Although tip-off wasn't for another 30 hours, the hype leading up to the first ever ACC match-up between Syracuse and Duke made its way throughout campus when ESPN's College GameDay came to town.
Keri Potts, Brett Austin, Rece Davis and Jay Bilas kicked things off at 1 p.m at the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in the S.I. Newhouse School. It was one of two panels on the day presented by the Newhouse Sports Media Center, the other being a baseball panel with Jayson Stark and Tim Kurkijan. The four talked about their personal adventures in the world of sports and journalism as well as the intriciacies of the show.
"Some content for Gameday gets planned weeks in advance," Austin, a producer for GameDay, said. "It's easier than football because the schedule is announced early."
Bilas even joked that he almost went to Syracuse, but didn't like the cold.
Almost immediately after the panel, GameDay videographers gathered students camping at the Carrier Dome at the top of the hill at Crouse College with Otto the Orange. While chanting "Go Orange" and "Beat Duke," the students sled [20] down the hill with Otto.
The rest of the GameDay cast, Digger Phelps and Jalen Rose, talked to members of the media at the Carrier Dome, providing a little analysis of the highly-anticipated match-up.
Phelps and Rose agreed that SU freshman point guard Tyler Ennis [21] is something special, but the Blue Devils are on the rise over the last several games.
"Duke has rediscovered itself, especially its last two games," Phelps said. "They’re playing more aggressive, they’re defense is better, and they’re hitting the glass."
Phelps called the Orange "a team of spurts," highlighting the team's two games against the Miami Hurricanes. In those games, SU went on big runs late in the game to pull away and win.
"They find ways to come at you, sooner or later, where they just wear you down," he said.
Rose, an unbashed Ennis-supporter, thinks the Orange have established an identity to become and instant powerhouse in the ACC.
“The Duke Blue Devils, along with other ACC schools, kind of have allowed Syracuse to come and be the new bully on the block," Rose said. "And I think Coach K and Jabari Parker and their crew would love to come and try to get a win."
The pre-game hoopla isn't over yet, the ESPN College GameDay show itself kicks off at 10 a.m. EST and the SU-Duke game is set for tip-off at 6:30 EST.
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