It’s unlikely that a Syracuse basketball player will make the All-ACC first team, given that competition for this squad is fierce, and also because the Orange is hovering in the middle of the pack as far as the Atlantic Coast Conference standings are concerned.
The same held true of the ‘Cuse a stanza ago, but redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes led the conference in scoring and deserved inclusion on the All-ACC first team.
In the 2020-21 campaign, whose regular season is winding down and has almost certainly concluded for Syracuse basketball, the Orange is heading to the league’s post-season tournament next week fighting for its Big Dance life.
Numerous bracketologists say that the ‘Cuse (15-8, 9-7) needs to notch multiple victories in the ACC Tournament to remain in the conversation as a bubble team for the field of 68.
With that as a backdrop, Syracuse basketball to date has delivered a solid season, but not a spectacular one. And a couple of guys on the Orange roster are putting forth excellent performances in 2020-21.
So that begs the question – assuming that a ‘Cuse player is going to land on one of the three All-ACC squads this season, which player should it be, and which player will it be?
These are the Syracuse basketball players who could make a case for All-ACC honors.
While freshman combo guard Kadary Richmond is performing admirably in his first stanza on the Hill, I don’t think he’s in contention for an All-ACC team, in part because he plays for about 22 minutes per encounter.
For me, that leaves four guys as possibilities for one of the three All-ACC units. They are junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, junior forward Alan Griffin, sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier and senior power forward/center Marek Dolezaj.
It’s really tough to decipher which player has the best argument for All-ACC.
Per ESPN statistics, Boeheim leads the ‘Cuse in scoring, at 16.0 points a game, and he’s also at the top of the ACC in terms of 3-point shots made per affair. Boeheim has been a bit inconsistent in 2020-21, but he also had to work through a Covid-19 infection.
Griffin is a stat-sheet stuffer, collecting 15.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks a game, while connecting on 44.4 percent from the field, 88.7 percent from the charity stripe and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Guerrier, the Orange’s most physical player, is tallying 14.5 points and 8.9 boards per contest, and he’s No. 2 in the ACC in the rebounding department. When Guerrier is imposing his will in the paint, it changes everything, in a positive way, for Syracuse basketball.
Last but not least, Dolezaj has wonderfully manned the center spot for the Orange in virtually all of 2020-21, due to senior Bourama Sidibe suffering a knee injury in the season opener.
Dolezaj averages 10.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals a game, and he’s hitting on 54.4 percent from the field and 84.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Head coach Jim Boeheim has said more than once that Dolezaj is the team’s most important/valuable player, and I adamantly agree with him.
Any of these four guys is deserving of being on an All-ACC squad. My gut says that Buddy Boeheim is most likely to get included, because he paces the ‘Cuse in scoring and is a lethal shooter.
However, if I had a vote, I’d put Dolezaj on the All-ACC second or third team. His overall statistics aren’t as bountiful as the other players, but he does so many things well. Without him on the court, Syracuse basketball would definitely not have 15 total triumphs at this juncture in 2020-21.