Lacking love from pundits, Syracuse basketball is right where it wants to be

Save for an expert here and there, like college basketball insider Andy Katz, the bulk of national analysts, commentators and writers don’t seem uber-high on Syracuse basketball as the 2021-22 campaign nears its beginning.

And that’s precisely where the Orange should want to reside. Remember the 2002-03 season? Of course, you do. That’s when the ‘Cuse journeyed from unranked to start the term, all the way to cutting down the nets at the end of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

Now, I’m in no way saying that we should compare this year’s Orange with that national-championship team. What I am opining is that the ‘Cuse, all too frequently, appears to shine when it isn’t expected to do so.

Take the 2020-21 stanza. Syracuse basketball had to get on a roll at the end of the regular season just to squeak into the Big Dance, and once there, the double-digit seeded Orange sprung two upsets to reach the Sweet 16.

Syracuse basketball will begin this campaign as an unranked squad.

Of course, we all want the ‘Cuse to wreak havoc in the 2021-22 regular season AND do a ton of damage come next March and early April. The 2011-12 Orange roster comes to mind, as it amassed a 34-3 overall record, won the Big East Conference regular-season crown and got to the Elite Eight.

Yes, it’s no secret that since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013-14, Syracuse basketball has slugged its way through some sub-par regular stanzas.

Media members, at least for now, think that the ‘Cuse will have a similar performance in 2021-22. The ACC’s pre-season media poll places Syracuse basketball at No. 7 in the league’s pecking order, with the top six being Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville.

Personally, I would have slotted the Orange at No. 5 or No. 6, but whatever. The ‘Cuse will have plenty of opportunities to prove its worth on the court in the near future.

Additionally, the pre-season Associated Press top-25 poll is out, and Syracuse basketball isn’t included. Well, actually, the Orange has collected five votes in the “others receiving votes” category, but you get the idea.

Over at kenpom.com, the ‘Cuse checks in at No. 41 in the pre-season ratings, just behind fellow ACC member North Carolina.

A recent article from CBS Sports discusses some 2021 NCAA Tournament groups that are “poised to miss out on” landing an invite to the 2022 March Madness. Syracuse basketball is featured here.

"CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone wrote in part about the Orange, “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Boeheim triumvirate meshes perfectly and the Orange are dancing again in 2022. But, on paper, the talent level doesn’t appear to be quite on par with some of the other teams in the top half of the ACC.”"

Okay, then. So, to reiterate, numerous national pundits aren’t showing Syracuse basketball the love ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. It’s fine. What matters to me is not where the ‘Cuse starts out, but where the Orange ends up.