Blue Devils Gear Up for Midweek ACC Tilt at No. 17 Syracuse

Thursday, February 22

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Duke University

Syracuse

Taina Mair goes up for a layup against Notre Dame

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Gear Up for Midweek ACC Tilt at No. 17 Syracuse

2/21/2024 2:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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THE OPENING TIP

The Blue Devils make the trek up north to Syracuse, N.Y., for a midweek battle against 17th-ranked Syracuse on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., live on ACCNX with Jack Gordon and Kalia Butler on the call.
Through 11 all-time meetings, Duke owns an 8-3 advantage over Syracuse. The Blue Devils have won three straight in the series and are 3-2 all-time when playing in Syracuse.
In last season's lone meeting, the 13th-ranked Blue Devils posted a 62-50 victory over Syracuse in Cameron Indoor Stadium (1.22.23)
Duke is amid another daunting stretch of games to close out the regular season slate, with two of their final four games coming against Top-25 teams -- Syracuse (#17) and NC State (#6).
Duke has taken on one of the nation's toughest schedules this season as the Blue Devils' SOS checks in at No. 7 nationally (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 20). The Blue Devils are also in the top 25 of the NCAA NET, ranking No. 21 in that metric.
The Blue Devils rank second nationally in blocks per game with an average of 6.4 rejections -- first in the ACC (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 20). Senior Kennedy Brown, graduate student Camilla Emsbo and rookie Jadyn Donovan have all posted 30-plus blocks each, leading the way with 38, 37 and 31 rejections, respectively.
In addition to leading the league in blocks, the Blue Devils also rank among the top five in the ACC in nine additional categories.
On the defensive end, Duke sits atop the ACC in rebounding defense (31.2), field goal percentage defense (.368) and scoring defense (58.6). The squad also ranks second in defensive points per possession (0.744) and rebounding margin -- a +5.1 advantage, and fifth in defensive rebounding percentage (.700) forced turnovers (16.2) and scoring margin (+7.2).
Offensively, the Blue Devils rank third in field goal percentage (.449) and fifth in offensive rebounding percentage (.353).
Three Blue Devils average double figures in scoring -- Reigan Richardson (11.7), Taina Mair (10.5), Oluchi Okananwa (10.5).
The Blue Devils have assists on more than 50 percent of their field goals (.551) with 365 dimes on 662 made buckets. Mair leads the team with 3.4 per contest.
24 of Duke's 25 opponents have now been held below their respective season scoring averages on the year. Notre Dame's 70 points were 11.3 points below its average of 81.3.
Dyaisha Fair spearheads the offensive charge for the Orange at 21.8 points per contest, joined in double figures by Georgia Woolley (14.2) and Alaina Rice (10.8).
Alyssa Latham leads the efforts on the glass (7.2) while Fair dishes out a team-high 3.6 assists.
As a team, Syracuse ranks ninth in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (16.3) and 17th in average total rebounds per game (42.2). Individually, Fair sits No. 2 nationally in three pointers (96), third in threes per game (3.7) and seventh in total points (566).

BLOCK PARTY – EVERYONE'S INVITED

The Blue Devils' length has proven to be a factor on the defensive end this season as the squad averages 6.4 blocks per game -- No. 2 in the NCAA and tops the ACC (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 20).
Duke has registered five or more blocks in 20 games this season, including a pair of games with double-digit swats -- Coastal Carolina (12) and NC Central (11) -- as well as six contests with eight or more rejections -- at Stanford, vs. South Carolina, vs. Florida Gulf Coast, vs. Boston College, at Virginia, vs. North Carolina.
Senior Kennedy Brown, graduate student Camilla Emsbo and rookie Jadyn Donovan have posted 30-plus blocks each, leading the way with 38, 37 and 31 rejections, respectively. They are joined in double digits by freshman Delaney Thomas with 12 and junior Reigan Richardson with 10.
In the victory over Florida State (1.25), Brown set the Duke record for most blocks in a first quarter, tallying four of her game-high five rejections during the period.
The Blue Devils' blocks per game average (6.4) is the highest by a Duke squad since the 2006-07 season and would rank fifth all-time in the Duke Single Season Records for highest blocked shot average if the 2023-24 slate ended today.

DEFENSIVE CONSISTENCY – BROWN ANCHORING THE DEFENSIVE SHIP

Senior Kennedy Brown, Duke's defensive anchor and arguably one of the best defenders in the NCAA, has been a vital part of the team's defensive uptick over the last two seasons.
Prior to her arrival ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Blue Devils ranked 64th nationally in blocks per game, 148th in scoring defense and 156th in field goal percentage defense. The league standings saw Duke check in at No. 6, No. 8 and No. 11 in these respective metrics while also ranking 10th in defensive rebounding percentage.
In just her first season with the Blue Devils, Brown helped Duke make a seismic leap on the defensive end as the team finished the 2022-23 campaign ranked second in the NCAA in scoring defense, tied for fourth in defensive points per possession, ninth in field goal percentage defense and 10th in blocks per game.
The newly revamped and disruptive Duke defense also held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 17 of them to 50 points or less.
Although Duke features almost an entirely different team this season, with Brown patrolling the paint, one thing has remained the same -- the Blue Devils still boast one of the top defenses in the ACC and in the country.
Duke currently sits second nationally and first in the ACC in blocks per game while also leading the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense (ACC Only) for the second consecutive season -- the latter also ranked 19th in the NCAA.

A BATTLE TESTED BUNCH – STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

Duke has embarked on one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA this season.
Duke's strength of schedule currently ranks among the top 10, checking in at No. 7 nationally (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 20). The Blue Devils are also in the top 25 of the NCAA NET, ranking No. 21 on the list.
The Blue Devils' schedule has gotten progressively more challenging each year under Coach Lawson. Duke finished the 2022-23 season with the 10th toughest schedule in the NCAA.
The Blue Devils have faced eight opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 thus far this season (2-6) with the potential to play up to three more.
Four of the teams Duke has played so far this season also boast a top-30 SOS -- Stanford (1st), Wake Forest (17th), NC State (25th), South Carolina (28th).
Additionally, Duke owns several notable non-conference wins over teams that currently lead or rank among the top three in their respective conferences:
- Nov. 6 – 83-53 vs. Richmond (currently 23-4, Tied for 1st place in A-10 with 13-1 conference record)
- Nov. 14 – 66-62 at Columbia (currently 18-5, 2nd in Ivy League standings at 9-1)
- Dec. 10 – 82-63 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (currently 23-4, 1st place (13-0) in ASUN)
- Dec. 20 – 70-45 vs. Toledo (currently 19-4, Tied for 1st in the MAC via a 11-1 mark)

UP NEXT
Duke welcomes No. 6 NC State to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 25 for a Sunday evening ACC tilt. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m., live on ACC Network.

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