LE MOYNE (0-0) vs. Syracuse University (0-0, 0-0)
Monday, Nov. 4 - 7:00 p.m.
JMA Wireless Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.
Video: ACC Network Extra
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://cuse.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary


YEAR #2
The Dolphins are in their second year transitioning to the Division I level (as members of the Northeast Conference) and Le Moyne is the only school in the second year of the transition process. The Dolphins went 15-17 in their first season at the Division I level, including 9-7 in NEC action to earn the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The Dolphins won their first game of the NEC Championship over FDU, 82-61, before falling in the semifinals at Merrimack.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Dolphins and Orange are meeting on the hardwood in an official game for the seventh time, with the Orange winning the previous six contests, while the teams have met in nine exhibition games, with Syracuse victorious in eight (Le Moyne's win came 15 years and one day ago, 82-79). The teams' most recent official game came on November 16, 2008, an 85-51 Syracuse victory as part of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
The Dolphins and Orange have one common opponent this year, Notre Dame. The Dolphins face Notre Dame in South Bend on December 22, while the Orange are in South Bend on December 7 and host the Fighting Irish on January 18.

WELCOME BACK
The Dolphins feature six returning letterwinners and one redshirt. Darrick Jones Jr. is a fifth year, Ocypher Owens is a senior, Trent Mosquera is a junior, Nate Fouts and Kaelin Thomas are redshirt sophomores, AJ Dancler is a sophomore and Deng Garang is a redshirt freshman.
 
NEW FACES
The Dolphins welcomed nine new players to the program for 2024-25. Will Amica (UAlbany) and Robby Carmody (Notre Dame and Mercer) are graduate students; Dwayne Koroma joined the team as a fourth-year junior from UT Arlington following stints at Iona and Salt Lake Community College; Freds Pauls Bagatskis, who came to Le Moyne from UT Arlington after a year at Georgia Tech, and Zek Tekin, who enrolled at Le Moyne following two seasons at Siena, are juniors and redshirt freshman Trevor Roe returned to Central New York following a campaign at Radford, while Jakob Blakley and Isaac Nyakundi are freshmen and Sam Donnelly is a grad student who joined the program in Spring 2024 after spending two years as a practice player with the women's team.

NEC PRESEASON POLL
In the NEC preseason coaches' poll, the Dolphins were picked to finish fourth in the regular season standings, the same position they finished last year.

FIRST WINS
The Dolphins earned their first win as a Division I program on November 13, 2023 over Division III SUNY Canton, 105-46. They claimed their first victory as a Division I program over a Division I program on November 21, 2023 at CSUN, 80-70, during the first game of the Golden State Hoops Jam. They collected their first home victory as a Division I program over a Division I program on December 16, 2023 over Dartmouth College, 80-54. The 'Phins earned their first NEC victory on January 6, 2024 at FDU, 74-63.
 
COACH CHAMP
Le Moyne head coach Nate Champion '14 is the second-youngest head coach in Division I this season, celebrating his 33rd birthday in early December. Only Tevon Saddler (29) at Nicholls is younger. In his first four seasons leading the Dolphins, Champion has posted a 61-56 record and led the Dolphins to the conference tournament each season and the 2020 NCAA Tournament (canceled prior to first game due to COVID pandemic). Champion served as an assistant coach at fellow NEC member Stonehill during the 2016-17 season.