A letter to Busting Brackets: Pick Syracuse basketball higher!

Our friends at the Busting Brackets FanSided page slated Syracuse basketball at tenth in their 2020-21 ‘Way Too Early’ ACC rankings. We’re here to complain!

Dear Busting Brackets,

We, Inside the Loud House, one of the most knowledgeable sites about Syracuse basketball, would formally like to file a complaint in your ‘Way Too Early’ ACC rankings. We believe your prediction of tenth place is far too low and quite frankly, doesn’t represent the Orange how it should.

Before we go any further, we need to clear some air. We respect everything about you and would recommend any college basketball fan out there to read your articles. You know what you’re talking about!

However, part of FanSided is to back up our teams. It’s no different than a fanbase arguing why their team is better than the next. So without further ado, here is our complaint to you, to fight for our beloved Syracuse Orange:

For starters, lets look at who head coach Jim Boeheim. Actually let’s rephrase that. 1,065* game winner, NBA player producer, five time Final Four appearer, 2010 AP and Naismith College Coach of the Year, and 2003 National Championship Winner Jim Boeheim has coming back. He’s the type of coach than can turn lemons into lemonade (or oranges into orange juice if you want to stay with the theme).

We’ll start in the backcourt, where the Orange are set to bring back the three-point barrage of Joe Girard III and Buddy Boeheim. That’s over 160 hits from downtown between the two. Another year in the system for Girard and it’s possible that both could knock down close to, if not over, 100 trifectas.

Then you’ve got an experienced frontcourt in Bourama Sidibe and Marek Dolezaj. Sure, Elijah Hughes is gone – which trust us, is a big loss – but experience matters. Sidibe and Dolezaj have shown their defensive capabilities, and the latter, known to bring the Dome down with his frequent ‘Slovakian slam’ is an underrated scorer of the basketball. Those two will be able to hang with most guys in the country based on their experience alone, and their talent isn’t too shabby either.

But those aren’t the only guys returning from last year’s edition of Syracuse basketball. Rising sophomore, Quincy Guerrier, is primed for a breakout year. His averages of 6.9 points per game and 5.3 rebounds are just a shadow of what’s to come.

And you can’t knock down Jesse Edwards, John Bol Ajak, or Robert Braswell. Add to these the incoming freshman class of Kadary Richmond, Woody Newton, and – God willing – Frank Anselem, and you’ve Jim Boeheim has a lot of talent to play with. These guys are all unproven gems, with at least one of them having the possibility to be a diamond in the rough.

Finally, the elephant in the room, Alan Griffin. The Illinois transfer could be the difference maker if the NCAA does grant him the ability to play without sitting a year. If so, he could fit right into Hughes’ place at the three spot, or at the very least, serve as a tremendous option off the bench.

In conclusion, we respect your piece. There does seem to be a lack of guys who can create their own shots now that Hughes is off to the NBA. It is a Syracuse basketball roster with seemingly more guys who need to prove their worth than not. However, in an ACC that is always unpredictable, a seventh or even sixth place finish is certainly not out of the works.

Thank you Busting Brackets. Keep up the good work. After all, we’re all on the FanSided team!