Syracuse Basketball: Virginia, FSU lead way, but ACC race far from over

Syracuse basketball is tied for 10th place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, and the Orange is four games behind league leader Virginia, as of Thursday night.

The Cavaliers, a squad that has won seven in a row and crushed the ‘Cuse earlier this week in Charlottesville, Va., are not only leading the ACC, but they are also the highest-ranked conference group in the AP top-25 poll, at No. 8.

UVA is playing some excellent ball these days. So, too, is Florida State, which has captured five-consecutive conquests. But North Carolina has claimed three-straight victories after a slow start to the 2020-21 campaign.

Virginia Tech and Louisville are nationally ranked. Clemson, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh are more than credible contenders. And Duke is, well, Duke.

My point here? The ACC might have two stand-outs in the Cavaliers and the Seminoles, however, it’s far from certain which league squad is going to end up as the 2020-21 regular-season champion.

Syracuse basketball needs to go on a run to move up the ACC standings.

Even though the Orange just fell by more than 20 points on the road to UVA, and the ‘Cuse presently sits at 9-5 overall and 3-4 in conference competition, Syracuse basketball still has an opportunity to improve its position in the ACC race.

Plenty of games remain on the Orange’s docket, and even though winning the league’s regular-stanza crown is highly unlikely, if the ‘Cuse can get on a roll, it could improve its seeding as the team heads toward the ACC Tournament.

Syracuse basketball, yes, is four games out of first place, but things are jumbled in the middle of the conference pack. The Orange, for example, is 2.5 affairs out of third place.

The Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference are flexing their muscles in the sport so far in 2020-21, while the ACC isn’t quite as stellar at the top. At least for now.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, in a recent column, wrote in part that the “Cavaliers and Seminoles appear to be separating themselves from the rest of the ACC and each has the potential to make major strides between now and the end of the season.”

I agree with Rothstein in that UVA and FSU are looking more and more like possible Final Four contenders. But his assertion that these two ACC squads may be separating from the remainder of the conference is something for which I’m not quite ready to get on board.