Northeastern coach Bill Coen said following his team’s back-and-forth loss at Syracuse that such a matchup presents a unique opportunity to learn about a squad’s mettle. The Huskies leave the Carrier Dome having learned more than they could have anticipated going in. 

Playing without Tyson Walker for 20 of 40 minutes due to an unspecified injury, Northeastern exchanged leads with Syracuse 10 times and held the advantage for more than 21 minutes. Only down the stretch did the home-standing Orange pull away, but never with an edge of more than three baskets. 

If this trip to Upstate New York was about learning a lesson, one key takeaway is that Northeastern should once again contend for the Colonial Athletic Association’s NCAA Tournament bid. 

The Huskies, after having earned that right in 2019, nearly repeated in 2020. They reached the CAA Championship Game in Washington D.C. before losing to Hofstra under circumstances similar to Wednesday’s game with Walker playing limited minutes due to injury. 

There’s a noteworthy difference this time, and the most prominent question looming before Northeastern heading into the 2020-21 season: How will the Huskies respond without scoring machine Jordan Roland, Bolden Brace, or All-CAA Tournament honoree Maxime Boursiquot? 

Walker was already in position to emerge as the primary scoring option in Roland’s place, but the trip to Syracuse showed some other potential weapons as the season develops. Most notably, Jahmyl Telfort coming off the bench to score 16 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range, showed depth that will serve Northeastern well in conference play. 

“He’s been playing terrific in practice from Day 1,” Coen said. “He’s in the gym all the time. He’s a tireless worker, and a lot of our guys are. That’s contagious. 

“He needs to get a little experience, and that’s what he’s getting,” Coen added. “He’s going to be a terrific player, and sooner rather than later.” 

Indeed, the building blocks from experience are being set in place — as are the opportunities for improvement. Combating length will be an item to watch for Northeastern going forward, as was the case in 2019-20. 

Six-foot-nine Greg Eboigbodin is as tall as the Huskies go; a team like Syracuse can go 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-10 on the wings with Buddy Boeheim and Marek Dolezaj. 

“Our mental toughness was there. Physically, we’ve got some stuff to do,” Coen said, specifically citing the mismatch Syracuse’s big man Quincy Guerrier presented. 

Likewise, the renowned Jim Boeheim zone defense created havoc, forcing Northeastern into 21 turnovers. 

“We’ve got some tape that we can get better on with our zone execution, we’ve got some tape that we can learn from in terms of our press break,” Coen said. 

But Northeastern’s own defensive prowess shaped Wednesday’s contest, and could be a hallmark for the Huskies in the CAA. 

Coen’s teams have long flourished with their unselfish, constantly moving offense. Last year, Northeastern ranked No. 123 in adjusted offensive efficiency nationally; in 2018-19, the Huskies were No. 58. Holding Buddy Boeheim and Alan Griffin to two combined points showed the defensive side in these Dawgs. 

“We want to play hard, we want to play smart, and we want to play together,” Coen said. This team has done that. They’re growing day-by-day, and each time you go out and compete against great competition like Syracuse, you learn a little bit more about yourselves.” 

“That experience is going to play dividends once we get into CAA play,” he added.

Kyle Kensing is a freelance sports journalist in southern California. Follow him on Twitter @kensing45.