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Syracuse (Montreal and Ottawa, Aug. 20-25)
Mission: The Orange haven't gone on a foreign tour in more than a decade. Coach Jim Boeheim never saw the need, but he does now. The timing is perfect. Syracuse lost guards Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams, and James Southerland was a constant presence on the wing in the Big East portion of the schedule. But the Final Four Orange return a frontcourt of C.J. Fair, Rakeem Christmas, Jerami Grant and DaJuan Coleman and have an influx of talent once again. "This will be much more for our backcourt," said Boeheim. "Our frontcourt guys are a pretty veteran group. We lost two guards in Michael and Brandon who played pretty much the whole game."
Most pressing concern: The five freshmen, led by Canadian Tyler Ennis, will play significant roles. Ennis had a superb summer playing for the Canadians. He should step in as a leader on the perimeter. Developing a backcourt rotation will be a must on this trip.
Who can't go: Boeheim said there were still a few things to work out with the eligibility of a few freshmen. "We're not sure if they'll get cleared or not in time for the trip," he said. Boeheim didn't indicate any of them would be an issue for the season, but more the traditional backlog of clearance the NCAA goes through at this time of year as it tries to get fall sports done first. "Hopefully it will all be taken care of."
The benefit: Fair is going to be the go-to player for the Orange. His silky smooth shot along the baseline will be a staple for the team. "He's been the third option, and now he'll be the go-to guy," said Boeheim. "This will be good for our big guys to get the ball. This will be good for our whole team. And [Tyler] is really the only true point guard we have. This will be important for him to play in these games. It should be very helpful for him."
Projection: Syracuse has the talent to challenge for the ACC title in Year 1. The key will be Ennis and the rest of the perimeter shooting. Expect the Orange to be in the mix in some form in the top four at the very least.
Mission: The Orange haven't gone on a foreign tour in more than a decade. Coach Jim Boeheim never saw the need, but he does now. The timing is perfect. Syracuse lost guards Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams, and James Southerland was a constant presence on the wing in the Big East portion of the schedule. But the Final Four Orange return a frontcourt of C.J. Fair, Rakeem Christmas, Jerami Grant and DaJuan Coleman and have an influx of talent once again. "This will be much more for our backcourt," said Boeheim. "Our frontcourt guys are a pretty veteran group. We lost two guards in Michael and Brandon who played pretty much the whole game."
Most pressing concern: The five freshmen, led by Canadian Tyler Ennis, will play significant roles. Ennis had a superb summer playing for the Canadians. He should step in as a leader on the perimeter. Developing a backcourt rotation will be a must on this trip.
Who can't go: Boeheim said there were still a few things to work out with the eligibility of a few freshmen. "We're not sure if they'll get cleared or not in time for the trip," he said. Boeheim didn't indicate any of them would be an issue for the season, but more the traditional backlog of clearance the NCAA goes through at this time of year as it tries to get fall sports done first. "Hopefully it will all be taken care of."
The benefit: Fair is going to be the go-to player for the Orange. His silky smooth shot along the baseline will be a staple for the team. "He's been the third option, and now he'll be the go-to guy," said Boeheim. "This will be good for our big guys to get the ball. This will be good for our whole team. And [Tyler] is really the only true point guard we have. This will be important for him to play in these games. It should be very helpful for him."
Projection: Syracuse has the talent to challenge for the ACC title in Year 1. The key will be Ennis and the rest of the perimeter shooting. Expect the Orange to be in the mix in some form in the top four at the very least.
