Forgive Preston Shumpert if he doesn’t want to talk about it. And forgive him if the game fades from his memory.

After all, for the Syracuse men’s basketball team, March 23, 2000, was a forgettable evening.

‘We let one slip away against Michigan State one of my years here,’ Shumpert said after beating DePaul, 74-60, Wednesday night. ‘I think (a rematch) would be interesting.’

The fans at Madison Square Garden in New York will probably think so too when the No. 21 Orangemen (2-0) meet the No. 15 Spartans (2-0) in the Preseason NIT semifinals Wednesday for the first time since the 2000 NCAA Sweet 16. Before that, SU hosts Binghamton on Sunday at 1 p.m. in its first-ever matchup with the Bearcats.

Shumpert saying Syracuse ‘let one slip away’ against the Spartans that March night might be an understatement. The Orangemen led by 13 at the half. They could sense the fear in the fans at The Palace at Auburn Hills. They could taste the Elite Eight.

But it was not meant to be. The Spartans rebounded to knock off the Orangemen, 75-58, en route to a national championship. Suddenly and shockingly, the season was over.

This time, the season is just getting started. Syracuse cruised through Manhattan and DePaul in the first two rounds of the Preseason NIT, looking impressive at times and shaky at others. The opponent quality doesn’t figure to be any higher Sunday. But next week, well, that’s another story.

‘We never even thought about losing these games,’ Kueth Duany said. ‘Everybody thought about going (to New York). It would have been one lonely Thanksgiving. We had one year, I think my freshman year, we were the only people left here. It was terrible.

‘We’re going to try to keep the same intensity going. We don’t want to give anything up. We are playing real well right now and real hard.’

So are the Spartans, who breezed through Detroit and No. 24 Oklahoma in the first two rounds. The Spartans have four starters averaging more than 10 points.

While Michigan State has struck from all angles this season, Syracuse has relied on a familiar cast. DeShaun Williams and Shumpert have led the way, Williams averaging 23.5 points and Shumpert 18.5.

Syracuse knows what it will get from those two, but power forward remains the biggest question mark. Ethan Cole started against DePaul and was removed after three ineffective minutes. Freshman Hakim Warrick, his backup, scored two points and pulled down four rebounds but turned the ball over three times.

‘The power forwards just got to get the feel of the game,’ assistant coach Mike Hopkins said. ‘They are a little young and they are just a little short of knowing what to expect when they come in the game. But they will come along. We aren’t worried about them.’

Neither are they worried about Michigan St., Hopkins said.

‘I am looking forward to it,’ he said. ‘One of the reasons you come to SU is to play high-profile teams. It lets you know where you are at.’

‘I came to school here to play tougher opponents,’ Williams said. ‘Of course I want to do that.’

So does Jim Boeheim. Surely the coach remembers the Sweet 16 two years ago. He must remember the raucous Auburn Hills crowd awakening in the second half as the Spartans mounted their comeback. He must recall what it’s like to face a worthy adversary.

‘Michigan State and Oklahoma are both top-20 teams, and the teams from the other side will be top-20 caliber teams too,’ Boeheim said Wednesday, unsure at the time of whether his team would play the Spartans or Sooners. ‘We need that. I don’t think we’re ready for it, but it certainly will get our attention in New York.’

Published on November 15, 2001 at 12:00 pm