Griffin Hits 5 3S, No. 6 Duke Beats Syracuse 79–59

Duke forward A.J. Griffin (21) reacts following a basket against Syracuse during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., on Jan. 22, 2022. Gerry Broome/AP Photo

DURHAM, N.C.—AJ Griffin hit five 3-pointers—the most by a Duke player this season—and the sixth-ranked Blue Devils routed visiting Syracuse 79–59 Saturday.

Griffin was one of four players for Duke (15–3, 5–2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 15 points, joining Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr., and Mark Williams. Banchero had 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

Jesse Edwards led Syracuse (9–10, 3–5) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Jimmy Boeheim also had 12 points.

Griffin swished 3-pointers on his first two shots to spark Duke’s 11-2 run out of the gate. Syracuse surged back with a 1–5 stretch but never took the lead from Duke.

A 24–11 run from the Blue Devils to start the second half extended their lead to 27. Moore tallied 10 points during that span. Duke grew its lead to 31 points during the second half.

Joey Baker had 11 points and Jeremy Roach dished out a career-high nine assists for Duke.

Saturday marked the 16th meeting between Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who are 1-2 atop the career wins list among Division I men’s basketball coaches. Krzyzewski leads the head-to-head series 11–5.

Big Picture

Duke: The Blue Devils bounced back from their loss to Florida State in an emphatic way, beating Syracuse in nearly every facet of the game. The Blue Devils were efficient in sharing the ball, too, totaling 25 assists to just 12 turnovers.

Syracuse: The Orange have lost five of their last seven games and their hopes of earning Boeheim another NCAA tournament berth are dwindling. Syracuse made just five 3-pointers, tied for its lowest of the season.

Up Next

Duke: Remaining at home, the Blue Devils host Clemson on Tuesday.

Syracuse: The Orange stay on the road, playing at Pitt on Tuesday.

By Mitchell Northam