This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Over the summer, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak received a phone call from ESPN.
How would you like, a network representative asked, to play at Madison Square Garden in New York City on ESPN against a national powerhouse? And what if that powerhouse was Duke, and you had the chance to win over the team that eliminated you from last season's NCAA Tournament?
Krystkowiak said no.
"I thought we had enough on our plate with our schedule," he said earlier this week. "We've got a long way to fly, there's a lot of things to take into consideration. It's certainly not a no-brainer, like, 'Yeah, we've got to do it.' "
Over the following days, Krystkowiak got to thinking: Many of his players (and some of his staff) have never been to New York, much less the Garden. The Blue Devils beat Utah last year, but Krystkowiak has affinity for Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball's all-time wins leader?
He called ESPN back. Maybe the Utes couldn't pass it up after all.
Krystkowiak's reversal set up Saturday's showdown at MSG with No. 7 Duke, the marquee game of Utah's nonconference schedule. While the Utes (8-2) want to win, the reason Krystkowiak said yes is for the experience as much as the competition.
With a cross-country flight on Thursday, practice on Friday and the game on Saturday (under the title "Ameritas Insurance Classic"), there won't be much time for extracurricular activity. But the Utes will try their best to soak it all in.
Maybe the biggest thrill factor will be the venue itself.
"They say that's the Mecca of basketball," sophomore forward Kyle Kuzma said. "Growing up, if you're a basketball fan, you know the Garden and you know how much that means."
Beyond being the home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden has its share of college basketball: It's the home court for the St. John's Red Storm, and it plays host to a number of early season tournaments such as the 2K Classic and the Jimmy V Classic. MSG also hosts the Big East Tournament and the final rounds of the NIT.
Executive vice president Joel Fisher, himself a former college basketball player at Union College (N.Y.), said the Garden has no problem selling tickets for NCAA hoops.
"There's a tremendous base of overall basketball fans here," he said. "We work extremely hard to put together good matchups that put people in the building and really draw them in. We have a lot of strong alumni bases in New York City, so we're expecting to see a great turnout on Saturday."
One of the city's strongest college bases is Duke: The Garden hosts a nonconference game featuring the Blue Devils every other year. But Duke is often at the Garden anyway early in the season: The team won the 2K Classic earlier this year. Under Krzyzewski, Duke is 28-8 there, and already 2-0 this season.
For the Utes, the experience will be much more unique. They got a taste of what it would be like last year at NRG Stadium, when Blue Devil fans were the dominant presence in the Sweet 16 in Houston.
But the Garden has its own rich folklore: Willis Reed came out on one leg for Game 7. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier pounded each other in 1971. Wayne Gretzky retired there in 1999. Syracuse beat UConn in six overtimes in 2009 in the Big East Tournament. As the city recovered from the 9/11 attacks and the Hurricane Sandy disaster, it hosted televised benefits at the Garden.
"I think all of us who work here realize we're extremely lucky to work in a magical place," Fisher said. "Every day I step into that arena, I pinch myself."
The Utes have a Friday practice at MSG to get all the pinches out of their system. They'll also have limited opportunities leading up to the game to spend time in New York and perhaps see the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center site, or a decked-out-for-Christmas Rockefeller Center. Several Utes, including Jordan Loveridge and Jakob Poeltl, will be meeting their families there and squeezing in holiday time.
The game also represents another chance for Utah to play Krzyzewski and Duke. From an NCAA Tournament résumé perspective, losing the game wouldn't be a huge dent. But it would be a huge boost if the Utes can pull off the upset.
It made some sense after all; while the challenge of facing Duke hasn't diminished, Krystkowiak doesn't regret changing his mind.
"After sleeping a couple nights on it, no one had taken the game," he said. "I called them back and said, 'Yeah, maybe we're up for it.' "
On Saturday, the Utes will find out.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah vs. Duke
P At Madison Square Garden, New York
Saturday, 10 a.m. MST
TV • ESPN