Syracuse Basketball: Buddy Boeheim is a top-10 returning player nationally

The pre-season accolades continue to pile up for Syracuse basketball senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim.

The 6-foot-6 Boeheim, who averaged nearly 18 points a game as a junior and more than 15 points per contest as a sophomore, is one of the 10 best returning players ahead of the 2021-22 term, according to college basketball insider Andy Katz.

NCAA.com’s Stan Becton recently published a piece highlighting the top-25 returning players for 2021-22, as put together by Katz, who is one of the premier analysts and journalists in the sport.

"Katz has Boeheim at No. 9 overall. Here’s what Becton said about Boeheim in his write-up of the Orange star. “The son of the legendary coach stepped into the spotlight last year and showed what he can do on the floor. Buddy Boeheim scored 55 points in Syracuse’s first two NCAA tournament games making 13 threes on 57% shooting from deep. After shooting the lights out to get the Orange to the Sweet Sixteen, Katz believes Boeheim can replicate his success in 2021-22.”"

The top eight, according to Katz, are UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson, Indiana’s Tracye Jackson-Davis, Texas’ Marcus Carr, Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell and Purdue’s Jaden Ivey.

Syracuse basketball guard Buddy Boeheim is firmly on the national map.

A couple of days ago, we penned a column detailing how Athlon Sports had unveiled its three pre-season All-America squads for 2021-22. Boeheim is on the second team there.

His inclusion didn’t surprise me at all. I’ve said for a while now that I believe Boeheim will significantly contend for All-American status, as well as the All-ACC first unit.

Earlier this summer, MakingtheMadness.com writer, analyst and bracketologist Jonathon Warriner published his list of the top-100 players for 2021-22. Warriner included incoming freshmen within his rankings, and Boeheim was placed at No. 22 nationally.

Over the past two seasons, Boeheim has shown that he’s much more than a 3-point specialist. He can score with precision in the mid-range and around the basket. His defense needs to continue improving, and I think that it will.

This past March, Boeheim caught fire in the NCAA Tournament, helping guide the double-digit seeded Orange on a journey to the Sweet 16, where the ‘Cuse fell to Houston in the regional semifinals.

As we prepare for 2021-22, Syracuse basketball may prove a bit under the radar, according to pre-season projections from national pundits. That will not be the case for Boeheim, though.