But Memphis is Memphis. Especially in its own building.

That's why Saturday's showdown between No. 11 Syracuse and No. 23 Memphis is an early Christmas gift for college basketball fans everywhere.

And the implications of this game are significant for both teams.

The Orange (10-1) lost in the heartbreaker to end all heartbreakers on Monday. Cleveland State's Cedric Jackson banked home a 60-foot buzzer-beater to send Syracuse to its first loss.

But a win at Memphis would nullify the damage, and cement the Orange as a national power.

It's also an important game because Syracuse has been chastised in recent years for its soft non-conference schedule.

That's not the case this season, as the Orange have already played and beaten Florida and Kansas, both ranked at the time, on a neutral floor.

Playing a road game at Memphis just sweetens the pot.

I think it's fair to say that this will be SU's biggest non-conference game since it played top-ranked Massachusetts in the 1995 Rainbow Classic championship game. For the record, the Orangemen lost that night, 65-47.

“I think the players are thinking about playing Saturday, that's an exciting game,” head coach Jim Boeheim said after Syracuse's 82-60 win over Canisius Wednesday. “Memphis is tough down there, they haven't lost in a while (at home) and we're looking forward to going down there and playing.”

As for the Tigers, they're searching for a marquee win. Playing in the watered down Conference USA, Memphis has a rugged non-conference schedule every year to bolster its resume.

But the wins haven't been coming as easy as they did in previous seasons.

The Tigers, who lost to Kansas in the 2008 national title game, have played two ranked opponents - Xavier and Georgetown - and lost to both.

Saturday's game is a prime opportunity for a quality win, something Memphis will need plenty of come selection time.

Yup, this is a big one.

And it should be a close one, too.

Both teams score around 80 points per game, both have struggled from the 3-point line and both are led by explosive point guards.

The match-up of the day will be Jonny Flynn against Tyreke Evans. Flynn was a bit banged up against the Golden Griffins, but should be good to go against Memphis.

The freshman Evans is Memphis' leading scorer (16.1 points) and an excellent rebounder from the guard position.

Both guards are at their best when they're slashing to the rim.

But the difference is shooting and size. Flynn has the edge in 3-point shooting - he's at 39 percent from behind the line while Evans is 21 percent.

Meanwhile, Evans holds the edge in size. He's got a full six inches on Flynn and is quite a bit stronger.

Regardless, this is a primetime matchup of two of the nation's best guards.

As for down low, Arinze Onuaku leads the nation in field-goal shooting (76 percent) but Memphis holds the rebounding edge, as it usually does.

Under John Calipari, the Tigers have been known for two things - its speed and its strength on the boards.

Memphis always rebounds well. And this season is no different.

Shawn Taggert (9.4) and Robert Dozier (6.9) are the main culprits. The two combined for 21 rebounds in last week's loss to Georgetown.

Syracuse is going to have to keep these two off the offensive glass if it's going to win. The Tigers aren't the best shooting team, so they're going to miss a lot of shots.

If the Orange doesn't rebound, the Tigers will kill them with second-chance points.

And if current trends continue, this isn't a good sign for the Orange, who gave up 19 offensive rebounds against a smaller Canisius squad.

Also, expect a lot more zone from Syracuse. Man-to-man is a death wish against Memphis - its players are two quick. A zone defense will force the Tigers to fire from outside, where they're connecting on just 27 percent of their shots.

For me, this game will come down to two things - Memphis' offensive rebounding and Memphis' shooting.

Syracuse must limit the Tigers on the offensive boards. This is a necessity.

And if Syracuse forces Memphis to settle for 3s, the Tigers have to miss those shots. If, inexplicably, Evans and company come out hitting their outside shots, this game might turn into a laugher.

So don't tell Boeheim that Memphis is in a rebuilding year. Rose may be playing in the NBA, but the Tigers are still stacked with talent.

“They have a tremendous team with tremendous size and great speed,” Boeheim said. “They have a team that will contend in the NCAA tournament, there's no question about it. They have weapons to play with anybody in the country.”

The question is, does Syracuse?