Syracuse basketball should have millions for its roster, but the key is wise spending

For college basketball programs, including Syracuse, when it comes to their roster budgets, it's not just about the total dollar amount they have at their disposal. Perhaps more importantly, it's how efficiently and wisely teams allocate their revenue-sharing and third-party NIL funds to their players.

When I wrote an article on Saturday, stating that the Orange eyes roughly $9 million to $10 million for its 2026-27 roster budget, and that I believe such an amount is attainable, I had a lot of SU fans chime in on social media that the 'Cuse needs way more than that to be competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference and on a national scale.

Perhaps. However, I'd contend that if new head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff, which will be revealed soon, get the most bang for their buck with their 2026-27 spending, $10 million (plus or minus) should prove sufficient.

As I've said on several occasions lately, it's not entirely clear what Syracuse basketball's roster budget was in 2025-26, but money wasn't the overarching issue. Players underperformed. Former head coach Adrian Autry and his assistants didn't get the job done.

Syracuse basketball will have enough money to field a quality line-up next season.

Sure, Kentucky reportedly spent around $22 million on its 2025-26 roster. According to reports, some heavyweight programs have put forth $10 million rosters in 2025-26, and the expectation among industry observers is that many teams will increase their spending in 2026-27.

But as On3 noted a couple of days ago, some squads that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament spent much less, say around $4.5 million. The thought is that programs with more money available in revenue-sharing and third-party NIL often will have more successful seasons, and that's logical.

Yet for those 'Cuse fans opining that Syracuse basketball can't fare well in 2026-27 with a roster budget of "only" $10 million, I'd respectfully disagree. It's not merely how much money you have to spend; it's how you spend it.

Certainly, GMac and his staff will want to use the necessary funds to retain key players from 2025-26, while also bringing on board college transfers and potentially a high school commit or two. We don't yet know which 2025-26 guys will return, but one thing is clear: The Orange will need to land a high-quality center for 2026-27, and big men don't come cheap.

Another pivotal point to consider. If a college program is flush with cash for its roster, that's great, but if that money is overspent on players who ultimately underperform, then the total amount of that team's budget becomes a little less important, at least from my perspective.

Hopefully, GMac & Co. will have a roster budget that's in the top half of the ACC. But even if other league schools have more financial resources, McNamara can make up for that by stretching his dollars efficiently. By extension, McNamara and his assistants need to do a better job of coaching their players than Autry and his staff did.

I mean no disrespect to Red, but even if he had a larger roster budget in 2025-26, I'm not sure it would have made a ton of difference in what overall record Syracuse basketball had.