Tuesday, March 18th, 8:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Carrier Dome (33,000) -- Syracuse, New York. Television: ESPNU. NIT Record: Robert Morris 0-0, Syracuse 12-12. Series Record: Syracuse leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: The top-seeded Syracuse Orange host the eighth-seeded Robert Morris Colonials in first-round action of the NIT. The winner will take on the winner of (4) Minnesota/(5) Maryland in the second round. Robert Morris had a bittersweet ending to an otherwise successful campaign, as its 14-game win streak was snapped by Mount St. Mary's in blowout fashion of the Northeastern Conference semifinals. The Colonials had beaten Mount St. Mary's twice during the regular season. This will be the first-ever NIT appearance for Robert Morris. The Orange were knocked off by Villanova in the opening round of the Big East Conference Tournament. Syracuse had lost five of six during a rough stretch through the month of February, but the Orange responded with back-to- back wins to close out the regular season. This is their 12th berth in the NIT, and they are coming off a quarterfinal round loss to Clemson in last year's tourney. Syracuse won the only prior meeting between these two schools, disposing of Robert Morris in convincing fashion, 103-67 in December of 1994.

RMU's four-guard lineup yielded 38 points in the paint and a 35-27 rebounding edge to Mount St. Mary's. In addition, the Robert Morris reserves were outscored, 30-9. Jeremy Chappell led the Colonials with 20 points. A.J. Jackson tallied 16 points and six rebounds, while Bateko Francisco and Tony Lee (seven assists) each scored 10. Chappell (14.9 ppg), Jackson (14 ppg) and Lee (13.7 ppg) have formed a tripod for Robert Morris this season. Chappell, a 51 percent shooter from the floor, leads the team with 32.1 minutes per game. Jackson and Lee are combining for 12 boards per game.

Donte Greene headlines the Orange, as the forward is averaging 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Jonny Flynn is next in line with 15.9 ppg, and he has scored a team-high 16.8 ppg in Big East play. Paul Harris (14.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Arinze Onuaku (12.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg) do much of the work down low. All four of those players have started all 32 games this season. Syracuse led by as many as 11 points in the opening round of the Big East Conference Tournament, but the Wildcats came alive in the second half, shooting 8-of-10 from the perimeter to capture the victory. Greene led Syracuse with 17 points, followed by Flynn with 16, and Harris with 13.

Syracuse has no doubt earned a top seed for this tournament, but if the Orange are to go far, they must shore up their perimeter defense. One thing is for sure: they've got enough scoring balance to make a run at the NIT title.

Predicted Outcome

Syracuse 81, Robert Morris 69