Syracuse basketball’s schedule for the 2024/2025 season features a mix of toss-ups, gimmes, and elite squads. The Orange will need some special performances from the likes of Chris Bell and JJ Starling, while keeping the rebound margin tight with players like Donnie Freeman and Eddie Lampkin to keep up with Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas or Texas Tech. Coach Adrian Autry can leverage the depth of his squad against teams like Maryland, Wake Forest, and Georgetown, but they also need to blow out Albany, Colgate, and Cornell.
The Orange started last season with three wins against New Hampshire, Canisius, and Colgate, before losing consecutive matchups against Tennessee and Gonzaga. Syracuse displayed a mixed basket of performance throughout the season, finishing their campaign with a three-way tie for fifth place.
But can the Orange take advantage of their schedule in the upcoming season to make it to the 2025 NCAA tournament? Here’s a close preview of the Orange’s expected matchups in the 2024/2025 season and everything you need to start betting on basketball games featuring Syracuse.
The Orange against the big boys
Syracuse is expected to play four to five major basketball teams in the 2024/2025 campaign as they hope to get back to the NCAA tournament. The Orange face elite teams like Tennessee, North Carolina, Duke, and Texas. Tennessee and Duke are currently both in the top 15.
To keep up with these top teams in the country, Syracuse will need to maintain a respectable rebound margin. The Orange did a great job at improving the size of their team this offseason, more rebounding as a result. They signed Eddie Lampkin from Colorado after averaging 7 rebounds per game and he’s better at offensive rebounding compared to defensive rebounding. However, teams like North Carolina still look better on paper.
Toss-ups and Gimme Games
Syracuse did an excellent job getting depth during the offseason and that puts them at a good place to outrank teams like Maryland and Georgetown. Every ACC game for Syracuse also seems like a toss-up, since you can’t overlook any opponent in this league.
The key for Syracuse to outplay most of their opponent in the ACC lies in their depth. They can run up to 10 deep, with players like JJ Sterling, Jake Juan Carlos, Danny Freeman, and Elijah Moore. Most of the toss-up teams expected to play Syracuse have several talented players, but they lack their depth. That leaves enough room for Syracuse to throw different lineups in their bid to outsmart their opponents.
Should Syracuse manage to beat Georgetown and Maryland, they can expect to have a solid season and hopefully make it to the 2025 NCAA tournament. The Orange are also expected to easily beat teams like Colgate, who they managed to beat at home early last season. You can also expect them to cruise past Albany and Cornell, but they will need to extend their point margin compared to their performance against these teams last season.
