Syracuse Basketball: Non-conference slate may hurt Orange in 2019-20

The out-of-conference schedule for Syracuse basketball is complete, so let’s take a look at how these contests could affect the Orange’s Big Dance chances.

In recent years, a knock on the Syracuse basketball squad is that, during the non-conference part of the hoops calendar, the ‘Cuse doesn’t leave the state of New York much, and SU battles against a bunch of cupcakes.

I disagree with that sort of assessment, as a crucial factor that has resulted in the Orange receiving several March Madness invites is due to Syracuse actually experiencing one of the strongest out-of-conference ballots campaign after campaign.

Sure, the ‘Cuse plays a lot of home tilts prior to Atlantic Coast Conference competition commencing, but the same applies to many of the country’s premier programs.

Whether SU’s upcoming non-conference roster will ultimately prove stingy, or soft, remains unclear, however, my initial inclination is that this particular cadre of clashes is a tad on the weaker side. Naturally, I hope that I’m wrong in this prognostication.

Will the out-of-conference help or hurt the Orange’s bid to return to the NCAA Tournament?

Tough to tell, at this juncture, as we really have no clue how these foes will fare in 2019-20. If Syracuse prevails in the bulk of its non-conference affairs, then also performs well in the ACC, reaching the Big Dance is inevitable. Now, if the ‘Cuse picks up multiple setbacks in the out-of-conference, that could spell trouble, especially if those non-conference opponents are not quite as formidable.

Conversely, since the ACC has gone from 18 to 20 league match-ups, reducing the out-of-conference events from 13 to 11, this provides our beloved boys with two extra occasions to secure quality successes – and one of those instances will come on the road.

In summation, let’s see how everything transpires before rushing to judgment. With that said, I’m a little concerned about the non-conference line-up.

For example, SU is participating in the 2019 NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Orange will go toe to toe with Oklahoma State (hi, Doug Gottlieb), then face either Penn State or Ole Miss, which defeated Syracuse at the Carrier Dome in the 2017 NIT post-season tourney. Yuck.

To reiterate, it’s difficult to determine anything at this moment, but I don’t foresee that trio of units making a huge splash in March of 2020.

The ‘Cuse will welcome Iowa to the Hill for the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Iowa will likely have a solid 2019-20, but the Hawkeyes aren’t expected to arrive near the top of their league. Plus, because SU is hosting Iowa, it doesn’t carry as much weight as in 2018-19, for one, when the Orange traveled to Columbus and took down a nationally ranked Ohio State outfit.

Another component of the NIT Season Tip-Off is that Syracuse will square off versus both Bucknell and Seattle in Central New York. It appears that Seattle is trending in a positive direction, and it returns a ton of its offensive production from a stanza ago. Meanwhile, Bucknell, which has suited up in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive terms, loses its top-two leading scorers.

The ‘Cuse possesses its yearly games with Colgate and Cornell at the Dome. Colgate is no freebie, as the Raiders captured 24 wins in 2018-19. SU’s encounter with Cornell is the Boeheim-family celebration, but I don’t anticipate the Orange having a lot of adversity in getting past the Big Red.

Syracuse has a sole true road meeting in the out-of-conference, and that’s when the ‘Cuse visits former Big East rival Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The Hoyas had a sub-par 2018-19, although Georgetown will likely acquire a more reputable outcome this go-round.

Finally, SU will host three groups to end the non-conference register. They are Oakland, North Florida, and Niagara. I believe that there are intriguing elements to all of these duels, but none of these bouts will significantly move the needle as it pertains to the Orange’s March Madness resume.

Above all else, Syracuse cannot act with any complacency in its out-of-conference itinerary, whether that circuit is conclusively deemed vigorous or sluggish, and the ‘Cuse must nab a respectable number of victories heading into ACC territory if it seeks to dance next spring.