With Syracuse (23-13, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) set to face Duke (28-7, 13-5 Atlantic Coast) in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, revisit five of the most memorable games between the two schools.

March 12, 1966: Jim Boeheim’s last game as a player

The inaugural meeting between Syracuse and Duke came in the Elite Eight of the 1966 NCAA Tournament, which featured 22 teams and six play-in games. It was fourth-year SU head coach Fred Lewis’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, and seventh-year Duke head coach Vic Bubas’s fourth appearance.

The Blue Devils, who ended the regular season ranked second in the country, ended SU’s season, 91-81, as well as now-Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s playing career. Boeheim, a guard, scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the loss. In his playing career, the Hall of Fame coach averaged 9.8 points per game and shot a shade less than 52 percent from the field.

Four Duke players scored more than 15 points in the winning effort, including a game-high 22 points from Jack Marin. Bob Verga, Steve Vacendak and Marin each played 40 minutes for the Blue Devils. In its Final Four game six days later, Duke fell to Kentucky, 83-79. The Wildcats then lost to Texas El Paso (then-Texas Western) in the National Championship.

Dec. 6, 1989: Boeheim and Krzyzewski’s first meeting

More than two decades before Syracuse joined the ACC, No. 1 Syracuse beat No. 6 Duke, 78-76, in the 1989 ACC-Big East Challenge at Madison Square Garden.

With three seconds remaining and the score knotted at 76, sophomore guard and 50 percent free-throw shooter David Johnson hit two free throws to put the Orange ahead. Duke’s Bill McCaffrey had his last-second shot attempt blocked by SU’s Billy Owens.

Stephen Thompson led Syracuse’s offense with 21 points, while Derrick Coleman tallied 19 rebounds. The Blue Devils’ Robert Brickey dropped 21 points and Christian Laettner added 19 points. With the win, Boeheim secured his 292nd victory as a head coach, while Krzyzewski was stuck at 278 career wins.

Feb. 1, 2014: Syracuse’s first ACC game against Duke

In front of 35,446 spectators — an NCAA men’s basketball on-campus record — a packed and noisy Carrier Dome watched No. 2 Syracuse outlast No. 17 Duke, 91-89, in overtime. The game marked the first meeting between the teams with Syracuse as a member of the ACC, which it joined the previous summer. With the win, SU improved to 21-0 on the season.

With 4.6 seconds remaining in regulation, the Orange held a 78-75 advantage before Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon caught the inbound pass on the left side of the court near half court, evaded C.J. Fair and Trevor Cooney, and sunk a game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key as time expired.

With less than 15 seconds left in overtime and Syracuse possessing an 88-87 lead, Duke’s Rodney Hood drove to the hoop and nearly posterized Rakeem Christmas. Rather than flying through the net, the ball ricocheted off the back iron and backboard and catapulted into the arms of Cooney. The Orange drained three free throws in the final seconds and prevailed with a two-point victory.

Feb. 22, 2014: Fair’s foul and Boeheim’s meltdown

Three weeks after the overtime thriller, No. 1 Syracuse and No. 5 Duke met again, this time at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils triumphed, defeating the Orange, 66-60.

After an even first half when both teams scored 26 points, Duke used free throws to pull away after Jim Boeheim was ejected due to his vigorous protest of an offensive foul call on C.J. Fair.

Duke possessed a 60-58 lead with less than 15 seconds left in regulation when Fair received a pass from Tyler Ennis, drove baseline, collided with Rodney Hood, and finished the basket. Rather than rewarding Fair with an and-1, a charge was called, and the basket would not count.

In response to the call, Boeheim dashed onto the court with his left jacket lapel standing up, yelled “That’s bullsh*t!” and pointed at the referee’s face, and was ejected.

The Blue Devils nailed six of eight free throws in the final 10 seconds to secure a victory. The loss marked Syracuse’s second-straight defeat after starting the season 25-0.

Feb. 22, 2017: Gillon at the buzzer

Exactly three years after Fair’s charge, Syracuse shocked No. 10 Duke, 78-75, in the Carrier Dome when John Gillon pulled up from 25 feet and banked in a game-winning 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded. The win marked SU’s third upset of a top-10 team that year, with victories coming against then-No. 6 Florida State and then-No. 9 Virginia earlier in the season.

With less than 10 seconds on the clock, Duke’s Luke Kennard clanked a shot off the back of the rim. The ball was rebounded by Tyler Lydon, who fed it to Tyus Battle who quickly found John Gillon.

Gillon meandered up the court as time ticked down and finally launched a shot. The ball pounded into the glass and into the hoop, and a swarm of students and fans flooded the court in celebration.

Published on March 21, 2018 at 11:19 pm

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu