At Maui tourney, Syracuse basketball may face three projected No. 1 seeds

Syracuse basketball, after mounting a thrilling comeback against Colgate at home earlier this week, sits at 3-0 in the young 2023-24 season.

The Orange, early next week right before the Thanksgiving holiday, will go toe to toe with some elite competition at the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational, a loaded eight-team event that runs from November 20 to November 22 at the University of Hawaii’s SimpliFi Arena in Honolulu.

The ‘Cuse knows its first opponent, and it’s another Orange-clad squad, Southeastern Conference member Tennessee. On Monday, Nov. 20, Syracuse basketball will play the Volunteers beginning at 2:30 pm EST on ESPN2.

On Tuesday, the ‘Cuse will square off with either Purdue or Gonzaga. In the Orange’s final contest at the Maui tourney, it will play one of Kansas, Chaminade, UCLA or Marquette.

These will prove some unbelievably challenging tests for a young Syracuse basketball roster still figuring things out, to some extent, particularly on the defensive end. Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, who is averaging 23 points per encounter so far this term, says he and his teammates are ready to battle these top-flight foes, and I do believe that the Maui Invitational will be a terrific learning experience for the Orange and its first-year head coach, Adrian Autry, regardless of the squad’s wins or losses in Honolulu.

Let’s see where Syracuse basketball opponents at the Maui Invitational are presently rated.

I’m providing information below on the Orange and every other Maui Invitational participant, as it pertains to their seeding in the latest mock field of 68 from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, along with their AP top-25 ranking and their current rating from KenPom.

As you’ll see, the ‘Cuse potentially – and that’s somewhat of a big “if” – could end up facing three opponents in Honolulu that are presently forecast as No. 1 seeds by Joey Brackets for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Yikes.

Syracuse
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: NA
AP top 25: NA
KenPom: No. 114

Kansas
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: No. 1 seed
AP top 25: No. 1
KenPom: No. 3

Purdue
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: No. 1 seed
AP top 25: No. 2
KenPom: No. 1

Marquette
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: No. 2 seed
AP top 25: No. 4
KenPom: No. 9

Tennessee
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: No. 1 seed
AP top 25: No. 7
KenPom: No. 8

Gonzaga
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: No. 3 seed
AP top 25: No. 11
KenPom:  No. 7

UCLA
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: No. 7 seed
AP top 25: Others receiving votes category (No. 29 overall)
KenPom: No. 36

Chaminade
Joe Lunardi’s mock Big Dance: NA
AP top 25: NA
KenPom: NA