108th Men's Basketball Season Opens Nov. 8 Against Bethune-Cookman
11/7/2005 1:24:14 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, NY -- The 105th season of Syracuse University men's basketball opens Tuesday, November 8, at the Carrier Dome when the Orange hosts Bethune-Cookman College in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. The SU game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m., following a 6 p.m. contest between Cronell and St. Francis (Pa.). Both games from the Dome will be televised by ESPNU.
The two winners will meet on November 9 at 8:00 p.m. and will be playing for the right to advance to Madison Square Garden for the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic seminfinals on November 17. A consolation game will be played at 6:00 p.m. in the Dome. Each pairing will be televised by ESPNU.
For more information about the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer, including the complete bracket, click here: http://www.gazellegroup.com/cvcclassic/
This will be the first-ever meeting between Syracuse and Bethune-Cookman in the sport of men's basketball.
The Orange won both its exhibition games and is ranked No. 16 in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches Poll. Syracuse defeated the College of Saint Rose, 86-73, on Nov. 1 and posted a 94-54 victory against Le Moyne College on Nov. 3. Both games were played at the Carrier Dome.
Junior forward Demetris Nichols totaled 36 points in the two exhibtion wins, including 23 points in the game against Le Moyne. Senior guard Gerry McNamara scored a game-high 29 points (14-for-14 free-throw shooting) in the triumph over Saint Rose. He dished out 15 assists in the two games, including nine against Le Moyne.
Bethune-Cookman, located in Daytona Beach, Fla., welcomes back four starters from a team that went 13-17, 8-10 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) a season ago. The Wildcats are coached by fifth-year head coach Clifford Reed, Jr. - a former Bethune-Cookman basketball player himself.
Senior point guard Antonio Webb represented Bethune-Cookman on the All-MEAC Preseason First Team. He was a unanimous selection after leading the squad in scoring last season with 14.9 points per game. At year's end, he earned second-team all-league honors.
In the event that SU wins its first two games in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic on Nov. 8 and 9, a limited number of tickets for the tournament semifinals and finals in New York's Madison Square Garden will be available for purchase by Syracuse fans. All current Carrier Dome Box Holders, Dave Bing members and Orange Pack members with more than 300 priority points can call the Carrier Dome Box Office at 1-888-366-3849 or (315) 443-2121 beginning Thursday, November 10, at 8:30 a.m. to place their requests for tickets.
Ticket orders will be taken until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 11. Due to the short turnaround, all tickets will be sent via FED-EX to patrons. Anyone not in the above mentioned categories can call TicketMaster at Madison Square Garden (212) 307-7171 or order tickets online at http://www.thegarden.com/boxoffice.jsp
For additional Syracuse University men's basketball ticket information, fans may contact the Carrier Dome Box Office by calling toll free 888-366-3849 or 315-443-2121.
