Syracuse basketball ranked 19th in preseason AP poll

Today, the preseason men’s AP Poll was released before the new college basketball season begins. The Syracuse Orange came in at 19th, two spots lower than their standing in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

While preseason polls mean very little, it’s still nice to see some expectations around the team heading into the year once again. It’s been a couple years since that’s been the case (despite last year’s Final Four run... sorry).

The main differences in the two polls are that UCLA and St. Mary’s jump SU in the AP, for reasons that are probably legitimate enough for the voters to make that call. There is, however, a significant (40-point) gulf between UConn at 18th and Syracuse at 19th.

Five ACC teams end up in this initial poll, including Duke (first), North Carolina (no. 6), Virginia (no. 8), Louisville (no. 13) and SU. Orange opponents Wisconsin (no. 9) and aforementioned UConn are also in the rankings. Florida State, Miami, NC State, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame also received votes in the ACC.

As Jim Boeheim said last week at ACC Media Day, the league will be very tough this year, and that’s indicated by how many teams appear in these early rankings. The Orange were projected fifth in the conference by media in attendance.

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Any problems with 19th? Do you hate St. Mary’s now? Share your thoughts below.