Written by Chris Carlson at Syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y. — In just four seasons, the Syracuse and Duke basketball series has piled up memorable moments. There was overtime in their first ACC meeting, and there was Jim Boeheim tossing his sport coat and there was Wednesday night, when the never-say-die Orange moved closer to an NCAA Tournament bid with yet another comeback and yet another buzzer-beating game-winner from point guard John Gillon.
Students camp outside in Syracuse winters in order to get the best seats when the teams meet. The game that hasn’t drawn fewer than 30,000 fans to the Carrier Dome. The series is now tied at 3 since Syracuse joined the conference.
The sixth ACC game between the two featured the Syracuse crowd spitting venom at guard Grayson Allen and Jayson Tatum shushing the Carrier Dome crowd after a big jumper.
When it was over, the Syracuse student body rushed the court, knocking down chairs as they hurried to celebrate a 78-75 win.
In the face of all that, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski tossed some cold water on the idea that the two programs are on the verge of blooming into rivals.
“I don’t think it’s a rivalry,” Krzyzewski said. “I think every game in this league, everybody has a rivalry with us. Everybody wants to beat us. It’s been that way for 25 years. That’s the human nature I live in. I have to be ready for that, and I have to have my teams ready for that.”
Perhaps part of the reason Krzyzewski feels this way, he admitted, is his affinity for Boeheim. Late in his press conference Krzyzewski, largely unprompted, offered praise and appreciation for his Olympic assistant.
“I love Syracuse and obviously I love Jim and his family,” Krzyzewski said. “Congratulations to him. You don’t know what a treasure you have with him. … He’s brilliant, competitive, loyal and he doesn’t need his ego scratched. He’s humble. I love the guy and I’ll be forever grateful for him. It’s hard for me to think of a rivalry with Jim or Syracuse.”
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