Brooklyn, N.Y. — Behind Wendell Moore Jr.’s 26 points and eight assists, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils survived a thriller in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament versus the No. 9 ranked Syracuse Orange coming away with an 88-79 victory.
Syracuse was without their star guard Buddy Boeheim who was facing a one-game suspension for punching Florida State’s Willy Wilkes. Despite missing their team captain, the Orange put up a fight from the start to the finish of this matchup.
Duke’s early success was largely in part due to the excellent early play by Wendell Moore Jr. The freshman phenom had nine of the Blue Devils’ first 19 points. Moore Jr. started on fire from deep shooting 3 for 3 from long range early, giving Duke a 19-11 lead five minutes into the game.
Duke’s lead continued to expand after Paolo Banchero sliced through Syracuse’s zone to find a wide-open Jeremy Roach for a corner three to give the Blue Devil’s a 24-13 lead.
However, for the rest of the half Syracuse would be in control. It all started with Joseph Girard using a quick jab step to separate himself from Moore Jr. for an easy mid-range jump shot.
This kicked off a six minute 20-6 run for the Orange that finished with them taking a 33-30 lead over Duke. They would maintain their lead going into halftime with a 40-36 advantage over the Blue Devils.
In the second half after Syracuse’s Cole Swider subbed out with his fourth foul with 15 minutes remaining in the game, Duke took full advantage of this opportunity.
Syracuse held a 55-51 lead before the substitution and would watch it disappear during this span. Swider was only out for two minutes but that was enough time for the Blue Devils to go on an 8-0 run.
While at some points it was back and forth, Duke controlled the lead for a majority of the remainder of the game and came away with a hard-earned win.
Flagrant Foul 1
Wendell Moore Jr. was driving towards the basket on a fast break as he released the ball to throw an alley-oop. John Bol Ajak was in a full sprint and slipped, forcing his entire body into Moore Jr’s side.
The momentum of the collision caused Moore Jr. to hit the floor immediately. After further review, this was called as a flagrant foul 1 giving Duke the ball and two free throws with just fifteen minutes remaining in the second half. Ajak was subbed out for the remainder of the game by Coach Boeheim.
Missing a Star Player
It was clear throughout the game that Syracuse was missing Buddy Boeheim on the court. In their previous game versus the Florida State Seminoles, with 10:17 remaining in the first half, Syracuse was holding a 15-point lead of what would eventually be a 96-57 victory when Boeheim got too aggressive under the net.
Boeheim and Florida State’s Wyatt Wilkes were both boxing each other out aggressively for a free throw. Boeheim punched Wilkes in the stomach quickly and moved forward down the court after the free throw was made and the ball was inbounded.
Boeheim did not receive any penalties for this action during the game and finished with 14 points in the win. However, the news would come after the game that the ACC would be suspending Boeheim for the following game against Duke.
The suspension was a massive blow for the Orange as Boeheim has been nothing short of dominant for Syracuse this season. Boeheim averaged 19.3 points per game while shooting an efficient 36% from deep.
He was named to the All ACC First Team for his achievements, and last time the Orange faced off against Duke, Boeheim was a key factor dropping 23 points.
In this game, Boeheim’s absence was certainly felt as Syracuse’s depth was significantly hurt. Jim Boeheim Jr. and Joseph Girard both never subbed out playing the entire 40 of the game. Swider played 38 minutes as well in the Thursday morning matchup.
While all three had excellent games, Boeheim (28), Girard (23), and Swider (15), towards the end of the game it was easy to tell that the players were fatigued, and ultimately that is what gave Duke the advantage in the victory.
Having Boeheim in for this game would have added some much needed extra scoring and depth.
Looking Ahead
This is their final game of the season for the Syracuse Orange unless they receive an NIT bid.
The Duke Blue Devils will be back in action to face off against the winner of No. 4 Miami Hurricanes versus No. 13 Boston College.
The winner will play Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. EST.
