No. 7 Duke surges late to hold off Syracuse 88-79 in ACC

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No. 7 Duke began coach Mike Krzyzewski's final Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament with a tougher-than-expected 88-79 victory Thursday over ninth-seeded Syracuse, which was playing without suspended star Buddy Boeheim.

Wendell Moore Jr. scored 26 points and Jeremy Roach had 17 in the second half as top-seeded Duke (27-5) hung on to advance to Friday's semifinals at Barclays Center against the winner of Miami-Boston College.

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Coming off a jarring loss to end the regular season against North Carolina in Coach K's Cameron send off, Duke looked like a team still trying to find its March form.

The Blue Devils couldn't shake the Orange until they closed the game on a 10-0 run.

All-American Paolo Banchero made a tough shot in the lane with 2:13 left to put Duke up 82-79. Roach hit an open 3 about a minute later and Mark Williams' breakaway dunk made the lead eight with 48 second left.

The loss leaves Syracuse (16-17) with a losing record. With the NCAA Tournament out of the question and the NIT highly unlikely, the Orange are looking at their first sub-.500 season in 46 seasons under coach Jim Boeheim.

Syracuse's Jimmy Boeheim, right, drives against Duke's Wendell Moore Jr. (0) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game during quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament, Thursday, March 10, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Playing without ACC leading scorer Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse got a lift from from big brother Jimmy Boeheim, who scored a season-high 28 points and was 6 for 9 from 3.

Buddy Boeheim was suspended for the game by the conference for a