Luke Wilson, a three-star transfer center who is committed to Syracuse basketball, says bring on the ACC.
The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Wilson, a redshirt sophomore from Sun Belt Conference member Appalachian State, is one of four centers on the Orange's roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season, when new head coach Gerry McNamara will try to lead his alma mater back to the annual NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
Wilson, a top-30 center in the transfer portal this offseason, was the Sun Belt Conference defensive player of the year in 2025-26. He averaged 28.1 minutes, 10.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while connecting on 64.2 percent from the field and 56.7 percent from the free-throw line.
The sense, at least for now, is that Wilson will likely be SU's starting center at the onset of the 2026-27 campaign. Playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference is a different kind of challenge than competing in a mid-major league such as the Sun Belt.
The topic of mid-major guys transferring to a high-major program, like Syracuse, has been a hot-button discussion among SU fans this offseason, given that the Orange's 2026-27 roster consists of four returnees, four prep commits and six college transfers, with the transfers all coming from mid-major schools.
Syracuse basketball transfer center Luke Wilson is pumped to play in the ACC next season.
Wilson recognizes that there will be a sizable step up in competition now that he's going to suit up in a power conference. He relishes that opportunity, telling Syracuse.com, "That’s something I love. That’s something I want to do. Having the opportunity to do that and put my name out there even more? I love it. I’m not going to back down from anybody."
Heck. Yeah.
One thing I'll stress here. Plenty - I mean, plenty - of mid-major players head to the power conference level and fare well. Plus, amid the transfer portal being open from April 7 to April 21, Wilson had interest from a range of high-major programs.
According to the Syracuse.com article, Wilson visited UCLA, in addition to his visit to Syracuse basketball. The center also held Zoom meetings with coaches at schools such as Purdue, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Mississippi State and Georgia.
Wilson says he "loved" his visit to the Orange, citing the family-oriented atmosphere. "They liked me a lot for my defense," he said. "Just being able to guard ball screens and be that voice on defense that was major for them."
For Syracuse basketball fanatics like me, Wilson's comments are encouraging, due to SU's struggles on defense in recent seasons. McNamara has said numerous times that he's building a program - and a culture - where getting after it defensively isn't an option. It's a requirement.
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