Manhattan, Albany & Brown Join Syracuse In Carrier Dome For 2011 NIT Season Tip-Off

So let me get this straight...

Syracuse, which is located in New York, is playing Manhattan, which is located in New York City, in Syracuse, NY for the right to play in a tournament in New York City? And the Orange might also have to beat Albany, another school located in New York to get there?

Andy Katz's head just exploded.

The New York Post has the full details on the 2011 NIT Season Tip-Off and the road Syracuse will have to run to get to Madison Square Garden.

Syracuse will be formally announced today as one of the four regional sites for the first two rounds of the tournament. The Orange will host Manhattan on Nov. 14. Albany and Brown will square off in the other first-round game. The winners play Nov. 16 for the right to go to renovated Madison Square Garden for the semifinals Nov. 23 and championship Nov. 25.

The Jaspers are coached by Steve Masiello, who now has a bit of an interesting connection to the Orange.

"What an honor. My first-ever college game was against Syracuse in Alaska, so it's kind of ironic that my first road game as a coach would be against them...And Coach Boeheim has forgotten more about the game than I'll ever know. What a great opportunity for our program."

Masiello was an assistant for Louisville for six years before heading to NYC, so he knows a thing or two about beating the Orange, especially when you include the aforementioned Alaska game. He also played on Kentucky's Final Four teams in '97 and '98.

Manhattan was atrocious last season, going 6-25, losing 15 in a row at one point. Leading scorer George Boeman (16.5 PPG) returns fro his junior season.

As for Syracuse's potential opponent in the second game of the Carrier Dome pod...

Albany is coming off a 16-16 season while Brown went 11-17. In other words, if the Orange don't make it out of Syracuse and into the Season Tip-Off semis at MSG, cancel the entire season.

Oklahoma State, Stanford and Virginia Tech are hosting the other three pods. The winner of the Syracuse pod will reportedly play the winner of the Stanford pod in the semis.

Full schedule to-date after the jump...

Tuesday, November 1 - CSULA (exb.)

Tuesday, November 8 - College of St. Rose (exb.)

Saturday, November 12 - Fordham

Monday, November 14 - Manhattan

Wednesday, November 16 - Albany/Brown

Saturday, November 19 - Colgate

Wednesday, November 23 - Season Tip-Off Semifinal (MSG)

Friday, November 25 - Season Tip-Off Championship/Consolation (MSG)

Friday, December 2 - Florida

Unscheduled - North Carolina State

Big East Home: Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, USF, West Virginia

Big East Away: Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Villanova