Durham, N.C. – Just a few hours before facing Duke, the nation’s No. 1 team, the Syracuse players filed into their pre-game meeting at the team’s hotel.
There on the board at the front of the room, Jim Boeheim had written a message for his players:
“17-point underdogs.’’
“That’s how much people respect you guys right now,’’ Boeheim said, according to SU junior Tyus Battle
The Syracuse players, who had been dealing with their 14-point home loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday, took the challenge to heart.
“It pisses you off,’’ Syracuse forward Elijah Hughes said. “It gets you mad. It gets you ready.’’
A few hours later, the Syracuse players were celebrating a 95-91 overtime victory over the No. 1 ranked Blue Devils. The memory of the loss to Georgia Tech had been eradicated just 48 hours later.
“I felt like that really lit a fire under everybody,’’ SU sophomore Oshae Brissett said of Boeheim’s bulletin board message. “It definitely lit a fire under me. I was ready to get going from the jump. I don’t like seeing stuff like that.’’
The win was Syracuse’s first over a No. 1-ranked team since a 70-68 win at Louisville on Jan. 19, 2013.
It marked the first time that a No. 1-ranked Duke squad had lost at home to an unranked team.
North Carolina is the only other team to beat Duke at Cameron Indoor when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the country.
Five Syracuse players scored in double figures, with Tyus Battle leading the way with 32 points. Paschal Chukwu recorded a remarkable double-double with 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.
After making just seven out of 33 shots from 3-point range in Saturday’s loss to Georgia Tech, Syracuse went 11-for-25 on 3-pointers against the Blue Devils, who are ranked fourth in the nation in defensive efficiency.
“We’re competitors,’’ Battle said when asked about Boeheim’s pre-game note. “We took that really personal.’’
Boeheim’s message didn’t seem to have any impact in the game’s opening minutes as Duke roared out to an 11-0 lead. Syracuse looked flustered and the Cameron Crazies were in full voice.
Boeheim called the game’s first few minutes “nightmarish.’’
“We’re coming off a game where we couldn’t shoot anything,’’ Boeheim said. “Obviously, you get discouraged when you lose a game like that at home. You come back Monday and have to play here and you get that kind of start. I’m very proud with how they were able to bounce back.’’
Boeheim took a timeout to calm his team.
“I just set up a play and said ‘Let’s go get a basket,'’’ Boeheim said. “They did a great job of pulling it back together.’’
In the aftermath of the Georgia Tech loss, Boeheim wasn’t the only one looking to send a message to the Syracuse players. Frank Howard, Syracuse’s only scholarship senior, was on his phone, sending a text to the entire team.
“Stay focused,’’ read Howard’s message. “Don’t forget who we are.’’
Who we are was a theme in the visitors locker room after Syracuse’s win over the Blue Devils.
“I think people forget who we really are,’’ Brissett said. “Tonight, we were able to show that we’re still a top team in the country.’’
Syracuse did get some breaks. Duke freshman Cameron Reddish, who was reportedly sick, did not play. Duke point guard Tre Jones, who had four steals in the game’s first six minutes, injured his shoulder in a scramble for a loose ball and never returned to the game.
Syracuse freshman Buddy Boeheim banked in one 3-pointer and Hughes hit nothing but net on a three-quarters court heave at the end of the first half.
“Duke’s a great team,’’ said Boeheim. Of Zion Williamson, Duke’s 6-foot-7, 280-pound freshman who had 35 points and 10 rebounds, the SU coach remarked, “He’s a monster.’’
But while the Orange could never stop Williamson inside, they did force the Blue Devils to spend most of the game on the perimeter. Duke wound up 9-for-43 on 3-pointers.
“We were going to gamble on their shooters from the perimeter,’’ Boeheim said. “They’re very capable of making a lot of those shots, but in games you watch them play, they have some games where they don’t make them.’’
So much had changed in just 48 hours.
The Syracuse Orange had used a bulletin board message and a determined mindset to rebound from a disappointing home loss to record a win over the top-ranked team in the country. And not just any team. The Duke Blue Devils. On the road. At Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“It proves that if we play the right way,’’ said Battle, “that we’re a really good team. “
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