Syracuse Basketball: 5 toughest non-conference opponents for 2018-19

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 18: Oshae Brissett #11 of the Syracuse Orange battles for the ball with Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans during the second half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OH – MARCH 14: Frank Howard #23 of the Syracuse Orange dribbles the ball during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at UD Arena on March 14, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Frank Howard /

4. UConn, Neutral, November 15th

Syracuse will face a second former Big East rival, the UConn Huskies, in their non-conference tournament. This is a crucial game for the Orange since a win puts them in the 2K Classic championship game which would provide another strong opponent.

UConn had a disastrous 17-18 season where they finished below .500 in the AAC and stumbled to a 14-18 overall record. Kevin Ollie is out and Dan Hurley is in as head coach, but there also some significant player additions (and retention) that have created even more optimism.

Jalen Adams is back for his senior season and he is one of the best PGs in the country. He averaged 18.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 4.7 apg last season. Adams is joined in the backcourt by Christian Vital (14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and the injury prone, but talented, PG Alterique Gilbert. This is an extremely strong group of returning guards and it gets even stronger if Gilbert can finally get to 100%.

Two major additions for UConn are grad transfer Tarin Smith and St. John’s transfer Sidney Wilson. Smith averaged double figures at Duquesne and adds talent and experience off the bench. Wilson is an athletic wing and former top-100 recruit who has yet to play a collegiate game.

The Huskies’ season could rely upon the development of its frontcourt players. This area was a major weakness for them last season, but center Josh Carlton showed flashes as a freshman and could be in line for a major jump in production this season. Grad transfer Kassoum Yakwe has had an up and down career but could add rim protection in a reserve capacity. Senior center Eric Cobb has a lot of skill but could not put it all together last season. At the four, Wilson or sophomore Tyler Polley could win the full-time role and this does not even cover the full array of options at Hurley’s disposal.

Even though I think Georgetown is probably a slightly better team than UConn, the fact that the game is on a neutral court makes this a more difficult challenge. UConn looks like an NIT team on paper, but the wide-open nature of the AAC and the health of Alterique Gilbert could make this a quality win opportunity.

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