ACC tournament preview: Syracuse v. No. 7 Duke

Duke is in need of a palette cleanser and will get its chance with Thursday’s quarterfinal game against Syracuse.

The bitterness of losing to North Carolina in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium will stick with the Blue Devils for as long as they let it, and the easiest way to start moving forward is to play well in the ACC tournament this week.

“I think we just need to get back to playing how we were,” freshman Paolo Banchero said. “Saturday, we took a step back from where we were at. I think we finished out the season strong to win the ACC regular season, and had the last game and took a step back.

“We need to get back to how we were playing before, which was being together, locking in on defense and communicating.”

The three straight road victories before the UNC game showed Duke’s ceiling was as high as any team’s in the country – not that non-conference wins against Kentucky and Gonzaga didn’t do the same.

But faltering in the brightest of spotlights, in what was perhaps the worst regular-season loss in Duke’s history, won’t soon be forgotten.

And it’s not the greatest sign to have stumbled on a stage like that before entering the postseason.

“It’s just more games in less days, and it’s high-level games,” Banchero said. “Every game is a championship-level game. There’s no next game and you can’t have that next-game mentality, because if you lose, there is no next game.”

**********

Here’s what to know ahead of Thursday afternoon’s quarterfinal game:

Time: 12 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline).

Series; season meetings: Duke leads 13-6; Duke swept the season meetings, winning 79-59 on Jan. 22 and 97-72 on Feb. 26.

Records: Syracuse 16-16 (9-11 in ACC regular season); Duke 26-5 (16-4).

Stat to watch: Duke’s 3-pointers.

The Blue Devils made 15 3s against Syracuse in the first meeting and 14 the second time these teams played, the most Duke made against any team in the ACC this season.

Obviously the 2-3 zone that Syracuse plays leads to the high rate of 3s that Duke has taken, and made, against the Orange. With lineup combinations that keep four capable long-range shooters on the court at all times – and five when the Blue Devils go without Mark Williams and Theo John – Duke is able to spread the floor against Syracuse and create open shots.

Orange(man) to watch: Cole Swider, forward.

In the interest of full transparency, this pick was made with some uncertainty about whether Buddy Boeheim would play because of a punch he threw to the chest of Florida State’s Wyatt Wilkes.

But it’s Swider because in two of Syracuse’s last three games, he’s been the Orange’s best player.

Swider dropped 36 points on UNC last week, shooting 7-for-11 on 3s. After a six-point, seven-rebound game against Miami over the weekend, Swider got hot again and poured in 28 points against FSU in Wednesday’s blowout win.

Given how good Brady Manek played against Duke in the Blue Devils’ last game, Swider could create several problems for Duke if the Blue Devils lose track of him.

Blue Devil to watch: AJ Griffin, wing.

Griffin has scored in double figures in 10 of Duke’s last 12 games. The two he didn’t were Duke’s loss to Virginia and Duke’s loss to North Carolina.

Obviously Griffin getting to 10 points won’t be the end-all, be-all, but it’s interesting to note how integral the freshman is to Duke’s success.

Griffin was virtually a non-factor against UNC – he had five points on 2-for-5 shooting, with three rebounds and two blocks. Having Leaky Black as a primary had something to do with that, but it was also a disappointing game for Griffin after he poured in 27 points against UNC in the first meeting.

Syracuse might be a perfect remedy for the sharpshooter – Griffin scored a combined 35 points against the Orange this season, making 11 of 19 3-pointers.

KenPom prediction: Duke wins 82-72.

Devils Illustrated prognosis: Not to dwell too much on the meaning of the loss last weekend, but it does feel like this can be a palette cleanser for the Blue Devils.

That only happens by doing to Syracuse what Duke has already done to the Orange twice this season: Getting out to a big lead and turning this into a rout.

Duke is built to destroy a zone defense from the inside and outside. Mark Williams and Banchero feasted in the game at Syracuse, and Duke’s 3-point shooting has been lethal in both matchups.

More of the same would lead to a similar margin of victory as the first two meetings.