Syracuse Basketball: Jon Rothstein forecasts 'Cuse as middle-of-the-pack in the ACC

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports has published his off-season report for the Atlantic Coast Conference, and he's got a few mentions of Syracuse basketball in his breakdown.

For a bit of context, a season ago, the Orange finished at 20-12 overall, winning 20 regular-season games for the first time in a decade. First-year head coach Adrian Autry did a solid job after replacing the Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, as Autry led the program to the No. 7 seed in this past spring's ACC Tournament after Syracuse basketball was projected to finish at No. 10 in the league race.

It's true that, in the 2023-24 campaign, the 'Cuse missed the NCAA Tournament for the third term in a row. But Autry and his team also faced a tough non-conference slate, the roster was primarily filled with sophomores, and the Orange's line-up had to contend with several unfortunate injuries and other issues.

This off-season, Syracuse basketball saw seven 2023-24 players hit the transfer portal, while sophomore point guard Judah Mintz left the Hill to pursue a pro career. Conversely, five 2023-24 guys are returning, and the 'Cuse 2024 class includes two high school seniors and four college transfers who are all rated four stars by at least one recruiting service.

When I wrote this article on Monday evening, the Orange's 2024 recruiting class checked in at No. 10 around the country, per the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking. At this juncture, ahead of 2024-25, Syracuse basketball currently has 11 scholarship players, with two scholarships still remaining.

On paper, the 'Cuse non-conference docket in 2024-25 doesn't look quite as daunting as a season ago. We know the team's ACC pairings, with the dates and times of the Orange's conference contests not yet revealed.

Given that the 'Cuse saw its roster get significantly overhauled this off-season, national and ACC pundits aren't necessarily projecting Syracuse basketball as a 2025 Big Dance squad, but all of this is speculation for the time being.

One noted expert has dished out his predictions for Syracuse basketball and its peers in the ACC.

Here is Rothstein's ACC pecking order ahead of the 2024-25 season, with the conference expanding to 18 members in men's basketball through the additions of California, SMU and Stanford:
North Carolina
Duke
Wake Forest
Clemson
Miami
N.C. State
Virginia
Pittsburgh
Syracuse
Georgia Tech
Louisville
Notre Dame
Stanford
SMU
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Boston College
California

Rothstein, similar to 247Sports national writer Isaac Trotter in late May, has the 'Cuse at No. 9 overall in the ACC standings.

As far as a projected starting five for the Orange, Rothstein is going with a backcourt of J.J. Starling and Hofstra transfer Jaquan Carlos, Chris Bell at small forward, five-star freshman Donnie Freeman at power forward, and Colorado transfer Eddie Lampkin Jr. at center. That would also be my predicted starting rotation for Syracuse basketball at the onset of 2024-25.

Rothstein also has various ACC superlatives. One is listing his 10 impact freshmen in the conference, where Freeman is included. A native of Washington, D.C., Freeman had a superb senior year, participated in several All-America games, and finished ranked as high as No. 6 nationwide in the 2024 cycle.

Additionally, Rothstein has come out with his 15 impact transfers in the ACC, where Lampkin is featured. In national transfer ratings this off-season, the On3 Industry Ranking places Lampkin inside the top 200 overall and in the top 20 at center.

He had a good 2023-24 campaign at Colorado, and Lampkin has played in three straight NCAA Tournaments.