Syracuse Basketball: The lesser of two “evils”: SU or Duke?

This juicy Sweet 16 encounter pitting Syracuse Basketball against the mighty Blue Devils features HoF head coaches and two relatively disliked programs.

For years, Duke has served as perhaps the most-hated hoops team in the land, unless of course you’re an alum or fan of the Blue Devils.

Led by boss Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest coach in Division I men’s basketball history, Duke during his tenure has claimed five national championships and reached 12 Final Fours.

So that level of achievements clearly irritates a lot of folks. Okay, fine, I get it.

Furthermore, to many, the Blue Devils represent a bunch of spoiled rich kids, some of whom are thought to have played “dirty” throughout their careers. I won’t name names here, because I actually respect Krzyzewski and his crew for their sustained success.

Honestly, haters are always gonna hate, and usually it’s due to jealousy or their own securities.

Switching gears to SU, my beloved Orange has certainly attained a strong amount of accomplishments, too. Head coach Jim Boeheim, similar to his dear friend Krzyzewski, has accumulated more than 1,000 victories in his 42 years on the Hill.

Screw you, NCAA.

JB also has secured a national title and advanced to five Final Fours. Additionally, and more recently, Boeheim & Co. are 7-1 in the Big Dance as a double-digit seed, which is tops all-time in

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that category, from what I’ve read online and seen on television over the past few days.

So my alma mater (that’s the ‘Cuse) hasn’t compiled a March Madness resume on par with Duke, but the Orange has done pretty darn well.

The gripe against Syracuse, from commentators and a myriad of other fan bases, is that we didn’t belong in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, and the same holds true this go-round.

Differing opinions are welcome, and there are valid arguments on both sides of the coin as to whether SU should have received invites in 2016 and 2018.

But the ‘Cuse got in, departing on a miraculous Final Four run two stanzas ago. And, in present circumstances, Syracuse parlayed being the last group into the field of 68 all the way to the Sweet 16.

A No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region, we defeated fellow No. 11 seed Arizona State, No. 6 seed TCU, and then No. 3 seed – and serious championship contender – Michigan State.

Even if we shouldn’t have gotten in these past two instances, we surely made the most of them. From what I’ve gleaned on Twitter since the beating of Sparty, that makes tons of people around the country despise SU (23-13) even more.

I love it. Take your whining somewhere else. We’re still dancing.

While the Sweet 16 is undeniably fabulous, progressing to the Elite Eight will prove ridiculously tough.

Our 2-3 zone clearly perplexed our previous three opponents, however, the No. 2 seed Blue Devils (28-7) won’t have that issue. For one, Duke is quite familiar with us, because we both compete in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference.

Secondly, for a decent part of the 2017-18 campaign, the Blue Devils have assimilated in a zone defense themselves.

Thirdly, Duke smoked the Orange, 60-44, in February at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

When these universities do battle this Friday night in Omaha, Neb., of course the ‘Cuse will want to exact revenge on the Blue Devils.

I will cheer like crazy for my boys, and I’m proud of them no matter what happens.

If you’re not a fanatic of either school, for which one will you root?

You hate them both, right?

Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 5 reasons Cuse can win National Championship

Alas, I take pure joy in reminding you of this: regardless of the result, one of these storied, patently disliked outfits will soon participate in the Elite Eight.

I’m hopeful that it’s Syracuse.

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