One week ago tonight, Syracuse lost their final preseason exhibition game. Now, that might not be that big of a deal ordinarily, as preseason games don’t matter very much and the Orange have been known to play teams like the Harlem Globetrotters in exhibitions. But this time was different. This time, they lost at home to Division II Le Moyne.

Your first reaction should probably have been something along the lines of “Awesome!” I agree. It’s always fun to revel in the defeat of our arch-rivals. However, we should also try to learn something from the plight of our foes, so as to avoid falling victim to a similar fate. So, what does Syracuse’s loss teach us?

First of all, it teaches us that anyone can lose to anyone. And especially in college basketball, preparedness can trump talent. When asked about the Orange’s performance, senior Andy Rautins said, “It is inexcusable…[w]e have to come to play every night. That’s what we have to do. Our schedule does not get any easier from here on out. We have to make a lot of changes and we have a lot of work to do,” while Coach Jim Boeheim added, “Le Moyne really out-played us from the beginning of the game to the end.” In other words, Syracuse was not prepared for their game, and their opponent was.

In order for the Hoyas to avoid a similarly embarrassing defeat, the team must enter every game with the right frame of mind. We have seen how difficult it can be for new players to adjust to the offense, and often times the first month is spent learning the plays and working out the kinks. Regardless of how prepared the team is in terms of understanding the offense or mastering the defense, every player needs to show up mentally ready to play each game.

A second thing the Syracuse game teaches us is that preseason rankings mean nothing. Part of the surprise of the Orange’s defeat came from Syracuse’s top 25 status. But, as we have mentioned before, top 25 rankings in November don’t translate to much in March. And for Syracuse, their preseason hype made their loss to a Division-II team all the more embarrassing.

Similarly, the Hoyas must take their preseason ranking with a grain of salt. We all saw that last season’s rankings were not a good indicator of the way the season would go, so Georgetown needs to ignore the polls and play every game with a chip on their shoulder.

But, perhaps the most important lesson is this: In reality, early season games matter very little.

Did Syracuse get embarrassed? Yes.

Will it ruin their season? No.

In fact, they are perhaps a little lucky. The best time to lose games is early in the season. It gives a team a chance to learn what its weaknesses are and where it needs to improve.

An early season loss in 2007 to Old Dominion was painful at the time, but it certainly didn’t hurt the Hoyas in the long run. Finding mistakes and fixing them early is important, since once the Big East season begins, there will be little time make adjustments. So, when the Hoyas do lose – which they will – they must be able to use it as a building tool for improvement instead of a reason for despair.

So, what does Syracuse’s loss to Le Moyne teach us? It teaches us to be prepared for every game. It teaches us to ignore preseason rankings and focus on the opponent at hand. And it teaches us not to panic over early losses.

Last night, Syracuse won their season opener 75-43 over Albany. And now nobody’s talking about Le Moyne anymore. Except for us, of course. But we just like it when Syracuse loses.

Images via LeMoyneDolphins.com and NBCSports.com