Duke looks to continue 'storybook' season against Syracuse

Top-ranked Duke enjoyed an uplifting moment this weekend.

Syracuse had just the opposite.

Now the teams meet Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., after coming off extremely different outcomes. It's a rematch of last March's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup, a four-point win by Duke.

On Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla., Duke topped No. 13 Florida State 80-78 on Cam Reddish's 3-pointer with less than a second remaining. The result gave the Blue Devils (14-1, 3-0) consecutive ACC road victories.

"I know we feel very fortunate to win," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I think we earned it and if they would've won, they would've earned it. So, it's not a game that somebody lost, it's a game that somebody won. Those are the great games."

Reddish delivered at the end of a 23-point outing.

"Whenever any kid hits a game winner like that, its storybook," Krzyzewski said. "For our guys, it's our 15th game, a number of those guys have never been in an experience like this."

Duke played the second half without freshman sensation Zion Williamson, who was poked in the eye late in the first half after racking up 11 points and eight rebounds.

Shortly after Saturday's game, Krzyzewski said there had been improvement for Williamson, who experienced double vision.

"He's better now so hopefully he'll be able to play on Monday," Krzyzewski said.

For the Blue Devils, they were able to persevere without Williamson, so that might have sent another statement.

"Obviously it was rough, he's one of the top guys out there," Reddish said. "We had to pick him up and just fight, while competing to the very last second."

It helped that freshman forward RJ Barrett provided 32 points.

A few hours later, Syracuse was on the wrong side of a 73-59 outcome against visiting Georgia Tech, snapping a four-game winning streak.

Syracuse (11-5, 2-1) largely counts on a veteran unit, but that didn't help Saturday night.

The Orange surrendered 59.5-percent shooting from the field, giving Georgia Tech its best mark on the season.

Syracuse has averaged 17 turnovers in its last two games, both at home.

"We can't play at that level, we can't make those kinds of mistakes," Orange coach Jim Boeheim said.

It's not a good time to be hitting glitches with the Duke game coming in fast order.

"We literally hate losing," Syracuse guard Frank Howard said. "It messes up our mood. But this is not something that we're going to drag on."

There's not time to dwell on the third home loss of the season.

"Just got to put it behind us and get ready for Duke," Syracuse forward Elijah Hughes said.

Syracuse is 2-0 in true road games, winning at Ohio State and Notre Dame.

The Blue Devils figure they're equipped to handle games on short rest. They played three days in a row in the Maui Invitational in November, then suited up for two games across three nights last month prior to a Christmas break.

"That's something this group has done before," Duke center Marques Bolden said. "(That helps) set up well for the stretch we're about to have in conference."

Syracuse played on back-to-back days in November, losing to Connecticut and Oregon.

When Duke and Syracuse met in the NCAA Tournament in March in Omaha, Neb., Duke advanced with its second victory of the season against the Orange.

This is the earliest in a season that the Orange and Blue Devils have been slated to play since Syracuse joined the ACC.