It’s not Syracuse, but it’s a start.

The opponent was McGill University, a Montreal school known for its top-notch academics but not one with a Big East-level basketball program.

But after a summer of intense workouts, the Rutgers men’s basketball team was finally able to take the court last night for a dress rehearsal of the Knights’ Nov. 12 opener at Princeton.

The results weren’t spectacular, but the Knights handled the Redmen with relative ease in an 80-68 win — the first time the team had taken the court with Mike Rice on the sidelines.

“We played hard, we were closing out, we’re trying to be the aggressor and aggressive doesn’t mean putting your hands on the offensive opponent,” Rice said. “You want to make the (opposing) team play quicker than they want and get them out of their offensive sets, but that doesn’t mean putting your hands on them.“We have to play with that aggressiveness, but with a little more purpose. Other than that, I thought the energy was good and the effort was good.”

Dane Miller had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Knights, who are looking to become relevant again in the Big East after the disastrous Fred Hill era.Jonathan Mitchell had 16 points and freshman Mike Poole added 11 off the bench for Rutgers.

“I definitely have to get used to (the rapid substitutions),” Miller said. “I think it is good because it gives everyone a chance. Everyone gets their feet wet and then you come out. You know you’re going to get back in, even if you mess up. Everyone has to get used to it. (Rice) does it in practice too.”