So it turns out Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski have something else in common, besides being Hall of Fame coaches, besides having won Olympic gold medals together, besides having virtually created the basketball programs they’re currently coaching.

They’re also unhappy with their fans.

Boeheim complained about a lack of enthusiasm from the fans earlier this season and was seen waving his arms during a game to try to elicit a little more noise. Krzyzewski meanwhile took it a step further and went after the Cameron Crazies, also during a game, for their over-abundance of enthusiasm during the Pitt game Tuesday night. 

So what does this tell us, that the two 70-plus year old titans are turning into grumpy old men? Or are they under more stress than ever during this uniquely unpredictable college basketball season where no lead and no favorite is safe?

Either way, there should be no complaints about the fans this weekend when the Blue Devils make their fifth Dome appearance since the Orange joined the ACC.  More than 31,000 tickets had already been sold as of the middle of the week which means the Dukies will be 5-for-5 in drawing 30k-plus. In fact, the three largest crowds in SU history are all Duke games with last February’s matchup sitting on top at an NCAA-record 35,642.

So it begs the question - has this equaled or surpassed SU’s rivalry with Georgetown in just its seventh season of existence?

“They’re nothing like Georgetown-Syracuse,” said Syracuse sophomore Buddy Boeheim. “Old Big East, those were battles.” But, he says, it’s similar in the amount of hype.  What’s missing right now is the hatred, and maybe the Blue Devils will never be as reviled around here as the Hoyas were. But right now it’s the closest thing we have to a big-time rivalry, partly because of the head coaches’ connection, partly because of the “North vs South” thing, and partly because the games have been epic and fairly even. 

In the ten games they’ve played as ACC rivals, Syracuse has won four.  And of SU’s four wins, two have been at Cameron Indoor, two were in overtime, one was by two points, and one was by three on John Gillon’s famous buzzer-beating bank shot.  It’s become the game of the year in Syracuse and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

So what to expect this Saturday when the new/old rivals reunite?  Don’t be fooled by the records or the rankings.  Three of SU’s four wins in the series are upsets, including last season’s win over then-No. 1 Duke on the road.  So the number 9 in front of the Blue Devils on your TV screen won’t mean anything this weekend.  And both teams are playing well, the Orange having won five of their last six and Duke righting the ship after losing back-to-back games. 

It should be another epic night and Orange fans lucky enough to be there better be ready to provide a home-court advantage.

You wouldn’t want to make coach mad, would you?