did enough against one of the best offenses on Friday.
But Syracuse had so many chances. In the first half, rather than just laying the ball in, Oshae Brissett opted for a wild dunk that missed, and led to a transition basket for Duke to give them an 18–17 lead, rather than Syracuse going up 20–16.
In the second half, Chukwu also missed a dunk, which led to a transition three, and then another three following that for Duke. They’re massive swings that don’t show up in the box score but are so costly against a team like Duke.
It’s easy to say it after because you never know how a game will play out. But obviously two missed dunks look massive after Syracuse loses by four.
Syracuse also committed 16 turnovers, six more than their season average. Duke’s D is good, but a lot of them were unforced errors, which kill.
The Orange defense held Duke to 5–26 from three-point range, which was the biggest factor if they wanted a chance to win.
It’s obviously tough to say they blew a game that they were eleven point underdogs in, but it’s possible. Duke is a completely better team than Syracuse, with potentially three first round picks in the NBA draft, but it sucks that they had a real chance and couldn’t take advantage.
Syracuse’s season was wild and never made sense. With three top recruits coming in next season, and Howard Washington returning from a torn ACL, Syracuse has a chance to go from seven players, to as many as 12.
That’s also depending on Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett possibly leaving for the NBA Draft, which I think would be a huge mistake. It’s obviously bias that I want them to say, but I think the NBA has shown that if you’re not a lottery pick, it’s a struggle to succeed for the most part.
They should look at recent players like Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon.
Syracuse has a lot of potential next year, but this Duke game will hurt until that season tips off.
