Syracuse easily took care of its two exhibition foes, beating Division II schools Le Moyne and Kutztown by a combined score of 187-108. The season-opener doesn't figure to be so easy.
The No. 10 Orange host Northern Iowa on Friday night in the Carrier Dome in a matchup featuring teams that reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament in March.
''They're going to be excited to be here and have a chance of winning just like we think we have a chance of winning,'' Syracuse forward Kris Joseph said. ''It's going to be tough, but I think we're ready. We've been working extremely hard. Coach has been pounding in our minds that we have to do well. Every day we come to practice like it's a game. I think we're going to be ready for whatever the season has to offer. It's going to be a good test for us.''
Northern Iowa used the NCAA tournament as its own playground last spring, stunning Kansas, the overall No. 1 seed, on Ali Farokhmanesh's gutsy 3-pointer. The Panthers fell to Michigan State in the next round, and while the memory of that brief run will never fade, the team that enters the Carrier Dome will have a much different look.
Farokhmanesh and two other starters - Missouri Valley player of the year Adam Koch and 7-foot center Jordan Eglseder - have departed, and eight true or redshirt freshmen are on the roster. Still, coach Ben Jacobson is aiming for the school's sixth NCAA tournament bid in eight years and will use a tough defense to try to attain that goal.
Northern Iowa has been one of the top defensive teams in the nation over the past two seasons. The Panthers allowed just 55.1 points per game in 2009-10.
''We have a lot ahead of us,'' Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. ''Northern Iowa is a very, very good basketball team. It's a great opening night. We've prepared for them. We're looking forward to the challenge. At this stage, we've made pretty good progress and we'll be ready.''
Defending the Orange doesn't figure to be so easy. Syracuse led the nation in shooting last year, and it might have an even stronger team than the one that captured the Big East regular-season title and won 30 games in 2009-10 before losing to national runner-up Butler in the NCAA tournament.
''We face a tremendous challenge, especially when you consider that it's our opener,'' Jacobson said. ''We know how big Syracuse is. We got a chance to see some of their exhibition play. They've got a lot of experience, and they're a team with quality depth. They've got a lot of guys that can make plays, and a lot of guys that can make shots. That presents a real challenge to defend at a high level.''
Syracuse lost Big East player of the year Wes Johnson, guard Andy Rautins, and center Arinze Onuaku - a trio that provided valuable leadership and plenty of scoring and rebounding. The Orange have restocked with an incoming freshman class that has looked impressive: 7-foot center Fab Melo, guards Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair, and 6-10 center Baye Moussa Keita. Joseph and guard Scoop Jardine, a dominant duo off the bench last season, are in the starting lineup this year and ready to assume the mantle of leadership, as is 6-foot-9 forward Rick Jackson, the lone senior.
''It's great to have all these young guys here because it really helps,'' Jardine said. ''A new group of young guys is hard to put together, but these guys already know what their role is and they catch on quick. We've got a lot of talent. We've actually got more talent than we did last year, and with that talent, all we have to do is follow coach's lead. Northern Iowa is a great team, a Sweet 16 team like us. I'm ready to go. I can't wait to play.''
While the Orange again look to be a team to be feared offensively, defense was what allowed them to excel last season. Boeheim is stressing that again as he always does.
''We're just going to play our basketball, do what we need to do, and it's going to start on the defensive end, whatever we have to do to stop them, because our offense is going to click,'' Jardine said. ''We've got a lot of guys who can do some great things, but if we can click as a defensive team, we're going to be a dangerous team come February and March.''
Added Waiters: ''We're ready. The swagger is here. Everybody's playing good. We're sharing the ball. We're looking good out there, but we can't just come in here and take them light. We take them light and they're going to run right past us.''
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AP Sports Writer Luke Meredith in Iowa contributed to this report.
