Syracuse basketball, despite critics, has proven solid in recent years

A large contingent of Syracuse basketball fans has often lamented about the state of the program in recent seasons, including both the team’s performance on the court as well as the squad’s recruiting efforts.

I recently outlined how I believe that the Orange’s recruiting is trending in a terrific direction. As to how the team has fared in actual games, well, there’s no denying that the ‘Cuse has struggled through some regular seasons since leaving the Big East Conference for the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2013-14 campaign.

However, it’s not as bad as some people might think, at least from my perspective. FOX College Hoops recently put out an interesting tweet where it looked at ACC groups and how they stack up in terms of their records over the past 10 years.

According to this tweet, Syracuse basketball is No. 5 overall within the league, and that’s pretty darn good, if you ask me. Ahead of the Orange, in order, are Virginia, Duke, Louisville and North Carolina. Directly behind the ‘Cuse is Florida State.

Now, in all fairness, these records are a little skewed, since teams including Syracuse basketball and others have suited up in more than one conference dating back the last decade.

We also live in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society, and it’s true that over the past handful of stanzas, the Orange has produced so-so regular seasons, although the ‘Cuse has shined in March Madness.

Syracuse basketball, in recent years, isn’t as bad as some naysayers believe.

If we’re looking at the period from 2012 to 2021, the Orange has done some admirable things. The team went to Final Fours in 2013 and 2016, an Elite Eight in 2012, and Sweet 16s in 2018 and 2021.

That’s five trips to the Sweet 16 or better in 10 seasons. Overall, the ‘Cuse has made the Big Dance in seven of 10 years, and that includes a self-imposed post-season ban in 2015 as well as a 2020 NCAA Tournament that didn’t happen due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This past term, Syracuse basketball finished at a respectable 18-10 clip and reached the regional semi-finals, knocking off two high-quality units in San Diego State and West Virginia along the way.

It’s also worth pointing out that in the 2021 March Madness, Duke and Louisville didn’t make the field of 68, and the Orange went as far in the Big Dance as any other ACC team. In fact, only the Seminoles joined the ‘Cuse in the Sweet 16.

For me, with the NCAA sanctions on Syracuse basketball in the rear-view mirror, the real barometer is how the Orange does over the next few seasons, given it has a five-star commit in the 2021 cycle, two four-star commits in 2022, with potentially more on the way, as well as some promising prospects being eyed in the 2023 and 2024 classes.

If the ‘Cuse can generate strong regular-season and post-season results in the near term, then I sincerely hope that the vast majority of frustrated Orange fans out there start to become bigger believers in the Syracuse basketball program.