Syracuse vs. Duke: Analyzing Orange Starters' Emoji Selections

As the Syracuse Orange took the court against the Duke Blue Devils on Monday night, you may have noticed ESPN's offbeat addition to the starting lineup images. Were you too nervous to notice? Here, a refresher:

Along with the usual information, ESPN also included each player's favorite emoji. While weird, it got us thinking about what each choice could be indicative of...

Michael Gbinije

Gbinije goes with the single-tear crying face, which could mean a lot of things. Perhaps he was sad to see Jim Boeheim serve a suspension. Maybe he's sad that he's almost done with college. Or that he doesn't always have a ton of scoring support. Could also be the tear drop shots he continually hits. Any of the above sound believable enough.

Trevor Cooney

Cooney goes with a palm tree, which is oddly fitting at first glance. Another fifth-year senior, Trevor could potentially be imagining the beach he'd typically be on for Spring Break. Or the simpler times in the Bahamas. Or the OTHER simpler times in Maui. Or it's a play on the word "beaches," and he's really just calling you all "bitches." If that's the one, let's blame that on Terry. Or Gerry. Or Tyler.

Malachi Richardson

An angry, blue (sort of purple) devil? WRONG TEAM, MALACHI. Somewhere in the dark corners of the internet, a rumor of him transferring to Duke rages based solely on this emoji choice.

Tyler Roberson

Thinking/contemplative emoji for Tyler. Obviously he was going through the mental paces of putting up 20 REBOUNDS against Duke. Could've also been thinking about all the other big games he's had against quality competition. Or thinking back to his brief stay in the Boeheim doghouse and being happy he's no longer there.

Dajuan Coleman

Stack of cash for DaJuan. NBA Draft dreams? Are the "Benjamins" a statement on how he wishes Andre 3000 hadn't gone on such an extended hiatus from music? Is he wishing college athletes got paid and picked this national platform to make that statement? I'll go with all of the above.

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So that's the team, but what about you, John/Jane Q. Syracuse fan? Assign yourself an ESPN player intro emoji below. And if you want, give them out to others too. Angry faces and beer are probably mine, so start there if you need a push.