OMAHA, Neb. — No. 11 seed Syracuse (23-14, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 2 seed Duke (29-7, 13-5) on Friday night, 69-65, to ends its season in the Sweet 16. SU held tight with the Blue Devils, but ultimately fell short of a late comeback. The last team given an at-large bid to the Tournament, Syracuse’s improbable run ended just short of an Elite Eight berth.
Here are the best images from the season-ending loss.
The Orange entered the game as winners of five of its last six games.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski embrace before the game. The two are close friends through all their years of coaching.
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The Orange took the CenturyLink Center floor for a 9 p.m. local time start.
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Syracuse junior point guard Frank Howard tries a floater in the lane.
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Howard scored six points and had eight rebounds.
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Sophomore forward Marek Dolezaj goes up for a dunk. He scored 13 points, the first time he's reached double figures and SU has lost.
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Sophomore guard Tyus Battle exploded for 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting from deep. He was SU's only threat from 3.
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Howard had three turnovers.
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Battle, Dolezaj and Oshae Brissett added three turnovers apiece as well. Matthew Moyer had two in just 11 minutes on the floor.
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Freshman forward Oshae Brissett goes up for a dunk. He scored 15 points and had seven rebounds.
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Krzyzewski tossed off his jacket during the game out of frustration.
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The team mascots dance at center court.
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Moyer had one steal in the game in addition to three rebounds and two points.
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Dolezaj had four rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes, as he encountered foul trouble.
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Duke ran a 2-3 zone and soft full-court press all game, but Syracuse scored more points (65) than it had in any game this Tournament.
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Syracuse commit Buddy Boeheim celebrates at the arena. He told The Daily Orange earlier this week that winning a national title for SU is his No. 1 goal.
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Battle celebrates with the bench after an and-one. He shot just 1-of-3 from the free-throw line, though.
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Junior center Paschal Chukwu scored eight points, six coming on alley-oop dunks, and grabbed seven rebounds.
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The Duke defense was somewhat strong, but SU shot 49 percent from the field.
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The Orange committed 16 turnovers in the game.
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Duke's Marques Bolden scored two points and grabbed three boards.
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The Orange's trio of Brissett, Battle and Howard each played all 40 minutes.
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Battle dribbles near center court, looking to create against the Blue Devils 2-3 zone.
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Brissett improved his finishing around the basket late in the season.
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Brissett received only two ACC offers — SU and BC — but turned into a star for the Orange in his freshman campaign. He said he'll be back at SU for his sophomore season.
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Freshman forward Bourama Sidibe will undergo surgery on his knee, he told The Daily Orange.
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The Syracuse bench looks onto the action.
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Syracuse huddles during a timeout. Boeheim said last week that he offers fewer pointers during stoppages and lets his players rest.
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Brissett shot 5-of-15 from the field.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
He appeared shaken up late, but never left the game.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The Duke soft press and traps gave SU some trouble, forcing a 10-second call at one point and shedding time off the shot clock.
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Duke committed only seven turnovers.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse shot 4-of-13 from deep.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Krzyzewski said Battle is "one of the best players in the country."
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Boeheim heads off into the locker room as his 42nd season as SU's head coach comes to an end.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Chukwu scrolls through his phone beside his locker, grappling with the season-ending loss.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle tweeted after the game: "This team gave it all they had even when many people counted us out."
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff PhotographerPublished on March 24, 2018 at 3:42 am Contact Alexandra: amoreo@syr.edu
