Syracuse Basketball: Where Jon Rothstein places SU in ACC is spot on

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein recently published his off-season report for the Atlantic Coast Conference, and it includes several mentions of Syracuse basketball in various categories.

Most notably, Rothstein provides his pre-season power rankings within the ACC ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. He arranges the Orange at No. 6 in the league’s pecking order, and that’s a fair assessment to me, at least as far as early projections go.

I catch grief from my fellow ‘Cuse fans all the time about publishing columns regarding predictions for the Orange this far out from a campaign actually taking place, and that’s cool. All of these prognostications about ACC standings and bracketology are mainly speculation at this juncture, but fun nonetheless.

That being said, I do think that insights from knowledgeable journalists and analysts such as Rothstein can give us all a sense of who the heavyweights might prove in the ACC for 2021-22.

To that end, Rothstein’s pre-season power ratings for the conference, in order, are Duke at No. 1, followed by North Carolina, Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Louisville, Notre Dame, N.C. State, Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Boston College.

So I ask you, my dear ‘Cuse fanatics, what are your thoughts about this list of the 15 ACC teams from Rothstein?

Here’s my early take on Syracuse basketball and the ACC race in 2021-22.

For a little context, a year ago, the Orange finished at 15-8 in the regular season, including a 6-1 non-conference record and a 9-7 ACC mark.

The ‘Cuse, as the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament, blasted N.C. State in its opening game. Then, Syracuse basketball fell in heart-breaking fashion to No. 1 seed Virginia on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the tourney’s quarterfinal round.

The Orange would make the Big Dance as a No. 11 seed, knock off No. 6 seed San Diego State and No. 3 seed West Virginia, but the ‘Cuse journey would wrap up in a Sweet 16 setback to No. 2 seed and eventual Final Four participant Houston.

Since the 2021 NCAA Tournament ended, with Baylor beating Gonzaga in the title clash, the transfer portal has exploded, due primarily to the NCAA enacting a measure that allows all student-athletes to transfer once and retain immediate eligibility.

On the Hill, Syracuse basketball saw a bunch of guys leave due to graduation, professional aspirations and the transfer portal. Conversely, the Orange has a five-star freshman forward coming on board, as well as several intriguing transfers into the program.

How the ‘Cuse will fare in 2021-22 is unclear. Head coach Jim Boeheim has said that this team should shine on offense, but how the Orange does in its 2-3 zone is a question mark.

Getting back to Rothstein’s pre-season rankings for the ACC, even though Duke had a rough 2020-21 stanza, the Blue Devils are loaded this year. Duke, along with UNC, UVA and FSU, are clearly the juggernauts these days in the league.

Virginia Tech was really good a season ago, so I get them being No. 5. And I do think that Syracuse basketball at No. 6 makes sense, at least for now. Louisville, Notre Dame and N.C. State could all be sneaky good, too.

In other superlatives, Rothstein has senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim on his pre-season All-ACC first team, junior guard Symir Torrence among his 10 under-the-radar transfers, and freshman forward Benny Williams as one of 10 impact freshmen.