Now we’re talking – Syracuse basketball gets votes in Coaches poll

Syracuse basketball receives a little recognition in the pre-season Coaches poll.

Syracuse basketball won’t begin the 2020-21 term as a top-25 team, however, it is starting out on a solid note in the pre-season USA Today Coaches poll.

This ballot, unveiled on Thursday, puts the Orange in the “others receiving votes” category, as the ‘Cuse has notched four votes prior to the 2020-21 campaign commencing.

Syracuse basketball, by the way, did not secure any votes in the pre-season Associated Press top-25 poll, which got announced earlier this week.

Based on its number of votes in the pre-season Coaches top-25 poll, the Orange is deemed the No. 42 squad across the country, which is in line with how a lot of national pundits view the ‘Cuse.

I’m a bit more bullish on Syracuse basketball. I believe that, when all is said and done, the Orange will prove a fringe top-25 group, a top-six Atlantic Coast Conference crew, and a team that will make the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

It’s worth pointing out that Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim is among the voters in the USA Today Coaches top-25 ballot, both in the pre-season as well as throughout the regular stanza.

Syracuse basketball has picked up some votes in the pre-season Coaches poll, and see where other ACC teams reside.

While the Orange is in the “others receiving votes” department, four ACC teams made the top-25 cut. They are No. 4 Virginia, No. 8 Duke, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 18 Florida State, which captured the league’s regular-season crown a term ago.

Louisville is slotted first in the “others receiving votes” section, with 55 votes. The only other ACC unit that got votes is Georgia Tech, which received one vote.

So, from my perspective, this poll suggests that voters look at Syracuse basketball as perhaps the sixth-best squad in the ACC, and that aligns with the league’s pre-season media ballot, which also has the ‘Cuse at No. 6 in the conference.

Rutgers, which will host the Orange on Dec. 8 as part of the 2020 ACC-Big Ten Challenge, is No. 23 in the pre-season Coaches top-25 poll. The Scarlet Knights, meanwhile, are No. 24 in the pre-season AP top-25 ballot.

As these nationally ranked ACC teams relate to the ‘Cuse 2020-21 schedule is as follows. Syracuse basketball will compete against North Carolina twice. The Orange plays Florida State on the Hill, and the ‘Cuse travels to Virginia and Duke.