Syracuse Basketball: Full 2022-23 schedule doesn’t look overly daunting

I know that we’re all knee-deep in excitement over the strong start by Syracuse football this term, however, before you know it, Syracuse basketball will be ready to roll in its upcoming campaign.

The 2022-23 season for Orange hoops will commence in early November, and the ‘Cuse will look to rebound after a disappointing 16-17 record a stanza ago.

The Orange’s roster is significantly revamped, with a six-member 2022 recruiting class and a big-man transfer coming to the Hill, although at the same time the ‘Cuse does bring back several veterans to lead the 2022-23 line-up.

Recently, the Atlantic Coast Conference and SU Athletics gave us the full 2022-23 schedule for Syracuse basketball, and I have to say, on paper, it doesn’t appear to be hugely scary.

Of course, on paper doesn’t mean a single thing once games start getting played, and we all don’t know at this point just how “good” the current Orange roster is, particularly taking into account what the ‘Cuse did (or didn’t do) last year, and the many new faces within the squad’s line-up for 2022-23.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the Syracuse basketball calendar for the upcoming term.

First up, I’ll note that the Orange’s 11-game non-conference slate, on paper anyway, seems much less difficult than in 2021-22. That doesn’t mean the ‘Cuse is going to sport an 11-0 mark, but hopefully, Syracuse basketball can pile up some non-conference triumphs.

By the way, the complete 2022-23 schedule is at the bottom of this column.

In the non-conference, the Orange will play a ton of home games. Its lone true road contest is at Illinois for the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

In super early prognostications from national pundits and bracketologists, Illinois looks to be a fringe top-25 team and a solid No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the 2023 Big Dance.

On paper, I believe this to be the toughest non-conference encounter for Syracuse basketball.

The Orange has pesky Richmond as its first foe at the 2022 Empire Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., and then the ‘Cuse could possibly face St. John’s, which is viewed by some bracketologists as a bubble bunch for March Madness.

Other non-conference opponents, including Colgate and Oakland, may get into the 2023 NCAA Tournament, per experts. But by and large, Syracuse basketball to me has a great shot at going 8-3 or even 9-2 in the non-conference.

As far as the Orange’s 20-game ACC slate, I think it’s quite manageable for the ‘Cuse. According to early forecasts, North Carolina could be the preseason No. 1 team across the country prior to 2022-23 commencing.

Duke looks like a preseason top-10 squad, while Virginia is within the top 20 of some early national power rankings. Miami could be a fringe top-25 group.

Other ACC squads that pundits view as solid NCAA Tournament candidates include Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Florida State.

Syracuse basketball “only” has to play the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels at home. That’s favorable. The Orange has away-only affairs with groups such as Florida State and Miami, so those games could be tricky, but I wouldn’t say the ‘Cuse is guaranteed to lose those encounters.

The Orange’s home-and-home series are with Boston College, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

To reiterate, I don’t know how good the ‘Cuse will be in 2022-23, but Syracuse basketball certainly has an opportunity to sweep Boston College, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh, while hopefully splitting with Notre Dame, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

It’s true that on several occasions, the Orange will have to play back-to-back road games, however, all of those pairings include at least one foe that I think the ‘Cuse can conquer.

I’ll come out with a piece in the near future where I project the Orange’s overall record in 2022-23, but my initial impression is that Syracuse basketball absolutely can contend for 20 or more regular-season wins in the upcoming campaign.

Full Syracuse Basketball 2022-23 Schedule

November 7 vs. Lehigh

November 15 vs. Colgate

November 19 vs. Northeastern

November 21 vs. Richmond (Empire Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y.)

November 22 vs. St. John’s or Temple (Empire Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y.)

November 26 vs. Bryant

November 29 at Illinois (ACC-Big Ten Challenge)

December 3 at Notre Dame

December 6 vs. Oakland

December 10 vs. Georgetown

December 12 vs. Monmouth

December 17 vs. Cornell

December 20 vs. Pittsburgh

December 30 or 31 vs. Boston College

January 3 at Louisville

January 7 at Virginia

January 11 vs. Virginia Tech

January 14 vs. Notre Dame

January 16 at Miami

January 21 at Georgia Tech

January 24 vs. North Carolina

January 28 at Virginia Tech

January 30 vs. Virginia

February 4 at Boston College

February 8 at Florida State

February 14 vs. N.C. State

February 18 vs. Duke

February 22 at Clemson

February 25 at Pittsburgh

February 28 vs. Georgia Tech

March 4 vs. Wake Forest