The biggest rematch of the college basketball season lost some of its luster this week when both #1 Syracuse and #5 Duke lost. Duke lost to archrival UNC just 40 hours ago in Durham. Syracuse was upset at HOME against BC in an Overtime heartbreaker 62-59. These two teams played a historic game on February 1st when the Orange beat the Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome 91-89 in an OT classic. This has already turned into a big rivalry now that Syracuse is in the ACC with Duke. As a Georgetown fan, it pains me to see Cuse in such a fun new rivalry. These are the two best coached teams in the country with the two best active coaches in the nation in Jim Boeheim and Mike Kryzewski. This game also showcases two of the best Freshman in the country (Tyler Ennis and Jabari Parker). Not to mention it has arguably the two best SF in the country in Jabari Parker and CJ Fair. Parker has to start playing better defense. He was poor defensively against UNC ON Thursday. Last time these two met up, Duke got into foul trouble and had a hard time stopping the Orange in the paint. I think Jerami Grant of Syracuse will have a big day. He leads the team in rebounds with 7.2 a game. Rodney Hood will have his hands full trying to guard these guys and will need help. Amile Jefferson will have to play well for Duke to be successful. I expect Marshall Plumlee to get some more minutes off the bench. This game has a tough act to follow after their last matchup and it will be hard to reach expectations.
My Pick: Syracuse 74 Duke 68
