Uche Izoje has preseason ACC honor; where Syracuse women's, men's basketball reside in ACC forecasts

It's preseason season time for Syracuse women's and men's basketball, along with their peers in the Atlantic Coast Conference!

On Tuesday, the ACC disclosed its preseason polls that project where league members will finish in the conference during the upcoming 2026-27 campaign. The preseason All-ACC teams were also revealed.

Let's start on the women's side. Sophomore center Uche Izoje resides on the preseason All-ACC squad. That's hardly a surprise. As a freshman, she averaged 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per contest.

In 2025-26, Izoje picked up a ton of accolades. She was named the ACC rookie of the year. Izoje was also on the All-ACC first team, the league's All-Defensive squad and the conference's All-Freshman team. With a strong sophomore season, Izoje will likely contend for All-America honors.

The Orange is predicted to finish at No. 7 in the league race. Syracuse women's basketball is coming of a 24-9 overall record a season ago, and the 'Cuse advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Here are the full projections:
No. 1 Duke
No. 2 Louisville
No. 3 North Carolina
No. 4 Notre Dame
No. 5 N.C. State
No. 6 Virginia
No. 7 Syracuse
No. 8 Virginia Tech
No. 9 Clemson
No. 10 California
|No. 11 Miami
No. 12 Georgia Tech
No. 13 Stanford
No. 14 Florida State
No. 15 SMU
No. 16 Wake Forest
No. 17 Pittsburgh
No. 18 Boston College

Syracuse men's basketball is forecast to finish in the ACC's bottom half.

Former standout guard Gerry McNamara is about to embark on his first campaign as the Orange's head coach. He's vowed to return the team to national relevance, although it will be a hefty challenge.

The 'Cuse went 15-17 overall in 2025-26, the program's second consecutive losing season. Syracuse hasn't made the annual Big Dance since 2021. While SU's 2026-27 roster boasts a lot of depth, length and positional versatility, media members who cover the ACC aren't super high on the Orange's prospects in the upcoming campaign. Syracuse basketball is forecast to finish at No. 11 in the conference.

Here are the full projections for the men's side in the ACC:
No. 1 Duke
No. 2 Virginia
No. 3 Louisville
No. 4 Miami
No. 5 North Carolina
No. 6 Clemson
No. 7 Florida State
No. 8 N.C. State
No. 9 Virginia Tech
No. 10 SMU
No. 11 Syracuse
No. 12 Pittsburgh
No. 13 Stanford
No. 14 Wake Forest
No. 15 California
No. 16 Notre Dame
No. 17 Boston College
No. 18 Georgia Tech

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