SYRACUSE, N.Y.— When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you the Orange, make a statement.
The second-ranked Blue Devils took those words to heart Wednesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome, putting together yet another comfortable performance against Syracuse. The 83-54 win, spearheaded by Tyrese Proctor’s 16 points and one of Duke’s most dominant defensive showings in conference play, keeps head coach Jon Scheyer’s team undefeated in the ACC and right on track for a No. 1 seed come Selection Sunday.
Unlike Duke’s win against North Carolina, the name of Wednesday’s game was not offensive dominance. The Blue Devils’ shooting percentage and rebound rates in the first half were mediocre, but they were able to build a sizable buffer thanks to a dramatic 14-6 turnover advantage that accounted for 23 Blue Devil points.
Sometimes this resulted in direct points, but what the stat sheets will not reflect is that it also resulted in plenty of free throws. Kon Knueppel alone w...