Since the Orange were ranked # 1 in the country earlier this week, a common argument from skeptical analysts usually revolves about the fact that the Orange haven't played a "true road game" yet. The only games the Orange have played outside the Carrier Dome so far this year have been at Madison Square Garden at the NIP Tip-Off Tournament. All that will change this Saturday when the Orange travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on N.C. State in what promises to be a rowdy sold out crowd at RBC Center. The SU seniors aren't all that convinced that they need to prepare the younger Orange players for a hostile environment.

"Playing at the Garden was probably a tough environment to play in and we were basically playing at home, "says senior forward Kris Joseph, "I think they're all ready for the challenge. We have confident young guys, we have confident sophomores, and we have some pretty good leaders on this team, so I think we'll all be ready come Saturday."

"It's gonna be tough down there in Raleigh," admits senior guard Scoop Jardine, "but we're gonna have to go on the road when the Big East starts, we've got Uconn and we've got tough teams, so this is the first test, we need to get to Raleigh and try to get a win."

It will be the first time since 1979 that NC State has taken on a team who's # 1 in the polls. The Wolfpack have a 6-3 record so far this season, but SU Head Coach Jim Boeheim knows that could be deceiving.

"It is our first road game and a really good place to play, a tough place to play," says Boeheim, "they are a team that could have won all the games that they lost. It's going to be a great test for us."