Duke vs Syracuse – Crash Course

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Every year, SU students go absolutely nuts for the Syracuse vs Duke basketball game. It’s like the Clemson vs Syracuse football game…but for basketball. The hype for both are nearly the same. Rumor goes that people will be tailgating. In the cold. Definitely bold. 

But why does the Duke game get all the hype? What’s so special about this rivalry? Well, if you weren’t aware of the history, here’s a crash course. 

Ever since meeting in the 1966 NCAA tournament finals, SU and Duke have faced off 15 times since then. Because Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke head coach) are some of the most decorated basketball coaches of all time, their comparison sparked conversation, and thus a rivalry was born. 

The schools rarely played each other with the exception of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in March (a.k.a. March Madness), since SU was in the Big East Conference and Duke was in the Atlantic Coast Conference. But in 2013 SU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference, and these two decorated coaches were seen as the best of the best. 

Each year the game delivers entertainment. In 2014, SU was ranked #1, but was defeated by Duke who was ranked 5th. Boeheim also got ejected from the game for…interesting actions and words thrown at the refs. In 2017, SU won against Duke in a buzzer beater. In 2019, SU beat Duke, who was ranked #1 at the time, in overtime. Violated the Blue Devils in their own stadium. 

So there’s clearly a rival history, and it helps that the teams put on a show nearly every time they see each other. The hype mentioned earlier revolves around many things, the most important being the two coaches and edging on more of a competition, as well as the quality of the game itself. If you’re going to see a basketball game, it at least better be an entertaining one to watch, and it seems as though the Duke vs SU game delivers every year. 

As a Syracuse student, it’s almost insulting if you don’t try to get in the Duke vs SU game. It’s the basketball game of the year, the only one you’re supposed to go to (if you’re not really into sports). But the hype is always fun when the energy is the same spread through the Carrier Dome. 

Here’s your sign to get your tickets and park yourself in the student section. Have a shitty seat? Who cares? At least you’re there for the ride, and, hey, the jumbo-tron always shows all the action. So go get your tickets and feed into the rivalry. 

Source: https://www.rookieroad.com/basketball/syracuse-orange-vs-duke-blue-devils-basketball-rivalry/