SYRACUSE, N.Y.—On the road for the last time until its regular-season finale at North Carolina, Duke played Syracuse close early in the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Blue Devils found their shot late in the half, though, separating for a 40-27 lead heading into the final frame.
Mark attack
Though typically astute on defense, using his wingspan to shut down opposing players in the paint, Mark Mitchell has seen his offensive output wax and wane throughout the season. He opened Duke’s scoring account Saturday with a tough putback attempt and followed it up with a crafty assist to Kyle Filipowski, helping the Blue Devils stay ahead early on. By half’s end, the freshman forward had logged a total of four points to go along with a team-high four assists.
Behold the dome
It’s no secret that Duke has struggled on the road this season, winning just two games and dropping six, all while being one of the few teams that has yet to lose at home. The JMA Wireless Dome has always made for some of the toughest away games in college basketball, and though only half of the gargantuan arena was open for business, the Syracuse faithful packed it tight and brought the noise.
This is the largest crowd Duke has played in front of this season and it showed, with even the sounds from the band outdone by the relentless chants from the home fans. The Blue Devils have made a name for themselves by bringing the thunder under their own banners, but they will have more work to do it in Upstate New York, too. The first half was encouraging for Duke, which hopes to nab its first road triumph since a 86-43 hammering of Georgia Tech in January.
Disjointed early, heating up late
Despite the game’s tight score early on, the Blue Devils were not playing their most synchronized basketball. Duke struggled initially to break through Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s tried-and-tested 2-3 zone defense. The Blue Devils found their stroke late, though, hitting 8-of-14 shots from behind the arc to fuel a late surge.
Leading up to the Blue Devils’ late 21-2 run, Syracuse had been capitalizing in transition to energize the rowdy crowd. Tyrese Proctor and Jacob Grandison both found themselves on the wrong end of fast break opportunities from these turnovers, surrendering the ball four times between the two of them. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, Syracuse was not particularly ruthless with its offense as the half wore on, allowing Duke to extend its advantage despite a shaky start.
Post pressure
Dereck Lively II has proven himself more of a defensive asset than an offensive one this season, but his fellow freshman down low, Filipowski, has thrived in the scoring department. After dropping 22 points in Duke’s home win against Notre Dame, the Westtown native struggled to exert the same impact as a scorer, but proved invaluable on the boards.
Filipowski was key in keeping his team in the fight with a slew of crucial rebounds throughout the opening 20 minutes, finishing the period with a game-high seven boards. Lively, while not quite as pronounced on the stat sheet, held his own on the glass as well, finishing with five rebounds to complement his usual defensive presence under the basket.
Player of the half: Dariq Whitehead
After making his return from a leg injury one week ago against Virginia, freshman forward Dariq Whitehead turned on the jets against Syracuse, logging a game-high 11 points in the first half, nine of which were from downtown. The Newark, N.J., native proved himself on the offensive side of the ball despite being challenged relentlessly by the Orange on the wing.
When Duke needed points, its star freshman was there to provide them, especially as Syracuse threatened to pull away when the Blue Devils looked shaky early on. If Duke wants to keep its advantage and leave the JMA Wireless Dome with a vital road win against a solid and well-organized Orange unit, it will need continued output from Whitehead.
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Andrew Long is a Trinity senior and recruitment/social chair of The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 119.