Beat writers split on whether Syracuse will upset No. 16 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium

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Syracuse begins 2024 on the road at Cameron Indoor Stadium, facing No. 14 Duke. The Blue Devils boast an eight game-winning streak over the Orange, dating back to 2018-19.

Saturday, SU extended its winning streak to five, beating Pittsburgh in its Atlantic Coast Conference home opener. The bench — Benny Williams, Quadir Copeland and Maliq Brown — continued its strong performance, combining for a season-high 52 points led by Copeland’s career-best 22.

The Orange, in search of a massive upset, now meet a Duke squad that’s searching for its first conference win of the season.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when Syracuse (10-3, 1-1 ACC) visits No. 14 Duke (9-3, 0-1 ACC):

Cole Bambini (12-1)
(Blue) Devil’s advocate
Duke 79, Syracuse 70

Syracuse enters this matchup as a much different team than it looked about a month ago, when it lost by 22 to Virginia in the conference opener. It has rattled off five straight wins, fueled by the strong bench play of Brown, Copeland and company.

Duke boasts a top 10 adjusted offensive efficiency and top 30 adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. And on the Blue Devils’ home floor, I find it difficult for SU to escape Cameron Indoor with a win. The Blue Devils return Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski, who led Duke in scoring against the Orange in February’s outing. Since losing back-to-back games against Arkansas and Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils have won four-straight, including a 78-70 win over then-No. 17 Baylor.

This matchup will be a good indicator of how the Orange have evolved over the last month and if they can compete with the ACC’s best down the road. A single-digit loss should be treated as a small slap on the wrist, especially in a tough environment like Cameron Indoor.

Henry O’Brien (12-1)
New year, same result
Duke 81, Syracuse 69

One could argue SU is a different team since it played Tennessee and Gonzaga in Hawaii. They are on a five-game win streak with victories over Oregon and Pitt, after all. But the fact remains that Syracuse and Duke, a team relatively in the same tier as the Volunteers and Bulldogs, are in different stratospheres. For as physical players like Copeland and Brown are, the Blue Devils’ talent will win out.

Filipowski will bully their way down low against Naheem McLeod and have another performance that will help him win ACC Player of the Year. Furthermore, the Orange will have a tough time guarding against experienced players like Roach in a hostile Cameron Indoor.

I don’t want to say that Syracuse doesn’t have a chance. It’s played too well over these past five games to say otherwise. But the Blue Devils will maintain a healthy lead before pulling away in the final minutes.

Tyler Schiff (12-1)
No longer scared
Syracuse 75, Duke 72

Across its five-game win streak, Syracuse has realized much of its preseason potential. Its bench has played an invaluable role in its last three victories, combining for an unfathomable 136 points. Adrian Autry’s run-and-gun style of basketball most recently resulted in 12 steals and 20 fast break points during a resume-boosting 81-73 victory over Pittsburgh. And SU’s star backcourt of Judah Mintz and J.J. Starling has looked more solid than ever.

Yes, defeating Duke is a near-impossible challenge. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 2 in the preseason. They boast the No. 2 freshman recruiting class, nationally. They’ve picked up victories over then-No. 18 Michigan State and then-No. 10 ranked Baylor. And Syracuse hasn’t had a Quad 1 win since the 2020-21 season. Yet, by no means are its bitter rivals untouchable.

SU wins this game by essentially playing flawlessly. It’s a daunting challenge but one that seems oddly attainable. There is also room for mistakes. The Blue Devils have picked up a couple of ugly losses to unranked opponents, Arkansas and Georgia Tech. Syracuse is equipped with the discipline, chemistry and confidence to overcome Duke.