John Gillon banks in buzzer-beater, Syracuse upsets Duke (Video)

Syracuse’s back was against the wall. It came into Wednesday’s game against Duke having lost three in a row. It went into halftime down eight, and with a road trip to Louisville looming over the weekend, the Orange were staring a five-game losing streak in the face.

Then came the comeback. Then came the hero.

John Gillon banked in an off-balance, buzzer-beating 30-footer to beat the Blue Devils and likely send Syracuse to the NCAA tournament.

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Syracuse fans immediately filled the Carrier Dome court. Over 30,000 of them, packed to the ceiling in the upper deck, were in attendance for the showdown with Duke, and if given the choice, all of them probably would have found their way onto the floor to join the hundreds that did.

Gillon had to be dragged away from the chaotic celebrations for his postgame interview. Asked about his mindset down the stretch, Gillon said, “My mindset was that I’m unstoppable.”

Syracuse trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, but stormed back early in the second to take the lead with just under 13 minutes to play. The two teams went back and forth over the final quarter of the game.

Duke had the ball and a fresh shot clock with 37 seconds remaining, but missed its shot. Syracuse rather casually got the ball to Gillon, who then sped up the floor and hit the leaning 30-footer.

Gillon, who has been as crucial as any player for the Orange during their resurgence in ACC play, scored 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting to secure a massive 78-75 victory over the 10th-ranked Blue Devils.

Gillon is also a remarkable story. He is playing for his third college program. Originally from Houston, he enrolled at Arkansas-Little Rock in 2012, played one season, then transferred to Colorado State. After sitting out a year, he played two seasons for the Rams, then took advantage of the graduate transfer rule to make the jump to Syracuse.

Gillon was erratic early in the season, but has been invaluable for Jim Boeheim’s team over the past month. He’s played at least 35 minutes in each of the past eight games, and is second in the ACC with an assist rate of 33.2.

Wednesday also wasn’t the first time Gillon had played the role of hero. He scored an incredible 43 points against NC State, and led Syracuse back from a double-digit deficit. He hit a 3 on the final play of regulation that night to send the game against the Wolfpack to OT, where the Orange would eventually win it.

Gillon’s shot Wednesday night was even more important, though. Syracuse came into the night sitting squarely on the bubble. A win over a top-10 team — the Orange’s third against the five best teams in the ACC — should see them into the NCAA tournament.