With Georgetown coming to the Dome Saturday for one final Big East romp on the Hill, Orange Nation reminisces about some of the epic clashes these two have tangled over. Syracuse, or course, is¬†ACC bound next season and this year has been one long¬†”Greatest Hits” album.
A record 35,012 tickets have been sold for this Georgetown game. This surpasses the record 34,616 people for the game against Villanova in 2010.
While the Hoyas will still play SU, it’ll never have as much on the line when these two are in different conferences. So with the move, who will replace Syracuse‚Äôs biggest rival? Let’s go with¬†Duke.¬†Both the Blue Devils and Orange are soaked in basketball history. Duke is known for elite basketball and academics, a lot like SU.
Assuming Jim Boeheim sticks around past this season, seeing both Mike Krzyzewski and The Per’fesser on the sidelines against one another will be special. Both are private institutions. Both have been taken to new heights by their current Hall of Fame coaches in the early ’80s. Both have incredible home court advantages.
Villanova is also a tremendous rival SU loses. Who replaces the Wildcats? We say UNC.¬†Not only is it an academically strong school, but the Tar Heels are college basketball blue bloods. Roy Williams may never be Dean Smith, but he’s¬†a Hall of Fame coach as well, with a winning percentage just below 80%. He is a two-time national champion and a two-time AP Coach of the Year.
The rivalry between Syracuse and UConn isn‚Äôt really the same now that Kevin Ollie is at the helm and Jim Calhoun is enjoying retirement. For some, the Huskies replaced the most hated rival of SU since the ’90s.¬†These two teams are geographically close and both have have been the big dogs in the Big East. Depending on the season, the Orange and Huskies have battled for the top spot in the conference (and historic battles in the Big East Tourney).
Who replaces UConn? How about¬†Boston College.¬†These two held a rivalry when BC was a member of the Big East. Although BC has been disappointing since the days of Jared Dudley and Tyrese Rice, the Eagles will be the closest geographically. There’s also a ton of SU alums that live in the Boston area.¬†These are two very academically strong schools, too.
There’s no guarantee any of these matchups become as intense as the previous ones. But there is some hope that with Georgetown in town for one last conference roadie, the new chapter of SU rivalries will pick up where the old ones left off.
Posted: Austin Pollack
Who do you think will become SU’s biggest rivals in the future?
