CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein seems to be at least a little bullish on Syracuse's prospects for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
Preseason rankings this far out are somewhat silly, but nonetheless, when I glanced at Rothstein's latest top 45 for the 2026-27 campaign, there was the Orange at No. 43. Sweet!
Naturally, with the next season not commencing for months, Rothstein's top 45 is going to shift around, especially as teams add more players to their rosters amid the transfer portal remaining open through Tuesday, April 21.
Today's ROTHSTEIN 45 is LIVE.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 21, 2026
TOP 10:
1. Michigan
2. Florida
3. UConn
4. Illinois
5. Arizona
6. Michigan State
7. Virginia
8. Duke
9. Texas
10. Arkansas
CC: @FDSportsbook,@FanDuelResearch.https://t.co/Qek0R1gFWh
Since players only needed to be in the portal by April 21, and not committed to a new squad, we will likely see many more pledges in the coming days and beyond, which will result in preseason rankings from Rothstein and other national observers fluctuating.
Syracuse basketball continues to construct its 2026-27 roster.
Candidly, when I saw Syracuse basketball inside Rothstein's top 45, I was pleasantly surprised. And his placement of the Orange there came before SU, on Tuesday afternoon, landed a commitment from four-star transfer center Luke Wilson, a redshirt sophomore at Sun Belt Conference member Appalachian State who visited the 'Cuse early this week.
Let's remember that, in 2025-26, Syracuse basketball went just 15-17 overall, its second straight losing season and its third campaign under .500 in the past five terms. Given that context, plus the Orange has a new head coach in Gerry McNamara, and it would be easy to understand if national writers project another tough season for Syracuse basketball in 2026-27.
Rothstein's top 45 includes seven other Atlantic Coast Conference teams. They are No. 7 Virginia, No. 8 Duke, No. 18 Miami, No. 19 Louisville, No. 20 North Carolina, No. 38 Stanford and No. 41 Clemson. Plus, non-conference foes Indiana and Providence check in at No. 17 and No. 45, respectively.
After Wilson said that he would transfer, the Orange's 2026-27 roster stood at 12 players, meaning the 'Cuse staff can add up to three more. I'd anticipate another point guard, a 3-point specialist on the wing and another frontcourt player.
Syracuse basketball, under GMac, is trying to get back to the annual NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, when the legendary Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim was still at the program's helm.
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