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ACC Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU

By Tristan Freeman

Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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ACC Basketball Syracuse Orange guard Judah Mintz Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Syracuse Orange

The Orange are going to be a great test of how much impact a coach can have while they’re there and once they’re gone. After 47 years at the school and a national title in 2004, hall-of-fame head coach Jim Boeheim retired this past offseason, with long-time assistant Red Autry taking over.

So what does this mean for Syracuse as a program going forward? The next few years are going to be very defining. You don’t want to get away from Boeheim and his legacy, but Coach Autry has to prove that he’s the guy, or else the school will have to go through a complete rebuild in order to find its identity for the long term.

Located in New York, the Orange will have to compete with a newly rejuvenated St. John’s that just hired its own hall of famer, Rick Pitino. That makes things more difficult for the few local prospects that are power conference-level good. The team does have Notre Dame transfer JJ Starling, along with returning lead guard, Judah Mintz.

Right now, the Syracuse name is still in good standing nationally and within ACC Basketball. But that can easily change in the coming years if things don’t go well in the Autry era and see the program slide down in a future league ranking.