Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Blue Devils routed the Orange ahead of a showdown with No. 1 Michigan.
Police say Syracuse men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a 51-year-old man walking outside his vehicle on a highway.
With swingman Cameron Reddish out with an illness and point guard Tre Jones suffering a shoulder injury roughly 5½ minutes in, Duke was down two starters and was a completely different team - and the Orange took full advantage.
Early in the second half, Mike Krzyzewski tore off his jacket and threw it to the floor, calling a timeout after Syracuse scored two quick baskets to trim its deficit to three. The move fired up the Blue Devils, who squeezed past the Orange and into the Elite Eight.
No. 2 seed Duke survived an upset bid by Syracuse on Friday night and advanced to the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight.
Theo Pinson scored a career-high 23 points, Joel Berry II added 18, including the tiebreaking layup with 1:36 left, and No. 10 North Carolina held off Syracuse 78-74 on Wednesday night.