After edging Duke 91-89 in overtime on Feb. 1, No. 1 Syracuse travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time on Saturday in search of another win. Here are the five keys that would allow the Orange to sweep its first season series with the No. 5 Blue Devils.

No. 1 C.J.’s slump

The last time C.J. Fair faced Duke, he played the best game of his career. Fair took over in the second half, hitting anything and everything en route to a career-high 28 points. Since then, though, he’s been dreadful. Fair is shooting 35.4 percent in the last five games, including a 7-for-23 performance in SU’s 62-59 overtime loss to Boston College on Wednesday. If the Orange is to pull off the upset in Cameron, it’ll need a rejuvenated and efficient senior leader.

No. 2 Duke’s 3-point shooting

This season, Jim Boeheim has played most opponents to take 3-pointers. It’s a dare of sorts, but the Blue Devils aren’t most opponents. With four marksmen who connect on more than 40 percent of their 3-point attempts, Duke can shred the Orange from beyond the arc. Andre Dawkins (4), Rasheed Sulaimon (4), Tyler Thornton (3) and Rodney Hood (3) spearheaded the Blue Devils’ efforts from long range in the first matchup as the team ultimately finished 15-of-36. The Orange guards and wings will have to close out quickly to keep that quartet from a repeat outing.

No. 3 Jostling with Jabari

The Orange handled Jabari Parker well on Feb. 1. Boeheim kept his centers back to shade Parker on the baseline while playing off Amile Jefferson in the high post. The result was a frustrated Parker, who scored 15 points but fouled out late in regulation. This time, Parker could see more time in the high post. If that’s the case, Boeheim will need to adjust accordingly and bring Rakeem Christmas or Baye Moussa Keita forward.

No. 4 Center play

Speaking of the centers, Christmas will be relied on for a bounce-back performance after the BC game. Christmas is likely the best post player on the court and will need to play like it for SU to win. He blocked Parker three times (including a nasty denial in transition) in the first matchup, but if Parker is moved to the high post, he’ll have to do a lot more to not only keep the sensational freshman in check, but also to stay out of foul trouble. With Keita playing only two minutes against the Eagles, it’s likely he’s still far from 100 percent.

No. 5 Closing strong

Those four keys and any other factors aside, the success of this Syracuse team is built on efficiency in the final five minutes. That’s how SU has won about half of its games this year. But against Boston College, and even N.C. State before that, the Orange hasn’t turned into the well-oiled machine that beat Duke once and Pittsburgh twice. No matter what else happens in the first 35 minutes, if Syracuse doesn’t play its best ball in the final possessions, it can’t win.

Published on February 22, 2014 at 5:39 pm

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1