With all the attention surrounding Fran Brown and Syracuse football right now, it’s easy to forget about Syracuse basketball.
After all, the Orange slumped to one of the worst seasons in program history last year, winning less than 40% of their games against ACC opponents for the first time in its 125-year history.
That being said, this is a different team. Headlined by incoming freshman Kiyan Anthony, the son of Syracuse legend and NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, the Orange have a revamped roster looking to re-establish Syracuse as one of the best college basketball teams in the country.
The Orange will have plenty of chances to earn that reputation ahead of March Madness, with no bigger opportunity than at the recently announced Players Era Men’s Championship.
The tournament, which will be hosted from Nov. 24-27 in Las Vegas, will feature 18 games played across 2 days between some of the country’s top programs.
As one of the teams participating, this tournament is the ultimate measuring stick to see how fast Syracuse can return to the top of the college basketball landscape after a lengthy absence.
The Orange will face Houston, which came up just short of winning a national championship last year, and a Kansas team that made it to March Madness as a 7 seed.
It might seem like a tall order to ask Syracuse to win one or both of those games, and it will be, but to be the best, you have to beat the best.
The Orange haven’t made March Madness since 2021, and considering how good Houston and Kansas are projected to be next year, a win against either team would be a massive boost for their tournament bid.
This is a make-or-break season for head coach Adrian Autry, and how Syracuse performs at this tournament could define how his time with the Orange is remembered.
Fans are tired of watching Syracuse lose-they want to see their basketball team winning games again, and you can’t really blame them.
Expectations are high for the Orange in Year 3 under Autry, and with high-profile games against some of the country’s top competition on the docket, all eyes should be on Syracuse basketball.
