How Syracuse prepared for the biggest week in recent SU Athletics memory

The Carrier Dome will host eight events in a seven-day period this week.Five years ago, Syracuse’s first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Orange were riding an undefeated men’s basketball season and were the top-ranked team in the nation. SU left the Big East and yearly matchups with some of its most storied rivals, but in the docket for that weekend was a new threat: Duke.

Through the logistics and talks for the game, ESPN College GameDay’s presence and even the T-Shirts, Syracuse’s former Athletics Director Daryl Gross sensed the momentum, at the time.

The Orange would already welcome the largest on-campus basketball crowd in history, so why not aim for more?

“The Duke game would…