Syracuse Basketball: Why 'Cuse has a chance to finish in top four in ACC

After landing Andrew White, Syracuse basketball has put themselves in the conversation for a slot in the top four in the ACC.

No one would’ve predicted Syracuse’s trip to the Final Four last year.

Mostly everything seemed to go wrong.

Jim Boeheim dealt with a nine game suspension that began at the end of non-conference play but poured into ACC play. The team bottomed out with a loss to the worst team in the Big East, St. John’s, at Madison Square Garden. The roster seemed to get tired toward the end of the season due to their lack of depth, as they lost five of six, including Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Then came Selection Sunday. The Orange won some quality games against Duke, Notre Dame, UConn and Texas A&M, but the way they finished the season had many predicting their entrance into the NIT instead of the Big Dance.

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‘Cuse surprisingly didn’t just make the tournament but they received a 10 seed.

And the rest is history. The Orange defeated Dayton, Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga and Virginia to reach Houston.

Again, who would have thought that was possible?

In 2016-17, no one will be underestimating the Orange, especially after they landed the top transfer left on the market (and one of the top transfers of the summer in general) in former Nebraska Cornhusker Andrew White.

Syracuse was a middle-of-the-pack ACC team without the services of White. But now that they added the 6’7″ guard from Richmond, VA, things look a bit different on the surface.

The Orange now legitimately have a chance to challenge North Carolina, Louisville and Virginia for a spot in the top four of the ACC standings. Duke is obviously in a class of their own and the addition of White does not definitively solidify Syracuse’s standing as a top four team. However, it certainly is a reasonable scenario that Boeheim and company couldn’t imagine 24 hours ago.

So how does the complexion of the roster make them potentially better than UNC, UVA or Louisville? Let’s take a deeper dive into it:

Syracuse only had two true guards on their roster before the addition of White: Colorado State graduate transfer John Gillon and sophomore Franklin Howard. White, along with new recruit Tyus Battle, have the versatility to play both shooting guard and small forward. While Gillon and Battle can put the ball in the hoop, White is a player that can create his own shot and is a go-to talent when a bucket is needed.
One of the main concerns with Syracuse last season was their lack of depth. At times they only went seven deep, which was concerning if someone got into foul trouble. That doesn’t seem to be an issue this year, as the Orange add two graduate transfers and three solid recruits after losing Malachi Richardson, Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney, Kaleb Joseph and Chinonso Obokoh (the latter two were in-and-out of the rotation).
Tyler Lydon is pretty darn good. In his freshman campaign, he averaged 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Those numbers should jump up across the board, as Lydon’s length, floor stretching ability and rebounding fits Syracuse’s system perfectly.
On paper, this Syracuse roster looks just as good, if not better than last year’s roster. The Orange will miss Richardson’s scoring, but White is capable of filling his spot (plus he has more experience). Losing the leadership and production of Gbinije and Cooney hurts mightily, but DaJuan Coleman and Tyler Roberson are both seniors, and Howard, Gillon and White each have different skill sets that provide playmaking and shooting on the perimeter. Lydon is expected to make a massive jump and will likely be the team’s best player. Providence transfer Paschal Chukwu, and freshman Matthew Moyer and Taurean Thompson will be role players.

The one major question mark is their shooting, but adding White could cure that problem (they have to find someone else to knock down shots as well).

Next: Washington off-season question marks

Overall, Syracuse is set up to have another massive season. They may not make the Final Four (the competition will be greater in 2016-17), but they have a good opportunity to make major noise nationally.

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Syracuse Basketball: Why the Orange have a chance to finish in top four in ACC

By Carmine Carcieri | Aug 28, 2016

After landing Andrew White, Syracuse basketball has put themselves in the conversation for a slot in the top four in the ACC.

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