College GameDay last stopped at Syracuse University for a basketball game in 2010, when the Orange hosted Villanova University in front of a record crowd of 34,616.

When SU takes on Duke University on Feb. 1, the ESPN pregame show will visit the Carrier Dome once again, this time in front of an expected sellout crowd of more than 35,012.

That would set a new record for attendance at an on campus basketball game.

Pete Sala, Carrier Dome managing director, said extra courtside and box seats have been added since last season. He said he doesn’t know the exact number of the expected attendance, but it will surpass last year’s sellout against Georgetown as the new highest attendance.

And while the game doesn’t tip off until 6:30 p.m., the festivities in the Carrier Dome will begin earlier that Saturday when ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from Syracuse for the first time in four years.

The pregame show features ESPN analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Jalen Rose, along with host Rece Davis. GameDay travels to a different college campus every Saturday during the second half of the season and broadcasts the day of the game.

Doors will open for College GameDay at 8 a.m. Feb. 1, Sala said. He said he’s expecting between 5,000 and 10,000 people to attend the broadcast that morning, adding that the lower level will be for students as well as the SU band, while the upper level will be for the public.

“We’re going to cap it at around 10,000, but that would be a home run to get to that number,” Sala said.

The public will have to leave at the end of the morning broadcast and come back for the game, but Sala said students can remain in the Dome until game time. If students want to leave and come back, they will receive a unique colored ticket.

Non-student season ticket holders will need a separate ticket for GameDay. Those tickets will be free and available at the Carrier Dome box office or at the Schine Student Center box office, Sala said.

The large gap between the show’s last visit and next Saturday’s visit provides added excitement for students already camping out for the game.

“We have a great basketball program but GameDay doesn’t come here very often,” said Ben Glidden, president of Otto’s Army. “I’m a senior and I’ve never seen it.”

Glidden said the student section is offering prizes to students who dress in costumes or bring posters or cutouts to the broadcast and the Duke game.

Two seniors from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry were setting up their tent in the bitter cold Wednesday evening in preparation for the game.

A.J. Murphy, a paper engineering major, and Nate Pucko, an environmental biology major, said GameDay added to the excitement for next Saturday’s matchup, but added that Duke coming to the Dome was the main attraction.

Regardless of their reason for attending, Glidden believes Feb. 1 will be a showcase for Orange fans.

“It’s great national exposure,” Glidden said. “It’s a great way for Otto’s Army to show that we’re a great student section. We can show off to an audience that loves college basketball.”

Published on January 23, 2014 at 1:27 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27