Duke officially got long-time head Mike Krzyzewski to be the winningest coach in college basketball history after getting 1,000 wins. One day very soon Jim Boeheim will join him as these two face off again in what has been a thrilling rivalry over the years. Krzyzewski has 1,004 wins on his career while Boeheim is at 964 and still going. Duke remains at No. 4 while Syracuse has hit a slow patch in their season, but the game on Saturday is expected to be as heated as ever.
Duke will rely on their size in this game as Jahlil Okafor has been dominating inside for the Blue Devils. Okafor currently ranks second in the nation with a 66.5 field goal percentage. He has reached double figures in points in all 24 games he has played in which breaks the streak by Duke freshman. The big man is currently averaging 18.0 points per game alongside Christmas as they rank second in the conference in that stat. Christmas is the big for Syracuse who will go head-to-head with Okafor. The senior has been enjoying success in his final year after averaging just 5.8 points per game.
Syracuse has certainly been enjoying the improvement of Christmas in his senior year as he averages 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He helped get the win over Boston College while being limited to just seven points. Meanwhile Syracuse ranks second in the ACC with 8.5 steals per game and put up nine Wednesday thanks to Michael Gbinije who scored 21 points while averaging 19.5 in his last four. He is making up for the scoring drought of Christmas. The senior could have another tough game as Okafor has been focused on defense lately and will likely be matched up with Christmas. He did not take a shot in the first half against Florida State, but finished with 13 points after making all five in the second half.
