DENVER — Since the beginning of the year, the Syracuse men’s basketball team made a point of ignoring it.

The Orangemen purposely tried separating themselves from it, didn’t want to talk about it, avoided it, sidestepped it, anything to establish their own identity.

But now, with the beginning of the NCAA Tournament, it’s slapping them in the face, as all the talk has been about one thing: Can Syracuse possibly repeat as national champions?

When SU faces Brigham Young at 3:10 p.m. at the Pepsi Center in Denver, the Orangemen will begin their national championship defense.

‘We definitely have more confidence,’ junior Hakim Warrick said. ‘Last year helped us with having experience and just knowing what it takes to get back there. So we’re ready.’

Guard Gerry McNamara, perhaps out of habit, tried to tone down the defending-champions talk, deflecting a question about last year’s star freshman Carmelo Anthony with a glowing review of Warrick.

‘Hakim Warrick is one of the best players in the country in our eyes, and we get to see it every day,’ McNamara said. ‘Carmelo was the best player last year, and we think we have another one this year. We’re not worried about who’s not here.’

But perhaps SU should be. The No. 5 seed Syracuse is hardly the team of last year. Gone are Anthony, Kueth Duany, SU’s lone senior and perhaps its best defender, and Billy Edelin, the starting point guard in SU’s first 16 games this season.

But the experience of last year’s run – as well as wins against Pittsburgh and Connecticut at the end of the season – has affected SU’s mindset.

‘We have some (swagger),’ McNamara said. ‘The best times we’ve had are when we are in rhythm. We finished the season well and got on a little streak. And as far as I’m concerned, (the title) is ours until someone takes it away from us.’

That attitude is lost on No. 12 BYU, which last won an NCAA Tournament game in 1993. BYU senior Mark Bigelow says the only thing about the championship is that now he has seen more of Syracuse because of the added coverage.

‘We don’t say, ‘These are the defending national champions, guys. We’ve gotta play better,” Bigelow said. ‘We just prepare and play like they’re Syracuse and not that they’re the defending national champs. But the fact that they were the defending national champions just made us able to see them a lot more this year.’

That visibility is something BYU (21-8) lacks, perhaps is an advantage for the Cougars. After Syracuse (21-7) received its berth, McNamara said, ‘They have the big guy. I’m not sure how to pronounce his name, but he’s tough.’

Yesterday, even after three days to practice, Warrick conceded, ‘I know his name, but I’m not gonna try to say it.’

That’s Rafael Araujo, a 6-foot-11, 280 pound center destined for the NBA draft’s first round. He’s the star of a BYU team which is just one of three to beat No. 2-seeded Oklahoma State.

Recently, Syracuse has handled good post players – such as Pitt’s Chris Taft and Boston College’s Craig Smith – with mixed results. In SU’s 49-46 win at Pitt on Feb. 29, Taft scored nine points on 3-for-9 shooting, though he grabbed 11 rebounds, a moderate success for SU.

In the first round of the Big East tournament, though, Smith tore SU apart with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

‘They’ve got a big front line,’ Warrick said. ‘But Pitt’s or UConn’s is just as big, if not bigger. We’ve played against big men all year, so we should be prepared.’

If not, Syracuse once again becomes just another team. No swagger. No attitude. No title.

‘Nothing compares to winning,’ SU coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘There is just a million miles difference between winning and coming close. It’s no question that anyone who tries to downplay it, they are just not being honest.’

Said McNamara: ‘Last year was last year, and it was great, but this is our own identity. We need to play great, and that’s what we plan on doing over the weekend.’

Published on March 17, 2004 at 12:00 pm