Duke’s Dariq Whitehead (0) assists Jeremy Roach off the court in overtime against Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images/TNS)
TNS
A noticeable weakness in Duke’s basketball season, one shared by many around the ACC, can be addressed this weekend.
Entering Saturday night’s game with Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome, Duke has lost six of its eight ACC road games.
That includes lopsided losses at N.C. State and Miami, both by 20-plus-point margins. The Blue Devils (18-8, 9-6 ACC) have two road games remaining — Syracuse Saturday and the March 4 regular-season finale at North Carolina.
“It’s really hard to win on the road,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I think if you look at everybody’s record, our league is pretty big discrepancy between home and road. So for us, we’re anxious to get back out there on Saturday.”
Only four ACC teams have winning records away from their home court: Pittsburgh (7-2), Virginia (6-3), Miami (6-4) and Syracuse (5-4). Still, as the Blue Devils look toward March and the postseason tournaments, playing better away from Cameron Indoor Stadium remains an important goal.
Duke is 13-0 on its home court and 5-8 in road and neutral-site games.
Syracuse (16-10, 9-6) is 10-5 on its home court this season after beating N.C. State, 75-72, on Tuesday night.
Tipoff time + TV channel for Saturday’s game
The game will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday and air on ESPN, which is available on major cable and satellite services such as Spectrum, Dish Network and DirecTV.
How to stream Duke vs. Syracuse game online
Are you a cord-cutter?
If your preferred method of watching games involves streaming, there are options for that, too.
ESPN is available on Sling, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream and YouTubeTV streaming services. Or click here to view on the ESPN app.
Game day details: Duke vs. Syracuse
Teams: Duke Blue Devils vs Syracuse Orange
Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Odds: Duke opened as a 1-point favorite on Friday with the over-under total set at 138 points.
Series history: Duke and Syracuse will meet for the 21st time with the Blue Devils holding a 14-6 all-time edge. Duke has won four of the six meetings at Syracuse.
Pregame reading
Steve Wiseman has covered Duke athletics since 2010 for the Durham Herald-Sun and Raleigh News & Observer. He placed second in both beat writing and breaking news in the 2019 Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. Previously, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.