Fast reaction: 3 quick observations from Syracuse’s 8-point loss to Duke at the Carrier Dome
Spencer Bodian | Staff Photographer
SU sophomore guard Ron Patterson gets set in the triple-threat position against Duke guard Grayson Allen on Saturday night. The Orange led at half, but ultimately fell to the Blue Devils, 80-72, at the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse (16-9, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) unfolded after a sharp first half, and No. 4 Duke (22-3, 9-3) took the air out of the Carrier Dome in the second half with a bevy of adjustments to hold off the Orange, 80-72, on Saturday evening.
Here are three takeaways from SU’s valiant, but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to knock off the Blue Devils.
1. Battle of the bigs
The matchup everyone had eyes on featured Jahlil Okafor and Rakeem Christmas. And the potential national player of the year won this one by a landslide.
The 6-foot-11, 270-pound freshman shot 10-for-15 from the floor for 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Though he had just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting by halftime, the big man asserted himself on the inside.
Christmas’ attempts from the paint rimmed out more often than usual, accumulating to a 5-for-17 showing for the SU big man. He finished with 11 points and six rebounds, falling well behind Okafor’s double-double. Foul trouble serves as little excuse for Christmas in this showdown — Okafor fought with it too, yet still produced offensively.
2. Familiar foe
Although Michael Gbinije greeted Duke’s coaches during pregame warm-ups, he wasn’t very kind to his former team in the first half.
Gbinije exploded in the first half, tallying 19 points and five made 3-pointers to carry Syracuse’s offense. He entered Saturday’s game averaging close to 20 points per game in his previous four contests.
But the second half didn’t feature any of the same. Through the first 18 minutes of the half, Gbinije had only added five points to his scoring total as the Orange fell behind Duke and couldn’t pull back ahead.
3. Roberson finds his spots
While Gbinije carried the first-half SU offense, sophomore Tyler Roberson was the sidekick.
With Christmas drawing so much attention from the Blue Devils’ frontcourt, Roberson found openings to contribute and did so. He finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to help the SU frontcourt trudge along.
Though Roberson still showed hesitancy to take midrange jumpers, as he has all season, he had his moments of aggression where no undersized Blue Devil was going to stop him.
Published on February 14, 2015 at 8:31 pm
