It was a heck of an effort by Syracuse, but their season is likely over.
Playing without their leading scorer, the Orange gave No. 1 seed Duke all they could handle. However, the Blue Devils ultimately were too much for shorthanded Syracuse to contain.
Wendell Moore scored 26 points and Jeremy Roach had 16 in the second half to help Duke eliminate the Orange from the ACC Tournament with an 88-79 victory in the quarterfinal round.
Syracuse played without their star guard Buddy Boeheim, the ACC leading scorer was suspended by the conference for a “flagrant act” after he punched Florida State’s Wyatt Wilkes in the stomach during the Orange’s second-round victory Wednesday.
Boeheim could only sit on the bench for this one. He watched, in his blue warmup suit, as his teammates gave Duke all they could handle.
Big brother Jimmy Boeheim provided the lift Syracuse needed with a season-high 28 points, including making six of nine from deep.
Joe Girard added 18 points for the Orange, including a corner 3 at the buzzer to end the first half.
But it was Duke scoring the last 10 points of the game, putting Syracuse away and likely ending their season.
With a 16-17 record, the Orange are looking at their first sub-.500 season under 77-year old head coach Jim Boeheim.
“I thought we played with a tremendous purpose today,” Boeheim said afterwards.
However, there will be no NCAA Tournament bid for Syracuse. There likely will not be an NIT bit either.
