Barring a miracle, Syracuse basketball will have a worse record in the 2024-25 campaign than it did a term ago, when head coach Adrian Autry guided the Orange to 20 regular-season wins for the first time in a decade.
In 2023-24, the 'Cuse went 9-2 in the non-conference and 11-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference competition to sport a 20-11 regular-season mark. The Orange would lose its first game in the ACC Tournament to conclude 2023-24 at 20-12 overall.
After the team's 75-66 triumph at California this past Saturday night, the 'Cuse in the current campaign resides at 10-12 overall and 4-7 in ACC play after going 6-5 in the non-conference. The Orange has nine regular-season affairs left (five at home and four on the road), so even if the 'Cuse wins out, which is highly unlikely, Syracuse basketball still can't attain 20 victories before the 2025 ACC Tournament gets underway.
However, this column isn't meant to be a comparison between this season and the prior one. It's been a rough go for Autry and his program in 2024-25, but the win at Cal was a promising outcome. Up next is a home date with No. 2 Duke later this week.
Unless the Orange goes on a ridiculous run, it won't hear its name called on Selection Sunday for the fourth straight season. Yet to me, what's most important now is for the Orange to continue playing better on a consistent basis, notch some victories, and see how things go for the remainder of 2024-25.
Candidly, the constant chatter about Autry's job status among 'Cuse fans, a sentiment I do understand, has grown tiresome. If Syracuse basketball could at least finish above .500 this season, that would prove encouraging, given the top-15 national cycle that the Orange boasts in the 2025 class.
To that end, here's my projection for Syracuse basketball's record during the 2024-25 regular season.
Wednesday, Feb. 5, versus Duke
Duke's current record: 19-2
Duke's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 2
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Loss
Saturday, Feb. 8, versus Boston College
Boston College's current record: 10-11
Boston College's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 217
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Win
Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Miami
Miami's current record: 5-17
Miami's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 230
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Win
Saturday, Feb. 15, versus North Carolina
North Carolina's current record: 13-10
North Carolina's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 44
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Win
Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh's current record: 14-7
Pittsburgh's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 36
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Loss
Wednesday, Feb. 26, versus N.C. State
N.C. State's current record: 9-12
N.C. State's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 116
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Win
Saturday, March 1, at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech's current record: 10-12
Virginia Tech's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 159
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Win
Tuesday, March 4, at SMU
SMU's current record: 17-5
SMU's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 41
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Loss
Saturday, March 8, versus Virginia
Virginia's current record: 10-12
Virginia's current NCAA NET ranking: No. 135
Predicted Syracuse basketball outcome: Win
Projected ACC record: 10-10
Non-conference record: 6-5
Projected 2024-25 regular-season record: 16-15
By the way, the 2025 ACC Tournament will take place from March 11 to March 15 in Charlotte, N.C. Only 15 of the league's 18 members in basketball will qualify for this post-season event, and I think that the Orange will make the cut.