Boeheim On Verge of Major Milestone

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SYRACUSE, N.Y.- The Orange men's basketball team opens the regular season when it hosts Albany in the first game of the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Monday, Nov. 9. Tipoff between the Orange and the Great Danes is set for 9 p.m. in the Carrier Dome, and the game marks the season opener for both teams.

It could be a historic night for Orange head coach Jim Boeheim. He enters the contest with 799 career victories and could become the eighth Division I coach in NCAA history to record 800 wins with a triumph over the Great Danes. Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Phelan, Jim Calhoun and Eddie Sutton are the other members of the 800-win club.

Tickets for Monday's game are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office. Fans not in attendance can watch the game line on ESPNU or listen to the action via the Syracuse ISP Radio Network and its flagship TK 99 (99.5 FM). The audio stream of the radio broadcast will be available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All Access.

ABOUT THE ORANGE

Syracuse went 1-1 in the preseason with a 97-54 win against Cal State Los Angeles on Oct. 25 and an 82-79 loss to cross-town rival Le Moyne on Nov. 3. Freshman James Southerland paced the Orange against Cal State L.A. with 19 points. He was 7-for-7 from the field, including five 3-pointers.

Against Le Moyne, Orange fans caught a glimpse of junior Wesley Johnson's offensive prowess. Johnson tallied a game-high 34 points, including three 3-pointers. He was also 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. Johnson's final trey gave the Orange a 79-78 lead with 22 seconds left, but the Dolphins' Christopher Johnson canned a three with nine seconds remaining and Le Moyne held on for the three-point win.

Junior forward Rick Jackson averaged a double-double this preseason, scoring 11.0 points and grabbing 10.0 rebounds per contest. Syracuse also got a solid contribution from redshirt sophomore point guard Scoop Jardine. Jardine came off the bench in both games and averaged 9.0 assists per game.

ABOUT THE 2K SPORTS COACHES VS. CANCER CLASSIC

The opening rounds of the 2009 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer classic will be played at four regional sites: Syracuse, N.Y., Chapel Hill, N.C., Columbus, Ohio and Berkeley, Calif. The four regional hosts: Syracuse, North Carolina, Ohio State and California will all automatically advance to the championship rounds at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 19 and 20. The Orange will face California in its first game in New York and either the Tar Heels or Buckeyes in its second outing.

In addition to Albany, Syracuse will also host Robert Morris in the Syracuse Regional. That matchup is slated for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the Carrier Dome.

SYRACUSE AND SEASON –OPENING TOURNAMENTS

The 2009 season marks the sixth straight year the Orange has started the campaign as part of a season-opening tournament. Syracuse participated in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in 2008-09; the NIT Season Tip-Off in 2007-08; the BCA Invitational in 2006-07; the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in 2005-06; and the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in 2004-05.

The Orange claimed three tournament titles during the stretch, winning the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic with a 89-81 overtime win against Kansas; the 2004 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic against Memphis, 77-62, and the 2006 BCA Invitational at home against UTEP, 83-69.

SCOUTING ALBANY

The Great Danes were picked to finish third in the 2009-2010 America East Conference preseason poll after winning at least 15 games for the fourth consecutive season. The Great Danes finished the 2008-2009 campaign 15-16 overall, but came alive in the America East Tournament. Albany became the first seventh seed to defeat a second seed in the conference quarterfinals with an overtime win against Vermont before a close semifinal loss to UMBC, 64-58.

Albany's Tim Ambrose was selected to the America East preseason all-conference squad. The junior guard averaged 14.3 points per game last year, as well as 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He was a third-team all-conference choice a year ago. In addition to Ambrose, seven letterwinners return for the Great Danes. Senior forward Will Harris averaged 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and also received third-team All-America East recognition. Ambrose, Harris and senior Brett Gifford are the squad's tri-captains.

Head coach Will Brown is in his ninth season as Albany's head men's basketball coach. He owns an overall record of 106-124. Prior to becoming head coach of the Great Danes, Brown was the head coach at Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. from 1998-2001 after spending three years as an assistant at The College of Saint Rose.

THE SERIES

Syracuse and Albany have played six times during the regular season, with the Orange winning all six contests. The last time the two teams met was in 2004 and the Orange posted a 72-55 victory over the Great Danes.

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