Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Orange will meet former Big East rival Connecticut at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

The game part of the 2K Empire Classic doubleheader. The second game features Oregon versus Iowa. The SU-UConn game will start at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Syracuse is 2-0 and ranked No. 15 in this week's Associated Press poll. Connecticut is also 2-0.

This will be the fourth meeting between Syracuse and Connecticut since both schools left the Big East following the 2012-13 season.

Syracuse beat UConn in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in 2015-16. Two years ago, Connecticut knocked off Syracuse at Madison Square Garden. And last year, Syracuse beat the Huskies 72-63 in the Jimmy V Classic at the Garden.

Here are 10 things to watch for in Thursday night's game:

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Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Syracuse's starters

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has gone with the same starting lineup through the Orange's two exhibitions and first two regular season games.

It's a lineup born out of injuries to all three of Syracuse's point guards.

As a result, shooting guard Tyus Battle has played the point with freshman Buddy Boeheim starting at the off-guard spot. The frontcourt has consisted of sophomore Elijah Hughes, sophomore Oshae Brissett and senior Paschal Chukwu.

It's likely that Boeheim sticks with that lineup, although freshman point guard Jalen Carey has recovered from his sprained ankle. It's possible that Boeheim could go with Carey at the point so Battle can move back to his natural position.

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The Associated Press

Connecticut's starters

Connecticut guard Jalen Adams, a 6-foot-3 senior, is the most experienced player in the Huskies' lineup.

The Huskies' starting lineup has been the same in wins over Morehead State and Missouri-Kansas City.

Along with Adams, the UConn starters are Christian Vital (6-2, Jr.), Alterique Gilbert (6-0, Soph.), Tyler Polley (6-8, Soph.) and Josh Carlton (6-10, Soph.).

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Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Syracuse needs Boeheim's shot

Syracuse was supposed to be a better 3-point shooting team this season, but the Orange has struggled from beyond the arc. Syracuse is 6-for-33 (18.1 percent) from 3-point range through two games.

One of the reasons that SU figured to be better from outside this season was the addition of freshman Buddy Boeheim. But the 6-5 shooting guard hasn't been able to find his stroke since going 6-for-12 from outside the line in the two exhibitions.

In regular-season wins over Eastern Washington and Morehead State, Boeheim has made just one of his 10 attempts from 3-point range.

Boeheim's shooting stroke is too good for him to continue that kind of shooting.

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The Associated Press

The Huskies respond to Hurley

Dan Hurley, who came from Rhode Island to take over the Connecticut program after last season, has injected intensity into the Huskies.

Hurley's Rhode Island teams were known for their aggressive, pressure defense and this UConn team is playing the same way.

In a 94-66 win over UMKC on Sunday, the Huskies had seven steals, forced the Kangaroos into 18 turnovers, converted those turnovers into 27 points, and also blocked four shots.

So far, the UConn players have bought into Hurley's high-energy philosophy.

Syracuse will have to be ready to handle the Huskies' pressure D.

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Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Hughes' offensive impact

In SU's win over Morehead State on Saturday, Elijah Hughes brought the kind of offensive firepower that the Syracuse coaches were hoping to get out of the sophomore forward this season.

Hughes, a 6-foot-6 transfer from East Carolina, scored 21 points. He went 7-for-15 from the field and also made six of his seven free-throw attempts.

It wasn't a perfect night. Hughes only made one of his six shots from 3-point range, a number that needs to improve to help bolster SU's perimeter game.

Still, Hughes has the ability to give Syracuse a third consistent offensive weapon to go along with Battle and Brissett.

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The Associated Press

Transfer with a Hurley connection

Connecticut's Tarin Smith is a graduate transfer from Duquesne and he's quickly made an impact on his new team.

Smith, a 6-foot-3 guard, scored 22 points on 10-for-12 shooting in UConn's win over Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday. That was after a 12-point game in his UConn debut against Morehead State.

There's an interesting Hurley family backstory to Smith's transfer to UConn.

Smith played at St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City, N.J., where he was coached by the legendary Bob Hurley Sr., who happens to be Dan Hurley's father.

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Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Can Carey handle UConn's pressure?

Carey missed over two weeks and both of Syracuse's exhibition games with a severely sprained ankle that he suffered in the Orange-White scrimmage on Oct. 16.

Carey returned to action in SU's season-opener against Eastern Washington. He played 18 minutes in the Orange's 66-34 blowout win.

Carey logged 15 minutes in the 84-70 win over Morehead State on Saturday, but the Eagles' pesky defenders made life tough on the SU freshman.

Carey committed four turnovers and went 0-for-2 from the field.

Syracuse is going to need Carey to play much better, especially since UConn's defenders like to harass the ball-handler and overplay the wings.

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The Associated Press

Is Carlton the big answer?

Connecticut entered this season with some questions regarding its frontcourt.

Josh Carlton might be the answer.

Carlton, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, started 17 out of 32 games last season. He averaged a modest 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

However, Carlton averaged a double-double (14.4 points, 11.4 rebounds) in his senior year at prep powerhouse DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md.

Carlton had nine points and four rebounds in just 19 minutes against UMKC. If he is able to fill the void in the middle, UConn could be in for a good season.

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Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Even if Frank Howard plays, is he ready?

Frank Howard started every game for Syracuse last season. The senior point guard was expected to be one of the Orange's leaders this year.

But Howard has been out for over two months with an undisclosed foot injury. He shed his walking boot over a week ago and returned to some practice drills last Friday.

However, Howard wasn't in uniform for SU's game against Morehead State on Saturday.

Even if Howard is cleared to play, he's not going to be in game shape and there's going to be a lot of rust to shake off. Going up against a defensive-oriented team like Connecticut in one's first game would be a tall order.

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Connecticut's notable alumni

The University of Connecticut has produced a number of famous graduates, including actress Meg Ryan, the late actor Ron Palillo, former SNL cast member Bobby Moynihan, Houston Astros star George Springer, a host of NBA players including Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton, and a colossal number of women's basketball stars like Diana Taurasi, Rebbeca Lobo and Sue Bird.

But there may be no UConn grad more famous or more decorated than the one who grew up in the Syracuse area and attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School and that's Breanna Stewart.

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