Syracuse Basketball: Jon Rothstein has reasons for optimism on the Hill this season

We've been laser-focused on the 2025 football season, but Syracuse basketball's 2025-26 campaign will arrive before you know it. By and large, national and Atlantic Coast Conference pundits aren't super high on the 'Cuse, which is understandable, given the team's record in recent seasons.

However, CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein thinks the Orange is one of five teams that could overachieve in 2025-26. I'm an acknowledged homer, but I agree with Rothstein, who knows a lot more about collegiate hoops than I do!

Rothstein says that Syracuse basketball, ahead of the 2025-26 term, looks "sneaky good." Heck yeah. He added in part that the Orange should prove "significantly better than it was a year ago."

There is reason for optimism with Syracuse basketball this season. Here's why.

As Rothstein notes, the two returnees for the 'Cuse were huge ones in senior guard J.J. Starling and sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman. The Orange only brought back two of 13 scholarship players from 2024-25, when the team went 14-19 overall, and those are the two we had hoped would return.

A pivotal piece to Syracuse basketball's success in the upcoming campaign is expected starting point guard Naithan George, a junior who transferred in from Georgia Tech. He was one of the top floor generals in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season, and George was a highly rated, four-star transfer when he committed to the 'Cuse.

Respectfully, the point guard spot left a lot to be desired on the Hill in 2024-25. George could prove to be one of the point guards to don an Orange uniform in a while. Another important facet of the team's 2025-26 roster is athleticism.

Again, I am not throwing shade at last season's team, but it wasn't overly athletic. Yes, the Syracuse basketball 2025-26 line-up features a ton of new faces: two returnees, six college transfers and five prep recruits.

So everything we're talking about is based on how most of these players fared at their former school, or in high school. I'm speculating here. However, I've read a lot of interviews about this roster and taken a close look at social media posts, which I fully admit don't tell the whole story.

Still, redshirt senior Nate Kingz, a transfer from Oregon State, is a sharpshooter from the perimeter. Senior power forward/center William Kyle III, who transferred in from UCLA, is going to surprise people; his athleticism is off the charts.

Also, don't sleep on other players such as forward Tyler Betsey, a transfer from Cincinnati, and freshmen Sadiq White Jr., a forward, Kiyan Anthony, a shooting guard, and Luke Fennell, a combo guard.

We'll have to see how this team gels as a unit. Areas to monitor, as usual, will include defense, turnovers, 3-point shooting and rebounding. I get that the Orange's track record of late hasn't been good, but Rothstein is on to something. Syracuse basketball could be sneaky good, and hopefully, that will translate to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021.