With ESPN College Gameday arriving at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Syracuse (18-8, 9-4 Atlantic Coast) will look to once again take down top-ranked Duke (23-3, 11-2), this time at home. In Saturday’s matchup, though, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones will be a full go for the Blue Devils.

SU-Duke matchups have always proven to be entertaining. Here are the five most iconic moments between the two since the Orange joined the ACC back in 2013.

Feb. 1, 2014 — No. 2 Syracuse outlasts No. 17 Duke in first-ever ACC matchup, in overtime

In their first-ever matchup since Syracuse joined the ACC, the game lived up to the hype. Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon pulled up right in front of Trevor Cooney behind the 3-point line and nailed a game-tying buzzer beater. The No. 17 Blue Devils forced overtime against the undefeated No. 2 Orange who were in the midst of a 20-game winning streak. But in that extra period, Rakeem Christmas blocked Rodney Hood’s dunk attempt with SU up one, Quinn Cook’s jumper missed from the right wing and Syracuse took home the win.

Said then-Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins on the win: “This is one of the greatest regular-season games, if not the greatest, I’ve ever been a part of.”

Feb. 22, 2014 — Jim Boeheim nearly rips off jacket on “bullsh*t” charge call by referee

With No. 1 Syracuse trailing by a pair to No. 5 Duke, C.J. Fair caught the ball on the left corner and burst by Tyler Thornton and down the baseline. Fair rose with Rodney Hood and laid the ball off the glass with just over 12 seconds left, only for it to be called back by the referee as a charge. Boeheim, visibly angry, ran down the court, nearly ripping off his jacket before throwing it back on. He screamed “bullsh*t” at the referee multiple times and picked up a technical foul before being ejected from the game.

“I just thought that was the worst call of the year. That’s all,” said Boeheim in 2014. “I just hate to see a game decided on that call.”

Duke would win the game, 66-60. Boeheim’s jacket would later be sold at an auction for $14,000 with all proceeds going to the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation.

Jan. 18, 2016 — Tyler Roberson has career night in Syracuse’s upset over No. 20 Duke

The infamous one-handed alley-oop slam from Tyler Roberson emphasized the night unranked Syracuse stunned No. 20 Duke, 64-62. Roberson recorded 20 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards en route to the win.

Duke had an opportunity to win, trailing by one on the final possession, but Grayson Allen’s shot with seven seconds left missed. Roberson, the hero of the night, tapped the ball out to Malachi Richardson to secure the eventual upset.

Feb. 22, 2017 — John Gillon banks in game-winner to pull off upset over No. 10 Duke

With five seconds left and Syracuse tied with No. 10 Duke, graduate transfer John Gillon caught a pass from Tyus Battle and pushed transition. He pulled up right in front of the big ‘S’ at midcourt in the Carrier Dome. With three defenders surrounding the 6-foot point guard, Gillon shot the ball.

Assistant coach Gerry McNamara knew it was going long screaming out “Bank!” The clock expired as the shot ricocheted off the backboard and in. SU fans stormed the court as the Orange players crowded Gillon by the scorer’s table. Gillon scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half as SU overcame a double-digit deficit and picked up its third top-10 win of the season, 78-75, over the Blue Devils.

Said Gillon on the game-winner: “I’m going to try and be a stone-cold killer every game.”

Jan. 14, 2019 — Syracuse pulls off monumental overtime upset over No. 1 Duke 

Coming off a 14-point loss to Georgia Tech inside the Carrier Dome, and on the back of a nonconference slate in which Syracuse dropped four games — a number it has never made the NCAA Tournament with — the Orange traveled south to take on No. 1 Duke. The Blue Devils started off on a 14-2 run but Tre Jones went down with an early injury, never to return.

That sparked a SU run on the back of Tyus Battle and Elijah Hughes, who scored 20 and 18 points, respectively, in the first half. Hughes added a three-quarter-court shot in the waning seconds of the first half to pull SU within one. Duke’s shooting struggles would ultimately give the Orange a much-needed, monumental upset. Paschal Chukwu added 10 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks in the win, as well.

“This,” Chukwu said, “is an unbelievable feeling.”

Published on February 20, 2019 at 11:24 pm

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco