Gerry McNamara is entering his first season as the head coach of his alma mater, Syracuse basketball, and he's tasked with turning around a program that has endured two straight losing campaigns and hasn't reached the annual NCAA Tournament since 2021.
Given the team's struggles in recent years, and the fact that it has a new head coach and assistant staff, plus a vastly remade roster, it won't be a surprise if national and Atlantic Coast Conference pundits aren't super high on the Orange's prospects for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 31, 2026
ACC Offseason Breakdown.
*Preseason Power Rankings
*Preseason Awards
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McNamara has said that he wants to win, and he wants to win right away. So what are realistic expectations for Syracuse basketball in 2026-27? A record above .500? Twenty or more triumphs? A bid to the Big Dance?
Perhaps it's all those things. Either way, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports recently dished on the 'Cuse and the rest of the ACC. He's relatively bullish on SU, at least from my perspective.
A national expert projects where Syracuse basketball will finish in the ACC standings.
Rothstein has the Orange at No. 7 in the league race. That's in the conference's top half, and to me, that's a somewhat optimistic placement, given all the context surrounding the program that I described above.
Here are the full preseason ACC power rankings from Rothstein:
1. Duke
2. Virginia
3. Louisville
4. Miami
5. North Carolina
6. Clemson
7. Syracuse
8. Virginia Tech
9. Pittsburgh
10. SMU
11. Florida State
12. N.C. State
13. Stanford
14. Notre Dame
15. Wake Forest
16. Boston College
17. California
18. Georgia Tech
Rothstein's projected starting five for the Orange is point guard Garwey Dual, guard Aidan Tobiason, guard/wing Kiyan Anthony, power forward Sadiq White Jr. and center Luke Wilson. I'm not so sure about Anthony starting, although I agree with the other four. My fifth starter would either be guard/wing Gavin Doty or forward Amarri Monroe.
The CBS Sports national reporter also lists five ACC breakout players, and he includes White, the Syracuse basketball sophomore. I'm totally on board with this. White fits in perfectly within McNamara's system, and I think he's in store for a monster 2026-27 campaign.
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