NIT Tip-Off Championship: Syracuse Orange (5-0) vs. Stanford Cardinal (5-0) GameThread

The fifth-ranked Syracuse Orange and the Stanford Cardinal will clash for the NIT Season Tip-Off title this evening at Madison Square Garden.

Jim Boeheim's Orange opened the season with four straight wins at home. They made it five in a row with Wednesday's 69-58 victory over Virginia Tech in the semifinal round of this event. Syracuse has now opened the season 5-0 for the eighth straight year.

Johnny Dawkins' Cardinal are also a perfect 5-0 on the year. The team has posted double-digit wins over all five foes thus far, including an 82-67 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday in semifinal action.

This is the first time that these two teams have met on the hardwood.

Will Dion Waiters, C.J. Fair and Fab Melo continue the sophomore takeover of this squad? Will Kris Joseph remain consistent as a scorer and leader on the floor? Will Scoop Jardine show up? Will we see good Bradon Triche or bad Brandon Triche? Will James Southerland be allowed to play? Will Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams see significant playing time?

We'll find out soon enough.

Leave your pre-, in- and post-game comments below.

G'ORANGE!