Kudos to Mr. Forde, pain in the rear that he is, for finally recognizing he might have been just a wee off base last year when he omitted Syracuse-Georgetown from his list of red-hot rivalries that included Seton Hall-Rutgers. Forde tells Mike Waters that he heard from plenty of folks about it, more Cuse fans than G'town fans (which tells you everything you need to know about the two fanbases).
"The criticism, while over the top, was certainly fair,’’ Forde said. "I’m big enough to admit that’s bigger than Rutgers-Seton Hall.’’
You think we were over the top before? Seton Hall-Rutgers is still ahead...we've not yet begun to defile ourselves.
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Well, this is it. Every reason you bought Syracuse basketball season tickets rolled up into one game. Nationally-ranked Syracuse hosting nationally-ranked Georgetown on Big Monday. This might even be the entire reason you came to Syracuse in the first place (Hell, there are hilarious blogs and Twitterfeeds dedicated solely to this very event).
Academics? Whatever. Ten years from now you won't remember 99% of the things they tell you in those classrooms (trust me). But you'll remember where you were in the stands for this one. (You might even remember where you camped out beforehand).
You'll remember the jitters before the game. You'll remember getting way too excited about a bunch of guys running onto the floor. You'll remember high-fiving a stranger at some point. Or maybe ten. You'll remember telling a referee to do something with his genitalia that is physically impossible. You'll remember how you only sat down once or twice over the course of two-plus hours. You'll remember how sore your throat felt afterward. And, God willing, you'll remember how good it felt to win this one, above all others.
Before you create those memories, of course, it's worth noting a few rules of the road to make your journey that much more enjoyable.
DO scream, yell, boast, sing, chant, boo, cheer and make noise. Just like Scoop's job is to bring up the ball and not foul on three-point attempts, your job is to make noise.
DO NOT let someone sitting behind you tell you to sit down because you're blocking their view. That's their problem.
DO wear orange. Like, a lot of orange. A seriously obscene amount of orange. And maybe a little blue. But mostly orange. NO BURGUNDY.
DO NOT wear even a hint of gray. Not a hint. I don't care if its a gray Syracuse t-shirt with orange lettering, that is T-SHIRTA NON GRATA.
DO verbally volley with the Georgetown fans. If you hear a chant going up from their section, by God, drown those suckers out. No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and out-louds us. Especially them.
DO NOT throw items, liquid or otherwise, at them. Let's stay classy. We're not West Virginia fans, right?
DO go nuts if Syracuse wins. Jump up and down. Hug. Cheer. Run out the Dome. Do cartwheels on the Quad. Head to Marshall Street. Defile yourself at will.
DO NOT storm the court. Now, I'm not a Court Storm Nazi. There's plenty of those out there. Too many, really. There are acceptable times to storm the court (in my humble opinion) but this is not one of them. Nor is any game this season. I think we're all on the same page with this...just needs to be noted.
All of the Syracuse-Georgetown hatey goodness you can handle below. Get previewed, get ready and get friggin' jacked. It's Syracuse vs. Georgetown!!!
30 years of hate: With tonight's game, fierce rivalry turns three decades old...Tyler Dunne, Daily Orange
Hoya Night – Cranked Up To 11...CuseOrange
Your Mother is a Hoya...Orange Fizz
Your Hoya Hating Primer...Orange44
Georgetown - Syracuse Preview or Destroya The Hoya!...Orange44
Welcome to Boeheimberg...HoyaSuxa
How-To: Destroya the Hoya...HoyaSuxa
Orange Scouting Report: Georgetown at Syracuse...Mike Waters
Syracuse-Georgetown men's basketball rivalry resumes in the Carrier Dome...Mike Waters
Mike's Mailbag: When was the last time SU swept Georgetown?...Mike Waters
The Orange basketball bandwagon is bulging with the faithful, but you already knew that...Bud Poliquin
We Are Georgetown and You’re Not: Syracuse Special Edition...Vox Populi
Georgetown-Syracuse: a rivalry for the ages, and a new generation...Liz Clarke, Washington Post
Georgetown-Syracuse: a rivalry's greatest hits...Washington Post
Gary Parrish and his fauxhawk preview the SU-Georgetown game.
The D.O.'s Tyler Dunne and Conor Orr preview the SU-Georgetown game.