March Madness is, sadly, over. So now it’s time to focus our attention on Syracuse basketball in the 2018-19 campaign, and see what the experts predict.
The day after the NCAA Tournament’s national title game is always a let-down for me. My favorite sport is finished for many months, and that leaves me a bit bummed.
First and foremost, a big congrats to Villanova, which captured its second championship in three years after dismantling Michigan on Monday night.
I’m extremely proud of the run that the SU hoops outfit made in the Big Dance, knocking off three strong programs, including highly ranked Michigan State, to reach the Sweet 16. While losing to Duke in the regional semi-finals stung, the future appears bright in Central New York.
Of course, there is the news about redshirt freshman forward Matthew Moyer electing to leave the Hill. And, more shockingly, that 2018 five-star forward Darius Bazley has decided to de-commit from the Orange.
Still, should sophomore wing Tyus Battle and freshman forward Oshae Brissett remain in a ‘Cuse
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uniform for the next term, I feel that we will field a dangerous team capable of doing some damage in the Atlantic Coast Conference as well as the NCAA tourney.
Despite the latest version of March Madness just wrapping up, a bevy of prognosticators has already weighed in with those fun-to-debate, way-too-early preseason rankings for the 2018-19 stanza.
In the bulk of instances, Syracuse is not among the top-25 crews in these various polls, such as the AP, CBS Sports, Chat Sports, NBC Sports, the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.
USA Today has SU in the “also considered” category.
On the flip side, ESPN.com slots the ‘Cuse at No. 15, with this brief write-up to peruse:
"“To stay here, the Orange would need Tyus Battle — a projected late-first-round pick on ESPN.com — and Oshae Brissett to return. If that happens, coach Jim Boeheim will have the personnel to start next season the way this past season ended, with wins over Arizona State, TCU and Michigan State in the NCAA tournament. He gets Frank Howard back. Five-star prospect Darius Bazley chose to turn pro and enter the G League, but Boeheim is Boeheim. Syracuse will figure it out.”"
Yahoo Sports, meanwhile, puts SU at No. 16. Have a gander at this synopsis:
"“Five-star recruit Darius Bazley’s decision to leap from high school to the G-League is a big blow to Syracuse, but the Orange still belong in the preseason Top 25 if Battle opts to return for his sophomore season. The second-team all-ACC selection is likely to at least test the waters after leading the Orange in scoring during the regular season and spearheading a surprise Sweet 16 run. The return of Battle, Brissett and Howard and the arrival of the sharpshooting [Buddy] Boeheim and the playmaking [Jalen] Carey should elevate a Syracuse offense that was often undermanned this past season. The Orange should remain elite defensively thanks to the size and length of their trademark 2-3 zone.”"
Over at FanRag Sports, our beloved boys check in at No. 17. Finally, Bleacher Report pegs the ‘Cuse at No. 20.
Honestly, these preseason projections, given that the 2017-18 campaign is barely in the rear-view mirror, are purely speculative and should get taken with a grain of salt. A lot will transpire before the NBA Draft, with schools shuffling in and out of the rankings based on their eventually finalized rosters.
Should Battle and Brissett return, and that’s a huge “if,” particularly in the case of Battle, I think that Syracuse is a legit preseason top-25 squad, even without the presence of Bazley in the rotation.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: 2017-18 Season Report Card
Then again, I enjoy when the Orange is anointed the role of the underdog, so it’s completely fine with me if SU commences 2018-19 unranked in every single poll.
Can we fast-forward to the fall, pretty please?