ACC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season

Mar 27, 2022; Philadelphia, PA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pose for a photo after the Tar Heels defeated the St. Peters Peacocks in the finals of the East regional of the men's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

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ACC Basketball Syracuse Orange guard Joseph Girard III Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Syracuse Orange

It’s not a family affair anymore with the Orange, as Coach Jim Boeheim won’t have his sons, Buddy and Jimmy on the roster. The two combined to average over 33 ppg, 10 rpg, and 5.0 apg last season, and with 14 ppg from Cole Swider also gone, that’s a ton of production lost and to this point, the team has only added big man Mounir Hima from the portal and he produced just a couple of points and rebounds from Duquesne this past season.

The two key returning players are guard Joe Girard (13.8 ppg and 4.2 apg) and big man Jesse Edwards (12.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg). Besides that, there’s going to be a ton of pressure on returning role players, Symir Torrence and Benny Williams. The ladder is a former top-40 prospect and has potential as a power forward and will need to take a big jump for Syracuse to be competitive.

What gives Syracuse fans hope is a top-20 incoming recruiting class, led by four-star combo guard Judah Mintz. He and Girard can share the ball-handling duties in the backcourt and wings Chris Taylor and Chris Bunch will get plenty of minutes as freshmen.

How this freshmen class performs will play a big role in how Syracuse looks this season. They have a wide range of potential outcomes but betting on Coach Boeheim, a mid-tier finish should be in the cards.