College Basketball
College Hoops Preview: #1 Duke at Syracuse
- Matchup: #1 Duke Blue Devils (23-3, 11-2 ACC) vs Syracuse Orange (18-8, 9-4 ACC)
- Date: Feb. 23rd, 2019
- Time: 6:00 p.m. (est)
- Network: ESPN
- Location: Syracuse, New York
- Venue: Carrier Dome
- Seating Capacity: 49,250
Zion Williamson Injury Update
Zion Williamson will not play in Duke’s matchup with Syracuse. The star forward has a grade one right knee sprain and is considered day-to-day, per the team.
Major Struggles Without Williamson
Duke will be on the road in the hostile Carrier Dome without likely National Player of the Year Zion Williamson. How can they adjust to life without him? After Williamson went down against North Carolina, Duke was lost on both ends of the floor. Without him, UNC scored 62 points in the paint. The Blue Devils turned into a three-point shooting team in his absence — shooting 39 threes and making 8 total, good for 20.5%. With no Williamson, Duke has zero paint presence, and they turn to the three-point line, their biggest weakness as a team. Can Duke find a way to win on the road without Williamson?
Opponent Starters + Individual Stats
Point Guard – #23 Frank Howard (8.0 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG)
Guard – #25 Tyus Battle (17.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.2 SPG)
Forward – #33 Elijah Hughes (13.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG)
Forward – #11 Oshae Brissett (13.2 PPG and 7.9 RPG)
Center – #13 Paschal Chukwu (3.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.7 BPG)
For Syracuse, Tyus Battle is their unquestioned leader on the court. Earlier this season, Battle torched Duke, scoring 32 points. It will be key for Duke to get in front of Battle and keep him from getting to the rim, where he finds the majority of his success.
Who Will Be Duke’s Fifth Starter?
We know Tre Jones, Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett, and Marques Bolden will get the start, but who will Coach K deploy in replacement of Zion Williamson?
Duke is playing against the patented Syracuse zone, so I believe they will go with a guard. Alex O’Connell should get the start against Syracuse, in my opinion. He went 0/3 from beyond the arc against North Carolina, but Duke doesn’t have another threatening shooter off the bench. When Duke lost in overtime to Syracuse at home, O’Connell scored a career-high 16 points while shooting 4/8 from three. The Blue Devils have to find a way to score over the top to keep the Syracuse defense honest and then capitalize on the inside. Without Williamson and a struggling three-point shooting team, Syracuse has no reason to not pack in the middle and make it near impossible for Duke to maneuver inside the paint.
Prediction
For Duke to win on the road against Syracuse and a record-breaking crowd, they have to hit threes. The Orange will be sitting back in their zone, and the Blue Devils will get a ton of open looks from beyond the arc. I expect Cam Reddish and Alex O’Connell to each hit multiple threes, keeping the Syracuse zone honest. This will open up the lane for a slashing RJ Barrett, who will go for 30 or more today. Here is my hottest take for today; Jack White will hit a three-point shot, breaking a three-point shooting slump where he has missed 25 of his last 26. It won’t be pretty, but Duke will be prepared to play without Zion Williamson in the Carrier Dome.
Duke: 83
Syracuse: 78
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