Phil D’Abbraccio (20-8): Duke 81, Syracuse 74
Back down to Earth — and lower
The cloud-nine feeling that Syracuse experienced after beating top 15 teams in Louisville and Notre Dame didn’t stick around for too long. The Orange will compete, as it has in nearly every game over the last month and a half, but the Cameron Indoor Stadium environment swallows up whatever the Blue Devils themselves don’t. Jahlil Okafor gets the best of Rakeem Christmas again, Quinn Cook locks down Michael Gbinije like he did in the second half on Feb. 14, and a banged-up Trevor Cooney can’t match what Duke’s plethora of shooters can do. But we’ll be entertained.

Jesse Dougherty (21-7): Duke 74, Syracuse 66
Nothing too crazy
Syracuse is capable of playing any team down to the wire. It’s proven that much in the last month or so. But if the Orange couldn’t keep pace with Duke in the Carrier Dome, it is bound to suffer a similar fate in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Christmas will have a better game than he did in Syracuse two weeks ago but Gbinije won’t match the offensive production that kept SU in that game. In the end, expect the Blue Devils backcourt to slice into the zone and for the whole team to benefit in one way or another.

Jacob Klinger (22-6): Duke 78, Syracuse 65
Highway to hell
The trip down Tobacco Road is a long, fiery and ultimately a losing one for Syracuse. And while the good feelings from the Orange’s recent upsets should give the team and its fans confidence, there’s not much reason to expect Christmas is going to win his rematch with Okafor or that Cooney can give SU a 40-minute performance. Instead, expect memories of Syracuse’s last trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium – just more hellish because the team’s not as good.