Duke vs Syracuse 2/22/17: Postgame

Carrier Dome, NY- John Gillon's late game heroics lift Syracuse over Duke 78-75, as the Orange break the Blue Devils 7 game winning streak and stop a 3 game skid of their own. 

The last 9 minutes of this contest was not the type of game Duke wanted to be in on the road. Bucket after bucket, both teams were trading. It was the back and fourth game Duke was scared of. All the Blue Devils needed was one stop and they probably would have sealed the game.

With 1:06 to go, Gillon was clearly waiting until he got Grayson Allen on him to make any sort of move. He knew Allen was a vulnerable target with 4 fouls already. Gillon blew by Allen, who was to afraid to initiate any sort of contact, got in the paint, and missed the lay-up. Allen came down with the ball and started slowly up the court. Some time leaked off the shot clock for Duke before Allen stepped into the deep 3. He squared up, pulled the trigger, and missed.

Syracuse grabbed the board and with 37.4 seconds remaining, who else but John Gillon knifed down the lane, bumped Grayson Allen, and tied the game at 75 a piece.

After that, all you can remember is Gillon fully extended at the top of the key, holding on to the ball for what seemed like a little too long, and burying a 3 pointer in the face of an outstretched Amile Jefferson. The red lights went off and a wave of crazy college students engulfed the Syracuse players as the OrangeMen had just beaten the #10 ranked Blue Devils.

Jayson Tatum put on a highlight reel in the first half posting a double-double through the first 20 minutes of the Wednesday night affair. Tatum had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists at the half, almost outperforming the rest of his team who had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Both Syracuse and Duke had below average first halves as they both shot lower than 38% from the field and only 33% from behind the arc.

If you watched the first half of the game, you would have thought that Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen were saving their good play for the second half because they only combined for an appalling 4-14 from the field and just 14 points.

At least Kennard saved his good play for the second half.

Kennard truly looked like a deserving Wooden award player in the second half, as he finished with a team high 23 points. He also poured in a crucial 5 assists and 7 boards. He was tough and scrapy inside the paint and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation. He kept several key possessions alive for the Blue Devils but ultimately his efforts were combatted by the gritty 'Cuse team.

At half time, no Duke player had more than one foul. However, the last 4 minutes of the game, Kennard and Allen were both playing too conservatively because of serious foul trouble, a problem that might have been the key for Syracuse to stage their upset.

Tyus Battle and John Gillon proved to be too much for Duke's defense. Although Duke was exploiting the holes in the back of zone against Syracuse late in the game, Battle and Gillon were answering by crashing through the lane and taking advantage of some defensive mismatches on the perimeter and kept hanging in the game. Soon enough their play had the arena in a complete frenzy and before you knew it all the momentum had shifted just like that.

What this means for Syracuse: The OrangeMen very badly needed this win. Now that they have this under their belts it seems as if they will definitely make the tournament. They can't relish this moment of success for too long because they have a Louisville team who will either be fresh off a win against UNC or fresh off a loss against UNC, either way it will be tough. Syracuse needs to use this game as something to build off of to see if they can gain some traction headed towards March.

What this means for Duke: This loss just proves that, no, Duke is not unbeatable. Syracuse's 2-3 zone was not the problem for the Blue Devils tonight though. They let a streaky Syracuse team hang around too long instead of just putting the nail in the coffin. They were plagued by foul trouble in the second half but they can learn some valuable lessons from this game. Duke just needs to finish out the season strong and they will be 3 or 4 seed.

Between Coach K and Coach Boeheim there is a combined 1,966 wins, 6 national championships, and 9 gold medals, but Boeheim got the last laugh tonight.