Syracuse Basketball: 44 reasons why the Orange will win the ACC crown

Earlier in the football season, I wrote a post that was lighthearted yet pointed out reasons to be excited about the 2021 campaign, and it seems appropriate to do a column as it pertains to this topic and Syracuse basketball.

For the Syracuse football piece, it came to fruition after a friend on Twitter asked jokingly 10 reasons why the Orange could win the ACC in football. To which I replied, “what about 44 reasons?” and I wrote it.

Since Syracuse basketball beat Lafayette to start the 2021-22 season, I thought I’d “slightly overreact” and do 44 reasons why the basketball team will win the ACC (and maybe the NCAA Tournament, too). This post is intended for entertainment purposes, but I do think this is a talented team that actually could do just that.

Here are my 44 reasons why Syracuse basketball will win the ACC crown.

1) Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim
2) The 2-3 zone surprising teams even though Boeheim has been coaching for decades
3) Stand and Clap in the Loud House because fans are back
4) Buddy “Buckets” Boeheim
5) Jimmy Boeheim
6) Playing in the Bahamas is just like playing in Syracuse in late November
7) Georgetown still sucks
8) Benny Williams
9) Cole Swider
10) Beating Indiana means revenge for Keith Smart
11) Pittsburgh lost to the Citadel
12) Bourama Sidibe
13) Jesse Edwards
14) Paddy Casey
15) Ruin the Coach K retirement tour
16) For $25, kids can join Otto’s Kids Club that includes tickets to 2 men’s basketball games
17) Dome Dogs are better than hot dogs anywhere else
18) Joe Girard
19) Symir Torrence
20) Frank Anselem
21) John Bol Ajak won’t shoot any more threes
22) Media experts expect SU to finish around 7th place in the league
23) Traveling to snowy Syracuse makes for interesting travel and expectations
24) Coach GMac
25) Coach Autry
26) Coach Griffin
27) Hopefully Mario & Salvo’s pizza inspires someone like it did Marek Dolezaj
28) Syracuse has a good balance of experience and youth
29) A lot of three-point shots will be made
30) I think rebounding will be good, though maybe a struggle here and there
31) Brad Pike
32) Three Wishes Cereal
33) YouTube series Storied
34) The ACC Tournament will be in Brooklyn, N.Y., this year at the Barclays Center, which is like playing in East Syracuse
35) Fans can enjoy SU hoops and Lights on the Lake as well and have a nice family outing
36) TK99 still has all the games on the radio or the Varsity Network app if you’re not in Syracuse
37) Free throws matter and I think most of this team will be fine with that
38) Having a few early games at neutral sites might help quiet critics who say Syracuse plays too many home games/easy scheduling
39) Win one for Kelly LaValle-Seubert while Chris is still part of the team
40) Otto rules!
41) Virginia lost to Navy…shoulder shrug that
42) Something something Tully’s Tenders cheap plug
43) Villanova’s best player last season is now Orange
44) Did I mention that Georgetown still sucks?