Syracuse Basketball: Top 3 games at the Carrier Dome

Syracuse 91, Duke 89 in OT.

This was a religious experience.

The game was a culmination of so much history.

On the sidelines were the legends Coach K and Jim Boeheim, the two winningest coaches in college basketball history.

Syracuse, after defining the Big East Conference for decades, had just moved to the ACC, which of course had forever dominant Duke and its 5 national championships, 12 final fours and 15 ACC Tournament wins as its poster child.

For the first time, Syracuse basketball was hosting the Blue Devils in the Carrier Dome.

It was the 76th time a Syracuse basketball game drew more than 30,000 fans to the Dome, and at 35,446, the game set a new on-campus record for attendance at any college basketball game in history.

Both teams were ranked in the top 20. Syracuse, No. 2, was undefeated at 20-0.

Former Miss America and Syracuse alumni Vanessa Williams sang the National Anthem.

There couldn’t be a more perfect setup for a game.

I knew this was the ultimate game, with Orange pride resting in the balance.

In Central New York, this is what we have. Syracuse Basketball. And we weren’t going to let Duke come into the Dome and beat us. Not this first time.

I was compelled to come back to Syracuse from my home in Milwaukee to be there, and brought my father and son, three generations of Orange fans.

The buzz in the Dome was unreal, the hallways packed pre-game. Even the band and cheerleaders were next-level good. It was special.

And then, the game was even better than the hype.

When you play a team you respect/fear/loathe as much as Duke, every possession carries so much weight.

Syracuse basketball went at Duke in the paint. We took only 4 three-pointers all game, making 3 (guard Trevor Cooney connected on 2 of them, to deafening roars).

Duke took on the Orange zone with a steady diet of long-range bombs. The Blue Devils attempted 36 threes, making a frightening 15 of them.

The game was back and forth all day, and went to overtime.

‘Cuse shot 57.4% from the field overall, led by our forwards CJ Fair (who played all 45 minutes) and Jerami Grant, who combined for 52 points.

Five Duke players, including future NBA players Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood, scored 14 or more points each.

In the overtime, Syracuse basketball outscored Duke 13-11. We won.

It was the loudest game I’ve ever been to. The sound, a mix of joy and anxiety, with eruptions for every big basket or rebound and groans for every Duke 3, created an atmosphere I cannot imagine will ever be surpassed.

Syracuse became No. 1 in the country and held it for three weeks after the victory.

In truth, there was so much anticipation and energy towards this game, I don’t think the team was the same for the rest of the season. We were justifiably spent, and lost six of nine down the stretch.

But beating Duke that day, was worth it.

A couple of years later in the Milwaukee airport, I ran into our freshman point guard from that game, Tyler Ennis, who had played 40 minutes, scored 14 points, was 8-8 from the free-throw line and committed only two turnovers against that manic Duke defense. Of course, I was wearing my Syracuse cap, and I thanked Ennis for beating Duke that day. He smiled.

The game in full: