Syracuse Basketball: Buddy Boeheim has big-time goal for Orange in ACC

Syracuse basketball has slogged its way through numerous sub-par regular seasons since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, and senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim hopes to change that narrative.

The Orange moved from the Big East Conference to the ACC during the 2013-14 campaign. In that first stanza as an ACC member, the ‘Cuse finished in second place within the ACC’s regular-season standings.

However, as we all know too well, the Orange’s performance during regular terms in recent years has proven, to say the least, somewhat of a disappointment. That being said, Syracuse basketball did reach a Final Four in 2016, as well as Sweet 16s in 2018 and 2021.

As we look ahead to the 2021-22 campaign, which will soon begin, Boeheim has grand plans in mind for the ‘Cuse, and I am absolutely jazzed up about his mentality for the Orange this season.

Syracuse basketball senior guard Buddy Boeheim thinks his team will thrive in 2021-22.

In a recent story by The Associated Press, Boeheim said of the ‘Cuse and its place within the ACC, “We want to finish in the top three. That’s definitely something I’m focused on this year, having a good regular season and being one of the top teams consistently throughout the year.”

Should that occur, it will delight the entire Orange fan base, as many fans, understandably so, have grown frustrated by where the ‘Cuse has finished of late in the conference standings.

Securing a top-three placement in the ACC race, though, is an ambitious objective. And that would buck the trend of numerous national pundits forecasting Syracuse basketball to wind up much lower in the ACC pecking order.

In the recently released pre-season media poll for the league, the Orange was projected to finish at No. 7, behind Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville.

The ‘Cuse, unsurprisingly, also didn’t make the cut when the pre-season AP top-25 poll got recently unveiled, although the Orange did garner a few votes in the “others receiving votes” department.

As I noted in a recent column, I personally like that the expectations are tempered for Syracuse basketball in 2021-22. The ‘Cuse has a veteran roster, albeit with a couple of new faces, and perhaps Syracuse basketball will play with a chip on its shoulder this coming term.

Plus, the team’s 2021-22 schedule is an extremely daunting one, both in the non-conference slate and throughout the ACC calendar. With these challenges, I’d add, come plenty of opportunities for the Orange to pick up marquee victories for its post-season resume.

Do I believe that the ‘Cuse will overtake some of the conference’s heavyweights to reside in the top three? We’ll have to wait and see on that. But Boeheim and his teammates should prove fun to watch over the next few months.