Cal State-Los Angeles has no player taller than 6 feet 9 inches. Only two Golden Eagles players are taller than 6 feet 6 inches.

For a Syracuse team with seven players taller than 6 feet 6 inches and two taller than 6 feet 9 inches, the size mismatch creates a challenge. For both teams.

‘It’s harder to guard them for us because they are small, that makes it a challenge for our big guys,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said on Oct. 26. ‘They’ll be playing 6’5’ guys sometimes, so that makes it a little bit harder for them to chase those guys around.’

The No. 5 Orange take on Cal State-LA on Tuesday at 7 p.m., welcoming the Golden Eagles into the Carrier Dome in the first of two exhibition games before SU’s 2011-12 regular season starts. It’s the third time in the last four years that Syracuse starts off against CSULA, which is coached by former Syracuse swingman Stephen Thompson. Since Thompson took over as Golden Eagles head coach in 2005, Syracuse won all three exhibition meetings between the two teams.

The Orange last played Cal State-LA in 2009, defeating the Golden Eagles 97-54. The Golden Eagles are picked to finish fifth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association this season.

But Boeheim said the preseason games pose challenges in their own ways. One of those being the size difference the Orange has to match up with.

‘Although they’re games you should win, they’re not going to be games that are easy, so I think it will be good for us,’ Boeheim said.

Although Syracuse’s big men won’t get to match up against the big bodies they’ll see months from now in Big East games, it’s important for them to get floor time. Sophomore centers Fab Melo and Baye Moussa Keita both look to improve on their tough freshman years with a fresh start to their sophomore seasons.

And freshman forward Rakeem Christmas, rated by Scout and Rivals as the No. 2 center in this year’s freshman class, will see his first game action for SU.

Melo said he learned a lot from last season and heads into this season with a better grasp of what to expect.

‘The expectations people had for me,’ Melo said at Syracuse men’s basketball’s media day on Oct. 14, ‘I thought it would be easier. I thought I would go there and play and average 20 points a game, something like that.

‘People realized that it’s not like that. I know I had to learn a lot. It was hard for me to deal with that, the expectations people had for me. Now I’m more mature, and it will be better.’

Boeheim said he anticipates everyone getting playing time against CSULA, and it will be important to get the SU players on the court in the Dome.

Though the performances of Melo, Keita and Christmas may not be indicative of anything to come, good or bad, gaining the experience before the more important games is what matters.

‘It’s hard, it’s not a real indication,’ Boeheim said. ‘A big guy could not play that well against a 6’5′ guy, but he can play great against a really good 6’10’ guy. So it’s not a good evaluation necessarily for big guys.’

The Orange hasn’t played much in the Dome in preparation for the season. As of last Wednesday, Boeheim said SU hadn’t practiced on its home court since Midnight Madness, save for one scrimmage.

That’s where the real opportunity will lie for the big men, a chance to run up and down the Dome court. Even if they are a head taller than the player trying to defend them.

But for 6-foot-8 forward C.J. Fair — who would be one of the tallest players on the Golden Eagles — there’s still an expectation to perform that comes with the early season hype surrounding the top-10 team.

‘Preseason, we’re one of the top teams,’ Fair said at SU media day. ‘We’ve got to bring it from the start. We think we’re the top team, so we’ve got to come play like we’re the top team. We’ve just got to get off to a good start.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on October 31, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr