Syracuse Basketball: Way-too-early conference and team projections
Mat Mlodzinski
PROJECTIONS
- Virginia
- Duke
- North Carolina
- Louisville
- Georgia Tech
- Syracuse
- Florida State
- Clemson
- Miami
- Virginia Tech
- NC State
- Pitt
- Wake Forest
- Boston College
- Notre Dame
Mlodzinski on the ACC
Let’s be honest, the ACC had a rough season last year in terms of how it normally stacks up as a conference. That will all change in 2020-21.
Virginia is my pick to win it based off of the fact that they have Sam Hauser. The former Marquette sharpshooter is that good and could be first team All-ACC when it’s all set and done. The loss of Diakite is big, but if I’ve learned anything about Head Coach Tony Bennett, it’s that he knows how to replenish a few losses.
Then you have Duke and Carolina who year after year bring in tons of four and five star talent. This season is no different, and I’m sure that Roy Williams will have something up his sleeve to make sure the Tar Heels don’t crash and burn like they did last season.
After that, it’s more of a guessing game. However, teams like Miami, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse all return a decent amount of starters and big time players, will Louisville and Florida State lose a little but still have talent. This type of balance screams to be more competitive than last season and should make the conference that much better as a whole.
Mlodzinski on the Orange
For Syracuse, I see one of two things happening. For those with the glass half empty approach, this is an Orange team that can certainly finish bottom four or five in the conference. They weren’t exactly the cream of the crop last season, and losing top scorer Elijah Hughes is a tough loss to mend.
However, this is also a Syracuse team that returns four of five starters, along with a few playmaker recruits. Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard III are among the top three-point shooting duos in the country, and Jim Boeheim knows how to coach a basketball team as well as anyone. That makes me think this Syracuse basketball team could surprise some folks.
Perhaps my prediction for sixth in the ACC is a bit too high, but I’m really not that high on Clemson and Florida State, which is where I see the Orange ultimately falling. Keep an eye on that six to eight range, but I’ll start out positive given the four returning starters.