GU, Duke schedule dream matchup

Thu., May 11, 2006

By Steve Bergum steveb@spokesman.com

Duke and Gonzaga have made it official.

The two national men’s basketball powers have agreed to meet this winter on one of the greatest stages in all of sport – New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The nonconference matchup is set for Dec. 21, with a starting time to be determined and ticket information not yet available.

“This is a game we’ve been working on for a number of years,” GU athletic director Mike Roth said Tuesday. “It’s just been difficult to put together from the standpoint of trying to find a location and a date that would work for both institutions.

“And with the help of the folks at Madison Square Garden, we were able to do so for the upcoming season. We’re really excited about it.”

According to Eric Gelfand, vice president of public relations for Madison Square Garden, the time of the game will be set once television details are worked out.

“We usually start events around 7-ish, depending on TV,” Gelfand said. “But with a West Coast team involved, they might want to start a little later.

“We’re all excited about the matchup out here.”

This will be the first meeting between the two schools, which were ranked in or near the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll throughout all of last season.

Duke, coached by Mike Krzyzewsky, finished the season 32-4 before losing in the third round of the NCAA tournament. GU, coached by Mark Few, finished 29-4 and was eliminated in the third round of the NCAA tournament by UCLA.

Both teams have an abundance of returning talent and are expected to be ranked among the nation’s best this winter.

Gelfand said the Dec. 21 date was picked, in part, to give Duke and GU fans attending the game a chance to experience the Big Apple in its holiday splendor.

“We want fans from both schools to come and enjoy our city,” he said. “I hope Gonzaga’s fans travel well, because Duke’s do. They’ve played here many times. It’s like their home away from home.

“And this game, in particular, is going to be one that a lot of people are going to pay attention to.”

Roth said GU is hoping to charter an airplane for Bulldogs fans wishing to attend the game, but he is uncertain whether such a flight can be arranged. Roth said information on how fans can purchase tickets will be made public later.

While Duke has been a regular visitor there, the Zags will make only their second appearance in MSG. The first came on Nov. 14, 2003, when they lost to Saint Joseph’s 73-66 in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

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