Duke basketball hammers Syracuse. Observations from the latest Blue Devils win
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- Duke rolled to a 101-64 win, taking control late in the first half.
- Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
- Duke held Syracuse to 32% shooting and extended the lead early in the second half.
In a lot of games for Duke, it’s just a matter of time.
The Blue Devils start a little slowly, their opponent staying close, almost to the point of building some confidence. Then, Duke ignites. And if the game is at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the building rumbles.
So it was Monday as the No. 3 Blue Devils rolled past Syracuse 101-64 at Cameron, taking control late in the first half, spurting further ahead early in the second and putting away the Orange with a blend of an efficient offense and some stifling defensive play.
Put down another double-double for Duke’s Cameron Boozer: 22 points and 12 rebounds this time. Isaiah Evans, who has been on something of a heater, had 21 points, Nikolas Khamenia came off the bench to score 14 and Cayden Boozer and Patrick Ngongba III each finished with 12.
“We never let up,” Ngongba said after the game. “We kept our foot on the pedal the whole game. That was the difference. And defense. That always comes first for us.”
After a bruising 40-minute battle with Clemson on Saturday, the Devils (24-2, 13-1 ACC) were ready for another physical test. Syracuse was game for it, 6-9 center William Kyle III batting away a couple of shots early and the Orange holding the lead for the first five or six minutes.
But the Devils spurted to a 23-12 lead and had a 40-24 halftime cushion, limiting the Orange to 32% shooting. The Devils scored the last 11 points of the half, capping the run with a Cayden Boozer steal and Evans layup.
Caleb Foster and Evans each had 3’s to start the second half and Ngongba an inside basket over Kyle and it was 48-26, Duke, and Syracuse again needing a timeout. Not that the Orange could slow down the Devils, who shot 72% from the field in the second half in scoring 61 points.
“I loved the sharing that we had. Twenty-one assists and four turnovers, I think, really tells the story,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I thought our transition game really showed tonight. We’ve been searching for it a little bit. And I thought it was guys making simple plays. I just thought the connectivity was at a high level tonight.”
During the second half, Ngongba tried a shot low in the paint, only to have it blocked by Sadiq White. But the Devils’ Maliq Brown snagged the ball and quickly got it back to Ngongba for a two-hand slam -- two of Duke’s 52 points in the paint in the game.
When Evans followed with a 3-point, then some wiggle-wagging for the “Crazies,” the Duke lead was 81-52 and the final seven minutes all but inconsequential. One of the night’s biggest roars came when reserve Cameron Sheffield swished a late 3, causing some celebratory craziness on the Duke bench.
The Blue Devils stretched their winning steak over Syracuse to 11 straight and have won 13 of the last 14 in the series. Duke also has a 30-game win streak in Cameron, winning the last 17 against ACC teams.
“You heard the fans in the last 20 seconds chanting ‘Our house!’ and that means something,” Cameron Boozer said.
If the Blue Devils were looking for a sharp performance before facing No. 1 Michigan on Saturday, they got it.
Some observations from the game:
Boozer to Boozer a strong combination
It’s safe to say there some people, even close basketball watchers, who don’t realize how strong Cameron Boozer is until seeing him up close in a game. Then, they know.
“When it’s time to take care of business, he knows exactly where he needs to go to,” Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. “He can drive it, he can get to his spot, he’s strong. I don’t think there’s too many people in college who can hold him off when he wants to get to where he wants to get to.”
On one first-half play Monday, Boozer made a move to the basket, only to be double-teamed and have Orange guard Nathan George latch on to his arm with Kyle guarding the lane.
No foul was called but no problem. Boozer muscled the ball to the corner to his brother, Cayden, who promptly knocked down a 3-pointer. It also left George with a “what-do-I-do?” look.
Boozer to Boozer. One can only wonder how many times that has been a scoring combination since the two started playing ball growing up in Miami.
Sarr a good listener, learner
In Saturday’s game, Duke’s Dame Sarr made a quick move to the basket and missed a simple layup. Later, after the game, Scheyer mentioned that next time, Sarr would have to dunk it.
Credit Sarr with being a good listener. Against Syracuse, the freshman had a similar opening and smashed it down for a 32-24 lead in the first half.
Sarr never has to be reminded to play defense. Sarr’s on-the-ball aggressiveness Saturday against Clemson played a big part in disrupting the Tigers’ offensive actions. He engaged in more face-to-face stuff with Syracuse’s George, and there was a lot of chirping between the two.
“His defense was beautiful to watch,” Cameron Boozer said.
Where’s Donnie Freeman?
Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman came off as being slightly disinterested and hardly engaged as the Orange fell behind 40-24 at the half.
The talented 6-9 sophomore set screens and seemed content to jack up 3’s from the top of the key. He missed all four 3-point shots and had two points in the opening half. He also had two of the Orange’s five turnovers.
Freeman finished with nine points and three turnovers while committing four fouls.
Freeman has been the Orange’s top scorer, averaging 17.7 points before Monday, and the leading rebounder. He had 18 points in the 79-78 win over SMU.
Freeman did leave the safety of the high post offensively for some inside action in the second half but had negligible impact in the game and scored nine points.
Duke’s NBA guys back to offer support
With the NBA in its All-Star break, Cooper Flagg was able to get to the Clemson and Syracuse games along with Khaman Maluach. Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets made an appearance Monday as last season’s stars were on hand to watch and support the new breed.
“They could be anywhere in the world but they choose to come here and support us,” Cameron Boozer said. “We’re trying to get to where they were last year.”
Meaning ACC champions and an appearance in the Final Four.
Seated at courtside, as usual, was former coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has his name on the court. Beside him was Steve Wojciechowski, who also helped coach Scheyer as a Duke assistant before becoming a head coach at Marquette and now as an assistant with the Utah Jazz.
“It was awesome having ‘Wojo’ back, so many amazing memories with him,” Scheyer said. “It’s just meaningful for guys to come back. Wojo is on his All-Star break, too, coaching in the NBA. He could have gone anywhere but he decides to bring his sons to the Duke game. How cool is that?”
This story was originally published February 16, 2026 at 9:03 PM.
