Nobody seems quite sure what to make of Syracuse basketball heading into the Gerry McNamara era.
Apparently, that includes The Athletic.
In its preseason ACC basketball rankings, The Athletic slots Syracuse 11th out of 18 teams, behind programs like Virginia Tech, Florida State, NC State and SMU.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a program desperate to return to March Madness.
But here’s the interesting part: The Athletic seems considerably more optimistic about McNamara than its ranking suggests.
Brendan Marks writes that early sentiment around college basketball is that Syracuse is in its best position in years with G-Mac running the program.
So which is it?
Is Syracuse destined for another season in the ACC’s bottom half? Or is this a team that could surprise people who have grown accustomed to overlooking the Orange?
Our suspicion is the latter.
Syracuse finished 15-17 last season, including 6-12 in the ACC. The Orange haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2021. McNamara inherited a program that has spent years drifting further from national relevance.
And Tuesday’s 72-52 exhibition loss to UConn certainly didn’t provide immediate evidence of a turnaround.
But there’s a reason to believe Syracuse could be more dangerous than its preseason ranking.
Nobody really knows what Gerry McNamara’s Syracuse is going to look like.
That includes opposing coaches.
McNamara nearly led Siena to a monumental NCAA Tournament upset of Duke last March. The Athletic specifically highlights his ability to maximize a roster, something Syracuse desperately needs.
He also brings Siena guard Gavin Doty, who scored 21 against Duke in that tournament game. The Athletic identifies Doty as Syracuse’s key player, noting that he doesn’t need to be an All-ACC star, but must provide consistent production.
That’s a reasonable concern. Syracuse doesn’t have an obvious collection of established All-ACC players.
But it does have intriguing pieces.
Sadiq White showed flashes of his potential against UConn. Garwey Dual and Aiden Tobiason bring experience to the backcourt. Kiyan Anthony has talent that shouldn’t be judged by one ugly exhibition performance.
How quickly those pieces fit together is the great unknown.
And that’s precisely why 11th place feels like a starting point rather than a ceiling.
The Athletic projects Duke, Virginia, Louisville, Miami and North Carolina as the conference’s top five. Fair enough. Those programs have stronger preseason résumés.
But is there really some enormous gap between Syracuse and Virginia Tech? Florida State? NC State? SMU?
Those are the teams Syracuse needs to start beating again.
The ACC’s middle tier looks crowded, and The Athletic suggests the conference could send at least eight teams to an expanded NCAA Tournament.
That creates opportunity. They need to become difficult to prepare for. They need to steal road games they’ve been losing. They need to turn competitive nights against the ACC’s middle class into victories.
And we suspect G-Mac’s team is going to win some games that Syracuse simply hasn’t been winning in recent years.
McNamara is installing a new system, building relationships and trying to change a losing culture.
That’s not something you can accurately measure in one October exhibition.
Or necessarily in one preseason ranking.
The Athletic has Syracuse 11th.
Maybe that’s where the Orange belong today.
But don’t be surprised if Gerry McNamara makes that ranking look silly by March.
