Boeheim and Patrick made a bet that if Syracuse beat Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and made the Elite Eight, Patrick had to host Boeheim's Gala.
The Jim and Juli Boeheim 17th annual "Basket Ball" Gala will be hosted this Saturday at the Turning Stone Casino. The event occurs every year and is a fundraiser for the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation. The Syracuse Orange players will be there and there will be a live auction with all proceeds going to their charity.
Last year, the event was hosted by Bob Costas and this year the event will be hosted by NBC's Dan Patrick. Patrick, a Dayton alum, made a bet with Boeheim that if Syracuse knocked off Patrick's Flyers and made the Elite Eight, he would host the event. Patrick touched on the fact that the Boeheims have wanted him to host for a number of years when he spoke to Brent Axe on Thursday:
"I thought, let's have a little fun with this. Instead of just saying no, how about we have a little bet on this because Dayton will beat Syracuse again and I won't have to go up and be the host of the event."
The Orange disposed of Patrick's Flyers, then easily knocked off cinderella story Middle Tennessee State. Patrick talked about his confidence:
"I thought I got Michigan State in the second round cleaning up the mess if Dayton doesn't beat Syracuse," Patrick said. "I'm feeling pretty good. Well, Syracuse beats Dayton and Middle Tennessee State beats Michigan State, now I'm starting to check the weather forecast for Syracuse, getting a little nervous. Now I got Gonzaga there and had Gonzaga going to the Elite Eight, so I'm pinning my hopes there."
We all know how that Gonzaga game ended, with Syracuse advancing to the Elite Eight. Juli Boeheim quickly reminded Patrick of their deal:
"I don't even think the game had ended when Juli had texted me to officially invite me," Patrick said.
Boeheim was interviewed by Patrick after the Gonzaga game and the win against Virginia in the Elite Eight:
The always-snarky Boeheim had this to say in the interview:
You're so lucky you get to come to Syracuse in April. It won't be snowing. What better present could you have than that?" Boeheim snarked. "We had Bob Costas last year, so we realize it's a little bit of a step down for us, but were still happy to have you here."
Finally, Patrick had some comments on Jim and Juli and their impact on the SU community.
"I think this is what Syracuse should be grateful for, that you have these two people that do care," Patrick said. "And care in this day and age where a coach goes to UNLV for 11 days then goes to Texas Tech after that. This is the wild, wild west now. You're lucky. There aren't many guys left like him (Jim Boeheim). The invested in the community. That tells you what Syracuse means to Jim and probably vice versa."
The "Basket Ball" Gala will be held at the Turning Stone Events Center on Saturday, April 30th.
