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Few games elicit more hype around central New York than when Duke comes to town. It’s a tradition stemming from Syracuse’s move to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013. Due to each program’s status in the upper echelon of college basketball, it instantly becomes the most anticipated matchup on the schedule each year.

It used to be the signal of what’d be a high-level matchup. Now, it’s just an ordinary basketball game. The hype remains among the student body, with the lower level filling 45 minutes prior to tip-off — something that hasn’t been the case this season.

Though, when it comes to the product on the floor, expectations couldn’t be lower. Duke has remained an elite program, putting together one of the most talented rosters in the country in 2025. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s standing in the college basketball world has plummeted.

Look no further than Wednesday’s contest where No. 2 Duke (20-2, 12-0 Atlantic Coast) completely outclassed Syracuse (10-13, 4-8 Atlantic Coast) 83-54. SU offered little resistance to the Blue Devils, turning the ball over 14 times and shooting just 38% from the field, in what finished as the Orange’s largest margin of defeat this season.

“The biggest thing is, we have to do a better job of playing longer consistently,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame.

Blowouts have become a common theme for Syracuse against Duke in recent memory. Wednesday’s defeat was the fifth time in six games SU fell by at least 20 points against the Blue Devils, including the past three. It’s part of a 10-game losing streak in what was once a marquee matchup that drew national headlines.

Just look at the first-ever meeting when Syracuse joined the ACC as then-No. 2 SU outlasted then-No. 17 Duke in overtime, despite a buzzer-beater from Rasheed Sulaimon at the end of regulation.

The second act that season had even more drama. It’s a game Duke head coach Jon Scheyer remembers fondly. He called it the “Rodney Hood Game,” where Hood drew a controversial last-second charge on SU forward C.J. Fair. The call caused Jim Boeheim to rush onto the court and rip off his jacket before getting ejected.

The early meetings were must-see TV. The most recent rendition was certainly not.

Duke’s collection of talent was too much. Led by projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Cooper Flagg and lottery picks Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, the Blue Devils were in second gear for most of the night and still managed to cruise to a win.

Duke’s star freshman Cooper Flagg scored 13 points — his fewest points in ACC play — but the Blue Devils still dominated the Orange Wednesday. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

The closest Syracuse got was when J.J. Starling opened the game with a flurry. He scored Syracuse’s first seven points, including a 3-pointer, which cut Duke’s lead to one six minutes in. Eventually, Duke got into a rhythm, with Sion James knocking down a triple to make it 20-9. Syracuse answered with five straight points, but that’d be the closest the Orange would get for the rest of the game.

Defensively, Duke presented problems with its length. Nobody in the Blue Devils starting five was under 6-feet-6, and the Orange struggled. Starling had just five points after his opening flurry, and SU went 6-of-23 from beyond the arc.

“They’re a good defensive team, they make you work hard,” Autry said. “They can switch. They make everything tough.”

Syracuse was within a respectable margin for much of the first half, but Duke finished with five straight points following a Tyrese Proctor 3. The point guard scored nine of his game-high 16 in the first half as Duke went into the break up 37-23.

In the second half, Duke put its foot on the gas pedal. Syracuse’s defense provided little resistance, and the Blue Devils went 18-of-26 (69.2%) in the final 20 minutes. It allowed Flagg — who attempted a season-low seven shots and scored 11 points — to take a backseat. Just eight minutes into the second half, Syracuse trailed by 24, and the game was decided.

Despite the nature of the result and Duke’s recent dominance over Syracuse, Scheyer holds the program in high regard. He said his respect level for SU is “as high as it’s ever been,” despite what its record might say.

“Syracuse has one of the best brands in college basketball, and Red’s a great coach… so for us we have a ton of respect for them, and what they can do as we go forward,” Scheyer said.

The third-year head coach’s response was flowery. Though Syracuse’s results in the past four seasons, especially against Duke, show the two programs are in completely different spots. Syracuse hasn’t been ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll since 2018 and has missed the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons. Duke, on the other hand, has won at least 25 games in 10 out of the last 11 campaigns.

Duke, ranked second nationally in defensive efficiency in Division I, per KenPom, held Syracuse to a season-low 54 points on 38.3% shooting. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

When asked about how Syracuse could get back to competing on the same level as Duke, Autry pointed to how college basketball has changed a lot since the programs’ first ACC meeting in 2013.

“It’s not what it used to be. That’s the reality,” Autry said. “For us, we’re not any different. Not everybody, but most programs, you gotta kind of reshape this and get things going. And we will.”

It’s true college basketball has changed. So has Syracuse’s ability to win big games during the past four seasons. Especially against teams like Duke.

When talking about what needs to change, Starling gave a blunt response.

“Win games, it’s that simple, just win games,” he said.

It sounds straightforward, but the bottom line is Syracuse hasn’t won a lot of games as of late. The Orange used to be concerned with beating high-level teams like Duke to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume. Now SU is more concerned if it’ll beat Boston College on Saturday to make sure it doesn’t increase its chances of missing the ACC Tournament.

Though Autry doesn’t seem too concerned.

“I know we’re heading in the right direction, and we’ll be fine,” Autry said.

Based on that response, it’s hard to tell if Autry believes what he’s saying. Looking at the results, it’s hard to agree with Autry’s claim. All you had to do was watch Wednesday’s blowout.

Published on February 5, 2025 at 9:13 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22