Duke Now Primes Itself for Marquee Saturday Matchup

The No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils improved to 24-2 overall and 13-1 in ACC play following a 101-64 demolition of Syracuse (15-12, 6-8 ACC) on Monday night. The Blue Devils were clicking on all cylinders, now achieving 10 of their 13 conference victories by double digits.

Duke has been rolling since its crushing buzzer-beater loss at the hands of No. 16 North Carolina (20-5, 8-4 ACC) last Saturday. In the Blue Devils' three contests since that heartbreaking defeat, they have won their last three games by an average margin of 22 points.

The Orange came into the contest winners of their last two, but never stood a chance against the elite defensive attack of Duke. Jon Scheyer's club limited Syracuse to 41% shooting from the field and 10-of-27 (37%) from three-point range while forcing 11 Orange turnovers that turned into 17 points for the Blue Devils.

Feb 16, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) interacts with his teammates during the during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Cameron Boozer Leads the Way Once Again

It's become exhausting to say over the last few months, but Duke freshman sensation Cameron Boozer once again led the way for the Blue Devils in the victory. The 6'9" forward went for a game-high 22 points to go along with 12 rebounds and two assists on 8-of-10 (80%) shooting from the field and 1-of-1 shooting from three.

Boozer has tallied at least 17 points in every league game thus far while shooting under 50% from the field just once. Not that it's a secret to anyone around college basketball at this point in the campaign, but the Blue Devils' prized rookie is continuing to cement himself as the frontrunner to take home the National Player of the Year award.

dunk reel? pic.twitter.com/3H9lkeJyTc
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 17, 2026

Duke as a whole was dominant in the paint once again, outscoring the Orange in that facet 52-30. The Blue Devils also held Syracuse to eight total free throw attempts, and it knocked down just two of them. Duke itself went 13-of-20 (65%) from the charity stripe.

cale — Feb 14, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) controls the ball in front of Clemson Tigers forward RJ Godfrey (0) during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Blue Devils Warm Up for Premier Matchup on Saturday

Duke picked up a Quadrant 2 victory against Syracuse, its 16th win in the first two quadrants. Now, the Blue Devils prepare for potentially the best game of the entire college basketball season, as they will head to Washington, D.C., to face No. 1 Michigan on Saturday at Capital One Arena.

The Blue Devils and Wolverines are the top two teams in both the NCAA NET Rankings and at KenPom. It poses a possible Final Four preview.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.