In the wake of Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim killing 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez in a car accident late Wednesday night, ESPN is pulling its College GameDay broadcast from the school’s campus.
The broadcast was set to take place on Saturday before the Orange take on the Duke Blue Devils in primetime that night.
“Due to the recent tragedy, and after careful consideration due to the celebratory nature of the show, College GameDay will originate from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT this weekend, instead of at Syracuse,” the network wrote on Twitter. “We spoke with school officials and they understand the decision.”
Boeheim missed Thursday’s practice Syracuse director of athletics John Wildhack said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all those impacted by the tragic accident involving Coach Boeheim,” Wildhack said. “The Coach is heartbroken. Coach Boeheim met briefly with his team today but did not attend or participate in practice.”
As for the Duke/Syracuse game itself, it is bound to be an emotional affair due to the Boeheim situation and the uncertainty surrounding the status of Blue Devils star Zion Williamson.
“This one is really tough to read due to the emotions of this week,” according to college basketball insider Jeff Borzello. “There are questions about Zion Williamson’s availability, and there are questions about whether Jim Boeheim will coach. On the floor, though, Syracuse goes for the sweep of the Blue Devils. In the first meeting, it was sort of a perfect storm for Syracuse: Tre Jones injured after six minutes, Cam Reddish not playing, Duke going 9-for-43 from 3-point range. This time around, Williamson likely will be very limited even if he plays and the Blue Devils looked awfully vulnerable without him against North Carolina on Wednesday — at both ends of the floor. That said, I still don’t see Duke losing two in a row. There’s too much talent on that roster and they’ve now had a few days to adjust to life without Zion.”
While it is unknown how the tragedy will affect him personally, Boeheim is not expected to face any legal ramifications from the crash.
The 74-year-old coach has led Syracuse for 43 years, taken the program to five Final Fours, and won the national championship in 2003.
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