Coach K reveals who played key role in Duke's win over Syracuse

After suffering an upset loss to Florida State, Duke got back on track Saturday – recording a 79-59 win over Syracuse to improve to 15-3 overall with a 5-2 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils controlled the game from start to finish, building a 36-22 lead at halftime and going on to add 43 points to their side of the scoreboard in the second half to record the 20-point victory.

Following Duke’s win, head coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked about a player who played a key role for the Blue Devils in their win: Sophomore guard Jeremy Roach. Although he scored just six points, Roach added nine assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes of action – and that’s what Coach K liked to see.

“He’s had a great attitude,” Krzyzewski said of Roach. “He’s a good kid. He’s all team. There was a lot of pressure on him today because we kind of switched with him on top instead of going down. He had two great days of practice. I’m proud of him because he didn’t shoot well, but it didn’t affect his defense and his passing. That’s the sign of a really good player. We need him to keep doing it.”

Roach, a 6-foot-1, 172-pound guard who is a former On3 Consensus five-star recruit out of the Class of 2020, is averaging 8.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game for Duke.

Roach and the No. 6 ranked Blue Devils return to action Tuesday against Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Wendell Moore Jr. comments on Duke’s blowout win over Syracuse

No. 6 Duke didn’t leave much room for doubt in its 79-59 win over Syracuse on Saturday. Wendell Moore Jr. led the charge for the Blue Devils and spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game.

Moore had a huge day for Duke, putting up 15 points, six rebounds and eight assists. But he also got it done on the defensive end, holding Syracuse leading scorer Buddy Boeheim to seven points.

Moore said Duke talked about how much of a challenge it’d be to stop Boeheim, and he knew he had to give it his all to stop him.

“I knew it was going to be a tough assignment coming in,” Moore said. “We really mentioned it in scout, he’s one of the best scorers in the ACC, so I had a really tough challenge on my hands. I kind of took it personal and came out here and just gave it all I got.”

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.