Syracuse men’s basketball 2020-21 season predictions review

If there’s one thing that Syracuse Orange fans can count on from the TNIAAM crew it’s transparency. We won’t hide what we say behind paywalls or broken URLs. We won’t claim we were taken out of context (well sometimes) and we stand behind our predictions even when we shouldn’t.

So how did we do with our Syracuse Orange men’s basketball season predictions? Well let’s take a look and I will creatively include those parts where we were right because it’s our website and we can do that. We made these predictions assuming a 20-game ACC schedule. Syracuse played 16 ACC games and finished 9-7.

John: 10-10, first round of NCAA Tournament

They won’t be worldbeaters, but this Orange team can out-shoot several foes and there’s upside for a group that largely “should” have more chemistry than most. The biggest concern, of course, is the defense. If we see improvement from the guards, then the ceiling goes up.

Syracuse certainly got the shooting going at the end of the season leading to the Sweet 16 run.

Kevin: 11-9, first round of NCAA Tournament

... Last year Hughes handled the ball a lot and could be counted on to create for himself and others. Maybe Alan Griffin can assume that role but I struggle to see how Syracuse has solved the rebounding and defensive issues which cost them dearly last season. I think the Orange squeak into the NCAA Tournament but are one and done.

Buddy Boeheim emerged as the go-to scorer but rebounding and defense was a challenge all season.

Christian: 11-9, first round of NCAA Tournament

I think Syracuse is going to be a streaky offensive team, which puts them back at everyone’s favorite place: firmly on the bubble. The Orange might just sneak into the tournament, but a first round loss seems inevitable.

Christian’s favorite topic during the season was the streaky offense.

James: 11-9, NIT

The defense ranked 116th in defensive efficiency last season, the second worst in the Ken pom era under Jim Boeheim. I don’t dismiss the notion that players will all be one year better, but SU lost its best defender and to get from 116 to a top-50/40 defensive team would be a tremendous accomplishment.

While he wasn’t wrong about the defensive issues James was the only one who had the Orange missing the NCAA Tournament and that makes him this year’s #DisloyalistIdiot award winner

How did your predictions turn out?