Local Small College Basketball Exhibitions

The NCAA ruled in 2004 that colleges can only play on international tours and small college basketball teams, not elite club teams. Small schools like Grand Valley State and Findlay are starting to make "BCS" Conference Schools take note that Division II, III and NAIA schools come to play these games seriously, even if it's counted as an exhibition.Playing as a walk-on at a small college (Loyola New Orleans) next to big school neighbor (Tulane), I know how it feels to get the opportunity to challenge NCAA Division I players.


Its happening locally as well. Imagine the Carrier Dome packed and raucous during a sold-out game against Georgetown. Now imagine being the school with a chance of a lifetime to knock of a big name school with little name talent with the same crowd. College Exhibition basketball features many small college teams facing that challenge around this time of year. LeMoyne and College of St. Rose from Albany from NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference took on one of the biggest traditional powers in New York, the Syracuse Orange.


Locally, LeMoyne College faced two large obstacles, size and ball control. A cross-city trip for a team ranked 8th in the preseason conference poll against Syracuse resulted in 50-point loss. The team did leave with a valuable experience. Players that never got a look from Coach Jim Boeheim and a big time program got the chance to play in the Carrier Dome. The link from the Syracuse website mainly presents a view of the game, but LeMoyne's recap talked about how a player made a memorable dunk and how they stayed close halfway through the first half. LeMoyne gave their best effort for much ofthe first half, but Syracuse depth and athletes were superior to the Dolphins.



College of St. Rose came in with a lot of confidence from last season. Even though they lost by 9 they showed that they have the poise to compete for a championship in the Northeast-10 conference. At one point they held a lead in the second-half! A basketball preview from the Sport Information Office at College of St. Rose describes the team's talent and senior leadership returning from last year. They also did a great job exploiting Syracuse highly touted freshman class first game in the Carrier Dome.


Thanks to this relatively recent NCAA ruling we will see more games like this in the future. Although they do not present the same challenges to powerhouses like Syracuse that a touring team like the Harlem Globetrotters or EA Sports who take on tough competition with close results, they are solid organized teams with players determined to make lifelong memories of defeating the good teams. Always remember, the mighty can fall to a small school.

Blog Idea from play-by-play of CSR vs. Syr. Game