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Syracuse Basketball: Syracuse Orange 2015-16 Season Preview

By James Fitzgerald

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Syracuse Orange

2014-2015 Record: 18-13 (9-9, ACC)
Postseason: None

Syracuse is going to come into the 2015-16 season with a bit of a handicap. Head Coach Jim Boeheim is not going to be available for the first nine games of the ACC season. The program is going to be docked three scholarships per year over the next four years. All of this is taking place because of an NCAA probe that turned up violations.

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Things are so bad for the Syracuse program that Jim Boeheim has given the institution three-years notice of his resignation before he turns over the keys to longtime assistant Mike Hopkins.

It is going to be weird seeing that patented Syracuse 2-3 zone without Boeheim screaming at it. He has been screaming at his Syracuse team since they were “Orangemen” and he was dealing with John Thompson III’s father back in the day.

That 2-3 zone was giving Rollie Massimino and Lou Carnesecca issues during the Reagan Administration.

So we need to really enjoy the last three years of the college basketball fixture that is Jim Boeheim because when he leaves, there is going to be a huge void left in the college coaching game that a lot of youngsters will not truly feel but some of us older hoop junkies certainly will.

We have truly watched that man for a long time.

Newcomers

G – Adrian Autry (Jamesville,NY/Jamesville-DeWitt)
G – Shaun Belby (Christian Brothers Academy/Brick, NJ)
G – Ky Feldman (Agoura/Agoura Hills, CA)
F – Moustapha Diagne (Pope John XXIII (NJ)/Rufisque,Senegal/#68 247Sports Composite)
F – Tyler Lydon (New Hampton (NH) School)/Elizaville, NY)
G – Jonathan Radnor (Berkeley/Huntington Woods, MI)
G – Malachi Richardson (Trenton Catholic Academy/Trenton, NJ/#32 247Sports Composite)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 26 vs Connecticut or Michigan -As part of the “Battle 4 Atlantis” Syracuse will get to either take on Connecticut or Michigan.  This, of course,  is contingent on whether they get past their Nov. 25th date with the Charlotte 49ers while they are in the Bahamas.

Facing Connecticut would bring back memories of the Big East glory years when Jim Boeheim was coaching against Jim Calhoun and then point guard Kevin Ollie who now runs the show at UCONN.

Syracuse vs Michigan would be a rematch of a game that took place during the 2014 Big Ten/ACC challenge where Syracuse lost to the Wolverines 68-65.

Both would be very entertaining matchups that would provide an early test for the Orange.

Dec. 2 vs Wisconsin – Orange vs Badgers on paper looks like a highly explosive offensive game on paper (well not really), but this game is going to be one of the last chances we get to see Jim Boeheim and Bo Ryan coach against each other since both will be out of the coaching game within the next three season.

Ryan announced that 2015-16 will be his final season even though rumor has it that could change depending on how he feels at the end of this one.

Syracuse will be taking on the National Runner up from a year ago, making this Big Ten/ACC matchup must see TV.

Key Players

Trevor Cooney -Trevor Cooney averaged 13.4 points per contest in last season, but his 35.9% shooting from the floor and 30.9% shooting from three-point land speak to his inconsistency and erratic shooting stroke.

He is a senior that started in all 31 games for the team last season and his senior leadership is going to be needed if the Orange are going to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

Jan 20, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Michael Gbinije (0) controls the ball against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated Boston College 69-61. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

It sure would be nice if Cooney could find some consistency with his shot through this upcoming season. It would help Syracuse go a long way.

Michael Gbinje– Gbinje is Syracuse’s best returning player and his 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds were huge last season for the Orange.

This was huge because of the efficiency he showed in getting his numbers shooting 46.0% from the field and 39.2% from three-point range.

Syracuse is going to need the benefit of that efficiency again this upcoming season if they are going to get through the possible nine-game rough spot that they will have without Jim Boeheim in the early ACC schedule.

Kaleb Joseph – Joseph is the floor general and going into his sophomore season he is going to need to take his game to the next level.

He went through some growing pains during his freshman campaign but those lessons should be beneficial going forward.

Last season he started 30 of 31 games, so he is well equipped for the challenge in front of him. It is just a matter of showing that he has learned what he needs to in order to be a more effective player in 2015-16.

Season Outlook

When you look at what is happening in Syracuse they appear to be in a little disarray. Well guess what, things are!

Live Feed

Syracuse Basketball: ACC expansion weakens league in hoops, per expert
Syracuse Basketball: ACC expansion weakens league in hoops, per expert /

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    • Some people are going to say that this team has a good chance of getting back to the NCAA tournament this season. Yet there have been some publications that have predicted that Syracuse is going to be a “one and done” in the NCAA tournament this season.

    The NCAA’s are not going to be in the Syracuse Orange future for this season.

    They will be competitive with their 2-3 zone, and they will play above .500 for the season.

    However, what is going to keep Syracuse out of the tournament is that they are not going to get enough key wins that make you believe they belong in the tournament field.

    This is a bubble team at best. They might get in, but we are going to lean more toward “First Four Out” for Syracuse.

    Next: Pittsburgh Panthers 2015-16 Season Preview

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