The Duke Blue Devils had no issues with Syracuse in their first meeting with the Blue Devils winning by 20 points in their own gym. Duke would follow that victory with a 25 point win in the Carrier Dome. The game, for the Blue Devils, included one of the hottest starts they’ve had all season scoring the first 14 points of the game on their way to a 20-4 lead. The first half saw Duke’s lead grow to as large as 30 points at the 5:05 mark.
The Blue Devils were paced by freshman Paolo Banchero in that first half.