The Syracuse basketball squad will host No. 1 Duke on Saturday, in a match-up that contains a lot of emotion for the SU community.
When the SU hoops outfit welcomes No. 1 Duke to town on Saturday night, it is expected that the Carrier Dome will break the NCAA’s attendance record for an on-campus affair. Yet something tells me that a feeling of emptiness will permeate throughout the arena.
At this juncture, we all know why that is. A fatal accident involving Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim earlier this week has shattered Central New York. Needless to say, my heart goes out to the victim and his family, as well as the Boeheim family. This is a tragic situation, without question.
ESPN officials, in a respectful move from my perspective, have decided to cancel their broadcast of College GameDay at the Dome, which would have aired from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Instead, the extremely popular show will originate from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn.
The duel between the ‘Cuse (18-8, 9-4) and the Blue Devils (23-3, 11-2) is still on, and ESPN will televise it on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m. There are a number of pivotal narratives in this encounter, so let’s take a look at some of them.
First and foremost, Boeheim will roam the sidelines on Saturday. Various media reports have said that he is understandably shaken up by the truly sad accident that involved him late Wednesday evening. Boeheim is a competitor, and I know that he doesn’t want to let his players and the Orange fan base down. Syracuse AD John Wildhack made it official early Friday afternoon that Orange head coach Jim Boeheim will resume his coaching responsibilities with this statement:
"“The Jimenez family has suffered a tremendous loss. Our community is shaken. The Boeheim family is heartbroken over what happened, as we all are. This is a very difficult time. I know that coach Boeheim’s players gain strength from him, just as he gains strength from his players. Our entire community gains strength from each other. With this in mind, and after thoughtful consideration, I have respectfully decided that coach Boeheim will resume his coaching duties later today and will coach in tomorrow night’s game against Duke. We continue to extend our deepest symphathies to the Jimenez family as they continue to mourn this tragic loss.”"
Secondly, Duke’s phenomenal freshman forward, Zion Williamson, will apparently not suit up versus SU. Williamson, the heavy favorite to capture every national player of the year award, suffered a Grade 1 right-knee sprain in the first minute of the Blue Devils’ home loss to No. 8 North Carolina on Wednesday. Per this press release from Duke’s athletics department, Williamson “is progressing as expected, and his status is day-to-day.”
I need to get this off my chest, after seeing a bunch of nonsense on social media in recent days. No one, Syracuse fans included, should wish for Williamson to have a prolonged injury. That lacks total integrity. What this fine young man encapsulates is something for which we should all strive, as Williamson is talented, passionate and, most importantly, humble. Plus, I guarantee that every member of the ‘Cuse roster wanted him in the line-up, so they could go head to head with the best of the best.
There is a revenge factor in this match-up, because SU squeaked by the Blue Devils in overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium in mid-January. Of course, I want our beloved Orange to prevail, however, it will prove quite challenging for Syracuse to knock off the top-ranked team in the land on consecutive attempts.
What’s more, Duke is likely a bit peeved after falling to its arch-rival, the Tar Heels. My gut tells me that SU will either rally behind its leader and shock the Blue Devils again, or Duke will absolutely crush the ‘Cuse. I’m hoping for option A.
Momentum is an intriguing facet here. The Blue Devils just got smoked by UNC, while the Orange pulled off an impressive 20-point domination of No. 18 Louisville this past Wednesday on the Hill. And, if we go back to last month, Syracuse experienced a lopsided defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech inside the Dome right before going to Durham, N.C., and surprising Duke. So the bottom line is that things appear a lot different now.
The Blue Devils are currently tied for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, and SU is in a tie for fourth place in the league race. Duke remains in the hunt for a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, while the ‘Cuse may cement a March Madness invite should it stun the Blue Devils. So much is at stake. The atmosphere will prove electric, and emotional. Let’s all enjoy this emerging rivalry. Simultaneously, let’s all keep those affected by Wednesday’s tragedy in our thoughts and in our prayers.