Orange, Blue Devils Collide Saturday

Syracuse vs. Duke
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 14 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 6 p.m. \| Carrier Dome
Game Coverage	TV: ESPN/ESPN3 \| Radio: Syracuse IMG Network Video \| Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @cuse
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Duke Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the second straight year a sellout crowd of 35,446 fans will gather in the Carrier Dome to watch Syracuse take on No. 4/5 Duke. Tipoff on Saturday, Feb. 14 is set for 6 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early on Saturday. Those who can't be in the Dome can watch the game on ESPN and ESPN3. Fans not in attendance can listen to the action on the Syracuse IMG Radio Network and its flagship TK99 (99.5 FM). Live audio will be available on CuseTV on Cuse.com. Subscriptions to CuseTV are available at daily, monthly and yearly rates.

SYRACUSE-DUKE REWIND
The Orange and Blue Devils played two of the more memorable games in college basketball last season. In the first meeting in the Carrier Dome, Duke's Rasheed Sulaimon hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 75-75 and send the game into overtime. The Blue Devils led, 87-84, before the Orange scored the next six points – all on free throws – for its first lead of overtime at 90-87. After Sulaimon hit a jumper, C.J. Fair went 1-of-2 from the free throw line as Syracuse claimed a 91-89 victory.

The teams met again three weeks later in Durham. Trailing 55-49, the Orange used a 7-2 run to pull within 57-56 with 2:01 to go. Jabari Parker added to Duke's lead with a layup with 90 seconds left but Rakeem Christmas answered on a two-handed slam with only 36 seconds remaining.

Following a free throw by Sulaimon to make it a two-point game, C.J. Fair appeared to make the game-tying layup, however, he was called for the offensive foul. Two technicals were assessed after the play and Quinn Cook made 3-of-4 from the line. The Blue Devils retained possession and hit three more from the charity stripe in the final 10 seconds to secure the win.

PREGAME READING
What to Watch For – Syracuse (16-8, 7-4)
1. Freshman Kaleb Joseph went 7-for-7 from the field and tied his season high with 14 points at Boston College. He is shooting 41.3 percent from the field this season and is averaging 7.0 points per game.
2. Sophomore B.J. Johnson provided a spark off the bench at Boston College. He hit a career-high four three-point baskets for 12 points. Johnson helped the Orange to a 12-4 advantage in bench scoring.
3. Saturday's game will be the 136th of senior Rakeem Christmas' career. That will put him in a tie for 10th place on Syracuse's all-time games played list.

What to Watch For – Duke (21-3, 8-3)
1. Duke enters Saturday's game with a four-game winning streak after its most recent victory against the Florida State Seminoles. The Blue Devils currently own a 21-3 overall record and are in third place in the ACC standings with an 8-3 mark in league play.
2. Jahlil Okafor leads Duke and ranks third in the ACC in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per game. Okafor also leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.665) and ranks fifth in rebounds (9.1 rpg.). Three other Blue Devils, Quinn Cook (14.7 ppg.), Tyus Jones (11.3 ppg.) and Justise Winslow (11.3 ppg.), also average double figures in scoring. The Blue Devils are the highest scoring team in the ACC (80.3 ppg.) and rank second in field goal percentage (.498).
3. Mike Krzyzewski is in his 35th season as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils. Coach K has accumulated more than 1,000 career wins, the most in NCAA history. Krzyzewski has been to the Final Four a combined 11 times, the second-most in NCAA history, and has won the ACC Tournament 13 times. Coach K has also served as the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Basketball team, leading it to four gold medals.

THE SERIES
Syracuse and Duke have split the six all-time meetings between the two schools. They split last year's two regular-season contests.

UP NEXT…
Syracuse's homestand continues when it hosts No. 9/8 Louisville in the Carrier Dome on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

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Players Mentioned

Rakeem Christmas

C.J. Fair

B.J. Johnson

Kaleb Joseph

Syracuse University Athletics