Colgate vs. Syracuse Game Notes
 
HAMILTON – The Colgate men's basketball team opens up its 2016-17 season Friday night when the Raiders head to No. 19/17 Syracuse. Tipoff from the Carrier Dome is set for 7 p.m.
 
Colgate hits the hardwood for its 117th season of men's basketball in 2016-17. The Raiders are coming off a 2015-16 season that saw Colgate finish 13-17 overall and 9-9 in league play. Colgate's league record was good for fifth place in the tightly-packed Patriot League standings that saw four teams finish league action at 9-9. The Raiders are 21-15 in Patriot League play over the last two seasons. Colgate returns four starters and 13 letterwinners from last year's campaign.
 
"The returning players are all a year older," said head coach Matt Langel, who enters his sixth season at the helm. "With that comes more appreciation for and understanding of the opportunities ahead.  I have been impressed with the togetherness and competitive nature of the group."
 
The Raiders return 68.3 percent (1430-of-2093) of their point production from a season ago, led by juniors Jordan Swopshire and Tom Rivard who averaged 10.6 and 10.5 points per game, respectively, last season. Swopshire's 43.8 three-point shooting percentage ranked third in the league last season, while he also corralled a team-best 140 rebounds.
 
Seniors Andrew Bargmann and Nathan Harries, as well as junior Sean O'Brien, have been named captains for the 2016-17 season. O'Brien averaged 8.6 points per game and shot 42.6 percent from downtown a season ago. Colgate also returns 2015-16 Patriot League All-Rookie center Malcolm Regisford. He averaged 5.7 points and a team-best 5.9 boards per game during his freshman campaign. Langel and the coaching staff believe they have a good mix of experience and potential in this year's squad.
 
"I hope one of our strengths is our collective youthful experience," said Langel. "In that I mean we are still a relatively young team with significant room to grow as individuals and as a team. Yet, we're a group that returns significant experience and enough success to know what it takes to compete."
 
Syracuse advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons in 2015-16. The Orange finished the season with an overall record of 23-14 that included a 9-9 mark in ACC play. Syracuse returns two of its five starters from a season ago in senior forward Tyler Roberson (8.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and redshirt senior center DaJuan Coleman (4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg). The Orange are tasked with replacing their three leading scorers from last year's campaign, including a pair of NBA Draft picks in Michael Gbinije (17.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Malachi Richardson (13.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg).
 
The Raiders and Orange will be meeting for the 169th time in the history of the series. Syracuse claimed last season's meeting 78-51 on Dec. 8, 2015. O'Brien led the Raiders in last season's meeting with 16 points behind a 4-for-7 showing from three-point range. Colgate will be looking for its first win against the Orange since the 1961-62 season.
 
"We are always committed to our process of working towards a maximum potential," said Langel. "In preparation for each practice and every opponent, regardless of venue or school, our goal is to pay attention to the details and play our best basketball."
 
Colgate's schedule features contests against 10 teams that made National Postseason Tournament appearances a season ago. The Raiders will take on three NCAA Tournament competitors in Syracuse (Final Four), Notre Dame (Elite Eight) and Holy Cross (Patriot League Tournament Champion). Columbia claimed the CIT championship, while NJIT made it to the semifinals. Albany and Duquesne both competed in the CBI, while a total of four Patriot League teams made postseason appearances.
 
The Raiders will play 13 non-league games before opening up Patriot League play on Dec. 30 at Lafayette.
 
"If we can close in on our potential as the months continue, we will be in position to compete for a Championship at the end of the season," explained Langel. "Specifically, we have to value possession and eliminate the plays on both ends of that ball that a coach refers to as ones that 'beat yourself'. Every program wants to be champions of their league and represent their school and conference in the NCAA tournament.  That is no different for us."
 
Tipoff from the Carrier Dome is set for 7 p.m. Friday. All information on how to follow can be found at Game Central.