Duke squeezes Syracuse to a pulp in 101–64 loss

DURHAM, N.C. — Syracuse felt the pressure early. By the final horn inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, there wasn’t much left.

No. 3 Duke cruised past the Orange 101–64 on Monday night, handing Syracuse its largest loss since joining the ACC in 2013.

The Blue Devils shot over 60% from the field and finished with 21 assists to just four turnovers. They built separation late in the first half and pushed the margin to as many as 40 in the second. Syracuse struggled to slow the tempo once Duke got downhill — especially during a stretch when the Blue Devils connected on 15 straight shots.

“Really proud of our team,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said. “Love the sharing that we had — 21 assists, four turnovers. I think that tells the story.”

That run late in the first half changed everything. Syracuse had chances to steady itself but couldn’t capitalize. A few live-ball turnovers and rushed possessions quickly turned into Duke transition points.

“We didn’t finish the end of the half well,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “That just kind of started the run and the momentum. In the second half, we just couldn’t find our rhythm.”

Duke (24–3, 13–1 ACC) established control inside before stretching the floor from the perimeter. Projected NBA lottery pick freshman guard Cameron Boozer led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds, scoring through contact and finding teammates when help arrived. Sophomore guard Isaiah Evans added more than 20 points, knocking down multiple threes as Duke’s spacing pulled Syracuse’s defense apart.

Duke’s ball movement and discipline were simply too much for the Orange to match. Even with a comfortable lead, the Blue Devils continued to make the extra pass and avoid forcing shots.

“I thought our transition game really showed tonight,” Scheyer said. “The connectivity was at a high level.”

For Syracuse (17–11, 8–9 ACC), the physicality gap showed up most in the paint. Duke controlled second-chance opportunities and turned defensive stops into quick offense.

“They got the ball inside before they started making threes,” Autry said. “They scored in the paint, second-chance points. Even when we did get an initial stop, they got the rebound and finished.”

Syracuse’s offense never found sustained rhythm. Senior guard Nate Kingz led the Orange in scoring but struggled to consistently create space against Duke’s length. Junior guard Naithan George and the backcourt were pressured into difficult possessions, and key turnovers fueled Duke’s runs.

There were moments where senior forward William Kyle III reminded everyone of his athletic ceiling — contact dunks, swatting balls out of the air and plays that briefly brought energy to the Syracuse bench.

But over 40 minutes, highlight plays weren’t enough. Duke’s size, strength and depth wore on the Orange.

“I think the physicality is the biggest difference,” Autry said. “Big guys that are really big and physical… those guys can impact the game.”

The night also featured a cool subplot. Boozer and Syracuse freshman guard Kiyan Anthony — sons of former NBA standouts Carlos Boozer and NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony — shared the floor inside Cameron. The legacy matchup added intrigue before tip, even if Duke’s execution quickly became the bigger story.

Scheyer pointed again to that late first-half stretch as the turning point.

“I love a good inflection point,” he said. “I’m pretty sure it came from our defense and then getting out in transition.”

From there, the game felt settled. Duke maintained pressure on both ends, capitalized on mistakes and never allowed Syracuse to string together a meaningful run.

The result stood in stark contrast to Syracuse’s 2019 overtime upset of then-No. 1 Duke in this same building — a reminder that while history can be made here, it can also be humbling.

On Monday, the gap was clear.

“This game is over with,” Autry said. “We played against a top-three team in the country tonight on their home court. We didn’t play the way we needed to play. But we’ve got four great opportunities.”

For Duke, the win reinforced its position among the nation’s elite heading into the final stretch of ACC play.

For Syracuse, it was a lesson in how quickly small breakdowns can snowball against one of the conference’s best.

Inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils showed why they remain among the best in the country. And on this night, the Orange were squeezed — with nothing left but pulp.

The Orange will look to bounce back against No. 16 North Carolina in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday at 1 p.m.