Syracuse, N.Y. ― The Syracuse Orange’s convincing early season wins had fans and analysts alike thinking this young, athletic team might be ready for prime time.

Then came Tuesday’s uncomfortably close 78-73 victory over Monmouth, a game where Syracuse nearly squandered a 14-point lead and struggled with free throw shooting .

Now, with a brutal gauntlet next week in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas – games against top-5 Houston, perennial powerhouse Kansas, and a third high-major opponent to be determined – the question becomes much more urgent: Is Syracuse actually ready for this massive step up in competition?

On the latest episode of the “Inside Syracuse Basketball” podcast, I put that exact question to former Syracuse player Brandon Triche.

“If I would not have seen the Monm

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