“Jerami Grant scored eight points in overtime to finish with a career-high 24 and Jim Boeheim’s No. 2 Syracuse stayed unbeaten, topping Mike Krzyzewski’s No. 17 Duke 91-89 on Saturday in a matchup of the two winningest coaches in Division I history. The Orange withstood a tying 3-pointer in regulation and won before a Carrier Dome record crowd of 35,446.”
– John Kekis, Associated Press
“We’ve had a lot of games in here that have been great, but there’s never been a game as good as this one”
– Jim Boeheim, Syracuse coach
“Few sporting events actually live up to the hype, but this one delivered and then some.”
– Kerry Miller, College Basketball National Columnist
“Syracuse’s vaunted 2-3 zone and its frontcourt length proved difficult for Duke, particularly when it tried to do anything besides kicking it inside and back out for a three-pointer. But the Blue Devils’ outside shooting has been strong lately, and it kept them in the game.”
– Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports
“It will go down in history as one of the most epic games ever at the Carrier Dome. The first Atlantic Coast Conference meeting between Syracuse and Duke will join Pearl’s halfcourt shot, John Thompson’s ejection and Gerry McNamara’s final home game in the memory banks of Syracuse fans for generations to come.”
– Mike Waters, Syracuse.com
“The good news for Syracuse fans is that there aren’t a number of teams out there with elite 3-point shooting like Duke. But, in a one-and-done atmosphere of the NCAA Tournament, all it takes is one good shooting performance from a challenger to spring an upset.”
– Roger Kuznia, Sporting News
“Syracuse wins game. College basketball wins the day. Heckuva effort out of Duke. Really impressed with that team.”
– Dana O’Neil, ESPN
“Focusing strictly on who ended up winning this game would belie a bigger point: what we saw at the Carrier Dome on Saturday was two teams capable of making the Final Four in Arlington playing about as well as they can play.”
– Rob Dauster, NBC Sports
“One of the top 5 games I have done in my 35 years.”
– Dick Vitale, ESPN announcer
“The real winner Saturday night, however, is the ACC itself. With the struggles this season of traditional power North Carolina, and many other of the conference’s traditional programs not hitting their mark this season, the conference needed a bit of a shot in the arm and Saturday’s game at the Carrier Dome certainly provided that.”
– Ed Morgans, ACC Basketball Writer for RantSports.com