Duke basketball hammers Syracuse, 101-64

Chip Alexander, The News & Observer on Feb 16, 2026

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DURHAM, N.C. — In a lot of games for Duke, it’s just a matter of time.

The Blue Devils start a little slowly, their opponent staying close, almost to the point of building some confidence. Then, Duke ignites. And if the game is at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the building rumbles.

So it was Monday as the No. 3 Blue Devils rolled past Syracuse 101-64 at Cameron, taking control late in the first half, spurting further ahead early in the second and putting away the Orange with a blend of attacking offense and some stifling defensive play.

Put down another double-double for Duke’s Cameron Boozer: 22 points and 12 rebounds this time. Isaiah Evans, who has been on something of a heater, had 21 points and Cayden Boozer and Patrick Ngongba III each finished with 12 points.

After a bruising 40-minute battle with Clemson on Saturday, the Devils (24-2, 13-1 ACC) were ready for another physical test. Syracuse was game for it, 6-9 center William Kyle III batting away a couple of shots early and the Orange holding the lead for the first five or six minutes.

The Devils spurted to a 23-12 lead and had a 40-24 halftime cushion, limiting the Orange to 32% shooting. The Devils scored the last 11 points of the half, capping the run with a Cayden steal and Evans layup.

Caleb Foster and Evans each had 3’s to start the second half and Ngongba an inside basket over Kyle and it was 48-26, Duke, and Syracuse again needing a timeout.

During the second half, Ngongba tried a shot low in the paint, only to have it blocked by Sadiq White. But the Devils’ Maliq Brown snagged the ball and quickly got it back to Ngongba for a two-hand slam.

When Evans followed with a 3-point, then some wiggle-wagging for the “Crazies,” the Duke lead was 81-52 and the final seven minutes all but inconsequential. One of the night’s biggest roars came when reserve Cameron Sheffield swished a late 3, causing some celebratory bedlam on the Duke bench.

The Blue Devils stretched their winning steak over Syracuse to 11 straight and have won 13 of the last 14 in the series. Duke also has a 30-game win streak in Cameron, winning the last 17 against ACC teams.

If the Blue Devils were looking for a sharp performance before facing No. 1 Michigan on Saturday, they got it.

Some observations from the game:

Boozer to Boozer a strong combination

It’s safe to say there some people, even close basketball watchers, who don’t realize how strong Cameron is until seeing him up close in a game. Then, they know.

On one first-half play Monday, Cameron made a move to the basket, only to be double-teamed and have Orange guard Nathan George latch on to his arm with Kyle guarding the lane.

No foul was called but no problem. Cameron muscled the ball to the corner to his brother, Cayden, who promptly knocked down a 3-pointer. It also left George with a “what-do-I-do?” look.

Boozer to Boozer. One can only wonder how many times that has been a scoring combination since the two started playing ball growing up in Miami.

Sarr a good listener, learner

In Saturday’s game, Duke’s Dame Sarr made a quick move to the basket and missed a simple layup. Later, after the game, Scheyer mentioned that next time, Sarr would have to dunk it.

Credit Sarr with being a good listener. Against Syracuse, the freshman had a similar opening and smashed it down for a 32-24 lead in the first half.

Sarr never had to be reminded to play defense. Sarr’s on-the-ball work Saturday against Clemson played a big part in disrupting the Tigers’ offensive actions. He engaged in more face-to-face stuff with Syracuse’s George, and there was a lot of chirping between the two.

Where’s Donnie Freeman?

Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman came off as being slightly disinterested and hardly engaged as the Orange fell behind 40-24 at the half.

The talented 6-9 sophomore set screens and seemed content to jack up 3’s from the top of the key. He missed all four 3-point shots and had two points in the opening half, He also had two of the Orange’s five turnovers.

Freeman has been the Orange’s top scorer, averaging 17.7 points before Monday, and the leading rebounder. He had 18 points in the 79-78 win over SMU.

Freeman did leave the safety of the high post offensively for some inside action in the second half but had negligible impact in the game and scored nine points.

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