Syracuse took the right step back to respectability last season, barely making March Madness with a First Four appearance after failing to make the postseason the year before.
With coach Jim Boeheim returning his core from last season, including one of the best backcourts in college basketball with junior Tyus Battle (a 6-foot-6 preseason All-American) and Frank Howard, Syracuse figures to not be sweating out a selection into the NCAA tournament come March.
The 16th-ranked Orange, who finished 23-14 after advancing to the Sweet 16, open their season at the Carrier Dome Tuesday against the Big Sky's Eastern Washington in the first game played between the two programs.