Orange Ready for Season Opener Friday

Syracuse vs. Kennesaw State
Game Details	Friday, Nov. 14 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 7:00 p.m. Carrier Dome
Game Coverage	TV: ESPN3 \| Radio: Syracuse IMG Network Video \| Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @cuse
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Kennesaw St. Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse kicks off the 2014-15 season on Friday Nov. 14 against Kennesaw State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Orange begins its 114th season of play in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic.

Tickets for Friday's game are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). The game will be televised on ESPN3. Fans not in attendance can listen to the action on the Syracuse IMG Radio Network and its flagship TK99 (99.5 FM). Live audio will be available on Cusetv on Cuse.com. Subscriptions to Cusetv are available at daily, monthly and yearly rates.

PREGAME READING
What to Watch For - Syracuse
1. Syracuse returns eight players from last year's squad that helped the team to its 25-game winning streak to start the season. The Orange welcomes six new faces to the team, including two freshmen who were ranked in ESPN's top 100 recruits: forward Chris McCullough and guard Kaleb Joseph.
2. Freshman Kaleb Joseph powered the team past Carleton in the first of two exhibition games. He finished 7-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line for a team-best 19 points. Joseph was one of four players to rack up double-digit points.
3. In the second exhibition against Adrian, Chris McCullough finished with a double-double, netting a team-leading 13 points and 16 rebounds. Experienced veteran, Rakeem Christmas, was a force to be reckoned with, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and five blocks. Ron Patterson, Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney all finished with 10 points. Gbinije also recorded six assists and four steals to go along with three rebounds.

What to Watch For - Kennesaw State
1. Jimmy Lallathin is in his first season as head coach at Kennesaw State. He served as associate head coach at Kennesaw since 2011, and took over as interim head coach last season. The Owls posted an overall record of 6-25 in the 2013-14 season, finishing 3-15 in conference play. The team went 3-13 after Lallathin took over as head coach.
2. The Owls' return all of its key players from the 2013-14 campaign. That group includes Delbert Love, the team's top scorer last season with a 12.6 points per game average, and Orlando Coleman, the team's top rebounder with an average of 6.2 rebounds per game in 2013-14. In addition, Will Kouassi led the in blocks.
3. The Owls welcome seven newcomers, including senior, Nate Rucker, who transferred from Southwest Tennessee Community College who is expected to be an immediate contributor.

Up Next…
The Orange takes on Hampton Sunday Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. in the Carrier Dome in the 2K Sports Classic.

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Players Mentioned

Rakeem Christmas

Trevor Cooney

Michael Gbinije

Kaleb Joseph

Chris McCullough

Ron Patterson

Syracuse University Athletics