For Syracuse basketball, Bahamas a litmus test for hanging with big boys

Syracuse basketball, in a few days, will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in paradise, and I don’t mean that in a metaphorical way.

The Orange is set to soon suit up in the 2021 Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis, which this year has an absolutely loaded field with multiple ranked teams, along with others receiving votes in the Associated Press top-25 poll.

For all the whining that we often hear about as to the ‘Cuse playing a soft non-conference schedule, between this pre-season tournament and other near-term battles, Syracuse basketball is absolutely challenging itself during the 2021-22 campaign prior to Atlantic Coast Conference competition commencing.

The current stanza is so early on that it’s really difficult to assess how the Orange will fare, but the upcoming Battle 4 Atlantis tourney should provide a good indication as to whether the ‘Cuse can hang with some of the nation’s elite squads.

Syracuse basketball has a potentially daunting slate in the Bahamas.

The Orange will participate in the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis from November 24 to November 26, with the three-day event taking place from the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

First and foremost, I’ve been to the Atlantis resort, and it’s amazing. I can think of nothing better than basking in the sun while watching ‘Cuse hoops over a Thanksgiving holiday!

But for Syracuse basketball, this tournament is all business, as the team wants to show that it can knock off top-notch teams at a neutral site, something that would go a long way toward building the Orange’s Big Dance resume for next spring.

The ‘Cuse will play three games in the Bahamas, with the first match-up versus VCU out of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams qualified for the 2021 March Madness but didn’t get to compete because of Covid-19 protocols.

If Syracuse basketball prevails, and Baylor beats Arizona State, then the Orange would meet up with the Bears, a group that won the 2021 NCAA Tournament and is presently ranked in the top-10 nationally.

The third opponent for the ‘Cuse will be one of Auburn, Loyola Chicago, Michigan State or Connecticut. In the most recent AP top-25 ballot, Auburn and UConn are No. 21 and No. 23, respectively.

Michigan State and Loyola Chicago, meanwhile, are both receiving votes in this poll, much like Syracuse basketball is. So it’s possible that in this tourney, the Orange could play VCU, top-10 Baylor and then another top-25 squad, with all of those encounters on a neutral court.

At the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2015, Syracuse basketball cut down the nets, besting top-25 opponents UConn and Texas A&M along the way. The following spring, the ‘Cuse would make the Final Four.

In the 2021-22 term for Syracuse basketball, a repeat of both those outcomes, in the Bahamas and then in March Madness, would be more than welcomed by Orange Nation.