Syracuse Basketball Predictions: Can the Orange win the national title?

Adam Patrick (Co-Site Expert)

ACC Finish: Third

NCAA Tournament Finish: Final Four

Expectations for the Syracuse basketball program have not been this high for a few years. But for the upcoming 2018-19 season, the sky is literally the limit for the Orange.

Returning to Syracuse this season is a roster full of experience and one that includes their top three scorers from 2017-18. Combine this with a group of talented newcomers like Buddy Boeheim and Elijah Hughes and the Orange do indeed have the pieces to put together a run toward a championship.

During Syracuse’s most successful seasons in the past, they took care of business during the non-conference portion of their schedule. They have a few difficult matchups in 2018-19 in Buffalo, Georgetown, Ohio State, and possibly Oregon, but the Orange should be able to head into ACC play this season with only two losses or less on their record.

As usual, Syracuse’s games in the ACC will be the toughest part of their schedule this season. But unlike the recent past, the Orange have the talent to potentially get wins on the road in 2018-19 against  Duke, North Carolina, NC State, and Virginia Tech.

Syracuse will enter this season’s ACC Tournament as a No. 3 seed, but the school will put together an impressive stretch of games and come out as the 2018-19 conference champions.

Winning the ACC Tournament will lead to the Orange getting a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in March and eventually an appearance in the Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What Syracuse does from there is up to them, but betting on them not winning the national championship doesn’t really seem like a smart decision this season.