Syracuse Basketball: Losing Jesse Edwards is so sad, massive blow to SU

I have to admit it, I was feeling pretty good about Syracuse basketball of late.

The Orange (13-11, 7-6), as it prepares to play at Virginia Tech (14-10, 6-7) this Saturday evening, has been performing at a high level in recent games and is on a four-contest winning streak.

I even penned a recent column where I discussed how the ‘Cuse might be able to re-enter the Big Dance conversation, which was fairly awesome, given that the team stood at 9-11 overall not too long ago.

But then, in the late morning on Thursday, I got an e-mail from the Orange program’s spokesman, saying that junior center Jesse Edwards would be out for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign after suffering a left-wrist fracture in the ‘Cuse triumph at Boston College earlier this week.

Talk about a punch to the gut. More importantly than anything that actually transpires on the court, my heart breaks for the 6-foot-11 Edwards, who has put forth a strong junior term. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Syracuse basketball will have a huge void to fill with Jesse Edwards injured.

Even though he struggled at Boston College, Edwards is having a break-out season. Per ESPN statistics, Edwards is averaging 27.8 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.1 steals and 1.0 assist per encounter. He’s also connecting on a stellar 69.1 percent from the field.

Those numbers are a significant improvement from what Edwards did as a sophomore, although he only averaged about 9 minutes of run in 2020-21.

Without question, Edwards had put himself in serious contention for the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Most Improved Player award this season.

In my humble opinion, he’s the best center in terms of offensive production for Syracuse basketball dating back to Rakeem Christmas in 2014-15, when Christmas received All-American honors.

Not only has Edwards proven a legit option for the Orange on offense in 2021-22, but he’s also been a force in the zone. Yes, he’s been in foul trouble a good amount of times this campaign, but Edwards blocks and alters shots at an impressive clip.

It will be virtually impossible for the other ‘Cuse big men to fully replace Edwards’ presence on both ends of the floor. Sure, I recognize that injuries are a part of college basketball.

Case in point, graduate student center Bourama Sidibe barely played last season due to a knee injury. It’s just that Syracuse basketball is on a roll. Edwards has been terrific. This news really, really stinks.