Syracuse men’s basketball in and out of early 2021-22 rankings

With the college basketball offseason slowing down, media publications are updating their early 2021-22 rankings. The Syracuse Orange are about finished with their offseason roster turnover, and the media have changed SU’s standing based on the players coming in and out of the program.

Some sites and writers had Syracuse relatively high right after the season ended, but that was mainly under the assumption that the Orange would retain key players such as Quincy Guerrier, Kadary Richmond, and Alan Griffin. With those three players and many more gone from the program, SU has fallen down the pecking order.

Here are where the Orange stand right now for some media members as well as their initial rankings after the tournament ended.

Jeff Goodman (Stadium): 24 (Originally 13)

Jon Rothstein (College Hoops Today): 26 (Originally 15)

Gary Parrish (CBS Sports): Not Ranked (Originally 26)

Photo by Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Clearly, the departures have hurt Syracuse from an eye test perspective. The transfer portal additions of Symir Torrence, Cole Swider, and Jimmy Boeheim haven’t done enough to propel the Orange back up the rankings — which makes sense given the production lost.

Perhaps Syracuse is still holding some good fortune from its Sweet 16 run in this year’s tournament. The return of Buddy Boeheim is certainly helping the Orange’s perception, but the losses of key players due to graduation, transfers, and the NBA Draft have hurt Syracuse’s potential for the upcoming season.

What do you guys think? Is Syracuse still a top 25 team or are they out of the rankings for now? Leave your thoughts in the comment below.