Syracuse Orange
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #22
Conference Rank: #6 ACC
Syracuse barely snuck into the NCAA Tournament, but that did not stop them from making a deep run. After slipping past Arizona State in the First Four, the Orange upset TCU and Michigan State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. They nearly knocked off Duke there too. But this Syracuse team should be much more consistent with most of the roster returning and a few newcomers to help add depth.
2017-18 Record: 23-14, 8-10
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jim Boeheim
Coach Record: 926-371 at Syracuse, 926-371 overall
Key Departed Players:
Matthew Moyer, Forward, 3.2 ppg
Geno Thorpe, Guard, 6.0 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Tyus Battle, Junior, Guard, 19.2 ppg
Oshae Brissett, Sophomore, Forward, 14.9 ppg
Frank Howard, Senior, Guard, 14.4 ppg
Marek Dolezaj, Sophomore, Forward, 5.8 ppg
Paschal Chukwu, Senior, Center, 5.4 ppg
Bourama Sidibe, Sophomore, Forward, 2.7 ppg
Howard Washington, Sophomore, Guard, 1.1 ppg
Key New Players:
Buddy Boeheim, Freshman, Guard
Robert Braswell, Freshman, Forward
Jalen Carey, Freshman, Guard
Elijah Hughes, Junior, Forward, Transfer from East Carolina
Brendan Paul, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Tyus Battle and Frank Howard are back to man one of the best backcourts in the ACC. Battle led the team with 19.2 points per game and was rarely taken off the floor. He will again be the consistent scorer for the Orange, but Battle is also a good passer and defender. Howard added 14.4 points and 4.7 assists and will again be the main distributor on the team. He can finish around the basket and knock down some long balls too. And, like Battle, he is a tough defender. The lanky frontcourt returns Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj and Paschal Chukwu. Brissett, a 6-8 sophomore, did it all last season. He averaged 14.9 points and 8.8 rebounds and proved to be a more than capable shooter as well. Dolezaj is a versatile 6-10 forward who can handle the ball and do a little bit of everything else as well. Chukwu is the more traditional post presence. The newcomers will provide plenty of depth. Elijah Hughes, a transfer from East Carolina, has the experience Coach Boeheim needs off the bench. Four freshmen will add some more options, highlighted by combo guard Jalen Carey. In the end, this should be a more consistent team in 2018-2019. There is plenty of experience in the likely starting five and plenty of talent ready to make an impact off the bench. This may not be a group that can compete for an ACC title, but they should safely be in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 66.6 (317th in nation, 13th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.8 (10, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.7 (318, 14)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.1 (5, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.6 (326, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.8 (328, 15)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.6 (92, 8)
Rebound Margin: 3.8 (57, 3)
Assists Per Game: 10.7 (338, 15)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (133, 10)
Madness 2019 NBA Draft Rankings:
#29 Oshae Brissett
#46 Tyus Battle
#68 Frank Howard
Madness 2018 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#53 Jalen Carey
