DURHAM, N.C. — Syracuse basketball (11-5, 2-1 ACC) faces its toughest test of the season when the Orange visit the No. 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils (14-1, 3-0 ACC) on Monday night.
The game is set to tip off just after 7 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina and will be broadcast on ESPN as part of its Big Monday package. Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Allison Williams are the announcing crew.
Syracuse faces the daunting task of trying to regroup against America’s top team following a disappointing 73-59 home loss to Georgia Tech Saturday evening. The Orange shot just 32 percent from the field and 21 percent on three-point shots in falling to the Yellow Jackets in ugly fashion.
What’s at stake for Syracuse?
Syracuse hurt its NCAA Tournament hopes by losing a home game to a Georgia Tech team that had been ranked No. 102 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, which are used to select and seed tournament teams. It will now be more difficult for the Orange to win the 10 or 11 ACC games they likely need to be in position for an NCAA at-large bid. Syracuse, which fell to No. 59 in NET from No. 46 before Saturday’s loss, will likely need to steal a road win against a quality team along the way. Duke would obviously fit the bill, but it will be exceedingly difficult. The Blue Devils are favored over the Orange by 17 points.
Monday’s game is the 13th all-time meeting between Duke and Syracuse, with the Blue Devils leading the series 7-5. Duke swept last season’s two meetings — winning 60-44 at home in the regular season and 69-65 in the NCAA Sweet 16 round in Omaha, Nebraska. The teams are scheduled to meet again Feb. 23 at the Carrier Dome.
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Photos by Adam Rombel/BJNN