Syracuse basketball 2019-20 season will be remembered by ‘what ifs’

The 2019-20 Syracuse basketball season will always be remembered by a series of ‘what ifs’. We take a look back at what could’ve been for the Orange.

On Sunday morning Neil Adler of Inside the Loud House painted a beautiful portrait looking back at the 2019-20 campaign for the Syracuse basketball club.

He articulated why Orange fans should look at their team with pride considering the variety of unforeseen circumstances that have befallen this year’s squad. It’s a very nice well thought out piece.

Here are the facts, Syracuse is 14-11 on the year, 7-7 in the ACC (sixth-best currently in the conference), and aren’t listed in the NCAA tournament field by any expert.

Although in a different world this team could’ve gone from tournament afterthought to securely in the field.

If we go back to non-conference play, Syracuse didn’t just get beat they got throttled.

In the Orange’s four losses to Georgetown, Iowa, Penn State, and Oklahoma State they lost by at least 10 points in each game. Syracuse lost each of these games by an average of around 15 points per game.

While non-conference play left a lot to be desired, when you look back at ACC play, it’s a bottomless pit of regret and ‘what ifs’:

• Vs Notre Dame: 88-87 loss.
• Vs Virginia Tech:  67-63 loss.
• At Clemson: 71-70 loss.
• Vs Duke: 97-88 loss.
• Vs NC State: 79-74 loss.
• At Florida State: 80-77 loss.

The average margin of defeat in these six games was a little less than four points (3.83 per game).

Syracuse could’ve legitimately pulled out any one of these 6 ACC losses. Quite frankly it’s the difference between the Orange being 14-11 (7-7 in the conference) and Syracuse being 20-5 (13-1 in the ACC).

It’s the difference between barely being in the conversation (if at all) to leading the entire ACC conference with six games remaining.

To be honest this is one of Jim Boeheim’s best coaching jobs all things considered. The team has experienced a variety of injuries, doesn’t have a legitimate big on the squad, and lost four of his five starters from the previous season.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the way Syracuse fans will be left feeling unfulfilled considering what this season could’ve been.