No. 12 Syracuse (4-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) welcomes No. 2 Duke (8-1) on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Cicero-North Syracuse in Michael J. Bragman Stadium. The contest was moved due to the women’s basketball team hosting the NCAA tournament in the Carrier Dome .

The Orange are coming off a second-straight comeback win, this time beating Rutgers last weekend after an 8-3 fourth-quarter run in which SU scored eight of the last nine. Syracuse has won two in a row, toppling Johns Hopkins two weeks ago after losing to Virginia in overtime. The contest against Duke marks the beginning of a brief two-game conference slate. Duke hasn’t lost since Feb. 6, when High Point beat it 13-9. The Blue Devils have tallied wins over then-No. 5 Denver and then-No. 2 Loyola before beating then-No. 5 Towson, 12-10, last weekend after a fourth-quarter comeback.

Here’s how the Orange and Blue Devils stack up.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 12-6

Last time they played: The Orange traveled to Koskinen Stadium and upset the Blue Devils, 15-14, handing Duke its first ACC loss of the year in 2018. Brendan Bomberry finished with four goals on seven shots while Stephen Rehfuss added a pair of scores and three assists. Brendan Curry and Jamie Trimboli also added two goals. Goalie Dom Madonna totaled 13 saves as well. Trimboli netted the game-winning goal for the second year in a row, grabbing a rebound for the victory. It was Syracuse’s first win at Duke since 1938.

The Duke report: The Blue Devils feature a well-rounded team, featuring eight double-digit point scorers with a top-10 scoring defense (9.00 goals allowed per game). Meanwhile, their defense has allowed 10 or fewer scores in seven of their contests. The offense is led by Joe Robertson, Brad Smith and Joey Manown. Robertson has recorded 25 goals and 10 points. Smith has 14 goals and assists in eight games, while Manown has scooped 18 ground balls. Duke’s offense averages 13.33 goals a game, good for 14th in the nation and a tick above SU’s 13.00 score average.

Syracuse may have an advantage at the faceoff X and in net, though. Jakob Phaup and Danny Varello have carried SU to the 11th-best win rate in the nation (.609) while Duke ranks 19th (.585). Brian Smyth and Jordan Ginder have split faceoff duties while Smyth has earned 100 faceoff wins in 161 attempts.

Junior first-year starter Drake Porter has a .556 save-rate, which is 11th across the sport and tops the ACC. Duke, meanwhile, has two goalies with extended time in net. Turner Uppgren stops shots at a .471 clip, and David McCann has entered five games, allowing seven of 19 shots. Uppgren is ranked 54th out of 66 goalies listed on the NCAA’s website in save percentage.

How Syracuse beats Duke: Limit Duke’s varied attack and exploit its advantages.

SU’s rhythm offense has benefited from opportune scoring runs. Those might not be available against the Blue Devils. All-Americans Cade Van Raaphorst and JT Giles-Harris anchor the backline with senior Jack Fowler. Scoring chances will be at a premium, but Syracuse’s shooters may find success against Uppgren.

On the defensive end, the Orange have had trouble identifying multi-faceted attacks. Rutgers’ Adam Charalambides and Kieran Mullins picked SU apart from behind and in front of the cage. It took a halftime adjustment to limit Charalambides’ five first-half scores. Longpoles Nick Mellen and Tyson Bomberry will need to isolate Robertson, Smith and Manown while sparking a transition game that can spark SU’s offense. Whichever team controls the pace and establishes an early lead will probably leave the Dome with the win.

Stat to know: 33 — Duke’s shooting-percentage, ranked 11th in the country

DU has won seven-straight against top opponents, besting elite competition in part with its dynamic shooting. Its shooting rate is second-best in the ACC and .09 off from reaching top-5 nationally. All of Duke’s top scorers shoot at least at a 56-percent clip.

Player to watch: Joe Robertson, sophomore attack, No. 8

The Blue Devils sophomore has scored at least three goals in 17 of his 29 games. With five points on Sunday, he’ll total 100 career points. Robertson has amassed the lion’s share of shot attempts, taking 46 of DU’s 225 rips at goal. The 5-foot-11 attack grew up in the sport — with two older brothers with Division I experience — and is Duke’s biggest offensive threat.

Published on March 24, 2019 at 12:41 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez