Syracuse basketball will face a tougher Atlantic Coast Conference this year
By Neil Adler
Syracuse basketball will have more challenges from the Atlantic Coast Conference in the next campaign.
Assuming that Syracuse basketball plays a 2020-21 term, because of all the uncertainty around the novel coronavirus pandemic, it’s a huge question mark whether the Orange will improve, or regress, from a stanza ago.
The ‘Cuse wrapped up 2019-20 at a modest 18-14, although it did end on a high note when it crushed North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
But with former star forward Elijah Hughes gone, and the eligibility of Illinois transfer Alan Griffin, a sophomore wing, for this fall ambiguous for now, it’s entirely possible that Syracuse will yet again struggle to stay in the Big Dance conversation.
Then again, the Orange’s core group of guys has a year of additional experience under its belt. My gut feeling is that if Griffin can compete in the coming months, the ‘Cuse could sport a record on par with 2019-20.
One thing that seems more clear is that the ACC, after a sub-par recently ended term, should prove better as a league when compared to its counterparts throughout the entire country in 2020-21.
As 2019-20 got abruptly halted due to the pandemic, the ACC only featured four squads ranked in the major polls, led by Florida State, and pundits projected the conference to only receive four or five bids to March Madness.
Come this next campaign, I’d expect both categories, as far as the ACC is concerned, to elevate. And that will mean more difficult match-ups for Syracuse, but also extra opportunities for the Orange to notch marquee league victories for its resume.
The ACC will get more teams into the tourney than it would have a season ago.
First and foremost, UNC won’t stink like it did in 2019-20. Virginia is anticipated to have a stellar stanza. Duke is Duke. The Blue Devils always reload.
FSU and Louisville may slide some, but both will undoubtedly remain in tourney contention. Miami is going to prove really solid and will surprise some people. Clemson and the ‘Cuse will likely hover around the bubble. The same applies for N.C. State, Virginia Tech and perhaps Georgia Tech, among others.
All in all, it won’t come as a shock if about a half-dozen ACC crews are ranked in the top 25 of the polls. Roughly six to 10 league units could factor into the NCAA tourney equation.
ESPN.com released its latest way-too-early top-25 ratings on Wednesday, and representing the ACC are No. 4 Virginia, No. 8 Duke, No. 14 North Carolina and No. 24 Florida State. Louisville just missed the cut. The Hurricanes could easily appear in the polls when all is said and done.
In Joe Lunardi’s most-recent bracketology, he has eight ACC teams in his mock field of 68, including – wait for it – Syracuse. Unequivocally, the conference will perform at a higher level in 2020-21.
Depending on your perspective, that is good, or bad, for our beloved Orange.