As the 2024-25 season for Syracuse basketball is less than a month away, it's that time of year when national and Atlantic Coast Conference pundits opine on where the Orange will reside in the league's pecking order.
One of those forecasts came this week from experts at CBS Sports, and their projection for the 'Cuse within the ACC in 2024-25 isn't flattering, to say the least. Granted, these sorts of prognostications should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.
While I acknowledge that I'm a homer when it comes to my alma mater, I respectfully disagree with CBS Sports' assessment of Syracuse basketball in the upcoming campaign. The national media outlet has the Orange at No. 12 in the ACC, a league that has expanded to 18 members in hoops with the additions of California, SMU and Stanford.
Naturally, head coach Adrian Autry, his top-flight staff and their players will have plenty of chances to prove the naysayers wrong. The team's 2024-25 season, by the way, commences on Monday, Nov. 4, when the 'Cuse will host nearby Le Moyne in a non-conference clash at the JMA Wireless Dome.
CBS Sports is not high on Syracuse basketball ahead of the 2024-25 term.
In the CBS Sports story forecasting the 2024-25 ACC standings, here's what was said about the Orange: "Adrian Autry finished a respectable 11-9 in his first season as Jim Boeheim's successor despite losing starting center Naheem McLeod to an injury after just 14 games and rotation piece Benny Williams to a suspension in early February. But it's possible a step backwards is on tap given that five of the top seven scorers from that team are gone, among them leading scorer Judah Mintz, who averaged 18.8 points per game, which ranked second in the ACC. Eddie Lampkin Jr. is the most recognizable of the incoming transfers after averaging 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds last season for a Colorado team that won two games in the NCAA Tournament. But what Syracuse enrolled might not be enough to offset what Syracuse lost and help the Orange avoid a notable slide on the conference standings."
No one can deny that Syracuse basketball experienced a significant roster overhaul this past off-season, but the same is true for many college programs around the country due to the transfer portal's explosion.
This off-season, Mintz headed to the professional ranks, while seven players from the Orange's 2023-24 roster hit the portal. The 'Cuse 2024 recruiting cycle includes three incoming freshmen, one being five-star power forward Donnie Freeman, along with four college transfers who were each rated four stars by at least one recruiting service.
So, yes, Syracuse basketball has a lot of new faces within its 2024-25 roster. The squad also has a much more experienced line-up, as it pertains to upperclassmen. A season ago, the Orange's roster primarily consisted of sophomores.
In 2023-24, Autry was in his first term at the helm of Syracuse basketball after replacing the legendary Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim. Autry - despite a young roster, McLeod and Chance Westry being injured, Williams being dismissed from the team, and a tough non-conference docket - still guided the 'Cuse to 20 regular-season wins for the first time in a decade.
Syracuse basketball has missed three consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Given the Orange's more veteran roster, and a less daunting non-conference slate (at least on paper), I believe that the 'Cuse has a decent shot at hearing its name called on Selection Sunday come March of 2025.
Of the seven CBS Sports panelists, two had the Orange at No. 9 in the ACC standings, two at No. 11, one at No. 12, one at No. 13 and one at No. 15. While I'm biased, I am adamant that Syracuse basketball will finish no worse than No. 8 in the league, if not higher than that.
By the way, the conference is holding its annual ACC Tipoff this week in Charlotte, N.C. The men's event is being held on October 9 and October 10. I'll be curious to see where Syracuse basketball is projected in the ACC, according to the league's preseason media poll.
Here is the ACC's predicted order of finish in 2024-25, per CBS Sports:
Duke
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Clemson
Virginia
Miami
Pittsburgh
Louisville
N.C. State
Notre Dame
Georgia Tech
Syracuse
SMU
Florida State
Virginia Tech
California
Stanford
Boston College