ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's basketball team will say goodbye to 2014 when it visits nationally ranked Syracuse on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at the Carrier Dome. The longtime Central New York foes will be meeting for the 120th time on the hardwood at a time to be determined.

The Orange earned its sixth consecutive NCAA tournament berth and finished with a 28-5 overall record last season. The Orange won 25 straight games to start the season and was ranked first in both national polls for three weeks.

Syracuse leads the all-time series 88-31 and carries a 34-game win streak against the Big Red into the season.  The two teams had their first meeting in 1900-01, an 18-15 victory by the Orange. Cornell is 1-21 all-time at the Carrier Dome and 0-20 vs. the Orange. A year ago, the Big Red gave #8/7 Syracuse all it could handle for a half, but couldn't weather a second half run in dropping an 82-60 decision to the Orange on Nov. 8 in a game that served as the season opener for both teams.

Cornell head coach Bill Courtney returns for his fifth season looking to rebound after injuries decimated the team a year ago. There are plenty of reasons for optimism, as 2012-13 first-team All-Ivy League selection Shonn Miller and three of the team's top five scorers from a year ago return, including a pair of sophomore guards. Senior guard Devin Cherry is the team's top returning scorer (12.3 ppg.) and one of the conference's returning leaders in assists (3.5 apg.).