The Syracuse men's basketball team adopts the moniker the Orange this season (after the school chose to drop the "men" from the end of its nickname earlier this year), but that's pretty much the only change Syracuse fans will notice. Coach Jim Boeheim returns for his 29th straight year in Syracuse, and he's returning his entire starting five (and 10 lettermen all together) from a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Big Dance. Some say only two things in life are certain, but after taxes and death, maybe it's time to contemplate throwing Boeheim and Syracuse 20-win seasons. Boeheim, who has the longest active occupancy at one school and one conference in Division I basketball, led the Orange to its 26th 20-win campaign and its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance last year. During his residence, Syracuse has only finished twice with less than 20 wins (career-low 16 in 1981-82 and 19 in 1996-97) and only two coaches have put up more 20 win seasons (Dean Smith and Jerry Tarkanian).

What's different about last season, was that few foresaw such a successful season in year one after Carmelo Anthony left the east coast for the Rocky Mountains of Denver. Anthony, who was the runner up to LeBron James in the NBA's Rookie-of-the-Year voting after a stellar rookie campaign with the Denver Nuggets last year, had a very good freshman year while being tutored in the finer points of the game by Boeheim. Anthony averaged a superhuman 22.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game while navigating Syracuse to a national championship. On top of being voted the NCAA Final Four MVP, Anthony seemingly gobbled up every single freshman-of-the-year honor. To no one’s surprise, took the plunge into the NBA (where he was the third pick in the draft after James and Darko Milicic) and the Orange Nation wondered if Syracuse would head into transition mode without its freshman sensation.

Anthony wasn't the only talented young player on the Orange roster that year and Boeheim and the rest of his staff and players were out to prove that Anthony wasn’t the only player on their team. A season-opening mishap to Charlotte at the Carrier Dome, which only served as more reason for the analysts to tear into the Orange, proved to only be one of their few dropped games last year. Syracuse proceeded to fire off 13 straight victories (the first three Big East Conference games on its schedule were a part of those 13 wins). The Orange would stumble midway through the year and dropped four out of five games in a tough stretch of the season, but then redeemed themselves with a strong finish to the season.

The Orange wrapped up the regular season with a barnburner of a victory over UConn before getting eliminated from the Big East Tournament by Boston College in the opening round. Unfazed by the early exit in their conference tourney, Syracuse posted wins over BYU and Maryland in the NCAA Tournament before Alabama ended their postseason with an 80-71 drumming in the Sweet 16. Boeheim enters this season with 700 wins within reach.