Syracuse Basketball: CBS Sports has ‘Cuse No. 11 in ACC, that seems low

With the Syracuse basketball 2023-24 season fewer than a month away, the Adrian Autry era is nearly here, and preseason prognostications from national pundits are arriving all the time.

Naturally, such projections are speculative, and none of this preseason stuff means a thing once the Orange takes the court in early November, with Autry in his first year as the team’s head coach after replacing Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim this past March.

Given that the ‘Cuse has its first new head coach in nearly 50 years, a relatively young roster that saw a sizable makeover this off-season, and a recent track record of missing the last two NCAA Tournaments, it’s not a surprise that some experts aren’t super high on the Orange ahead of 2023-24.

That being said, the Syracuse basketball 13-player roster this coming stanza is loaded with athleticism, depth and versatility. I am cautiously optimistic that the ‘Cuse is going to surprise us all, and I’ve stated that I think Syracuse basketball will finish in the top six of the Atlantic Coast Conference pecking order, while getting back to the Big Dance come the spring of 2024.

This week, a panel of CBS Sports pundits put out their preseason predictions for the Orange and the rest of the ACC, and this national media outlet gave an unflattering forecast for the ‘Cuse.

Syracuse basketball will finish in the bottom third of the ACC standings, per CBS Sports.

CBS Sports projects the ‘Cuse at No. 11 of the league’s 15 squads. Respectfully, I believe this rating is far too low. But I’m a homer, as I always readily acknowledge.

Here’s the predicted order of finish in the ACC from CBS Sports:
1. Duke
2. North Carolina
3. Miami
4. Clemson
5. Virginia
6. Wake Forest
7. Virginia Tech
8. N.C. State
9. Florida State
10. Pittsburgh
11. Syracuse
12. Boston College
13. Georgia Tech
14. Louisville
15. Notre Dame

For what it’s worth, the six CBS Sports experts have the Orange at No. 8, No. 8, No. 9, No. 10, No. 13 and No. 14 in the ACC race. Trying to remain objective here, I simply don’t see Syracuse basketball finishing anywhere close to No. 13 or No. 14 in the conference.

"To be fair, Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports describes the Orange as the “most underrated team” in the article. Salerno added, “In North Carolina’s first season post-Roy Williams, the Tar Heels made the Final Four. In Duke’s first season without Coach K, the Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament championship. I’m not saying either of those things will happen this season, but sometimes a new head coach can bring new life to a program.  After all, it’s likely that Syracuse goes away from Boeheim’s signature zone defense that’s been a staple in college basketball for years. Syracuse being tabbed to finish No. 11 seems low, but they have only finished in the top-5 of the standings once since joining the ACC from the Big East in 2013.”"

CBS Sports has Duke forward Kyle Filipowski, a former Syracuse basketball recruit, as the ACC’s preseason player of the year. This media outlet has North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau, another former ‘Cuse target, as its preseason freshman of the year.

I do contend that Orange sophomore point guard Judah Mintz will be in the mix for the conference’s player of the year honor as well as the All-ACC first squad.