UConn and Syracuse both held their ends of the bargain, and we end up with the best Thanksgiving Day rivalry game of all when the Huskies and Orange meet at 3:30 p.m. in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal game.

On ESPN!

Only three current UConn players (Omar Calhoun, Amida Brimah and Phil Nolan) have experienced the Husky-Orange rivalry first-hand. But the ones who haven't are looking forward to it.

Rodney Purvis had the best quote:

"It's definitely a huge game. I remember being in high school when the went into, like, five or six overtimes. My mom let me stay up and watch that game. I'm happy to be a part of this game tomorrow. It should be a really good game."

As for Jim Boeheim? Well, I understand a coach might not want to talk about an opponent he doesn't even know he's facing yet, so he wouldn't discuss UConn after his Wednesday afternoon win over Charlotte. Still, I thought he might at least comment on how special it might be to meet up with the Huskies again. Instead, I got a "you guys" from him:



So, apparently, "us guys" -- the media -- are the only ones who wanted to see this game. Not the fans. Not ESPN. Not anyone here at the tournament. Just "us guys."

Oh, and as for Wednesday's win over Michigan? Impressive. Very impressive.

Here's Sam Cassell, Jr. talking about his breakout game.