The upcoming Syracuse Orange men’s basketball season is getting close to starting, and one metric is sharing new data on the program’s outlook heading into 2026-27.
The Orange are opening the year ranked No. 57 overall, according to EvanMiya. That’s good for 10th in the ACC. This ranking assumes all players with a pending eligibility case, like transfer Amarri Monroe, are ruled ineligible to play.
Here’s who Syracuse ranks behind in the ACC:
- Duke (No. 1)
- Louisville (No. 8)
- Miami (No. 15)
- Virginia (No. 18)
- North Carolina (No. 38)
- Clemson (No. 43)
- NC State (No. 45)
- Virginia Tech (No. 47)
- SMU (No. 53)
- Syracuse (No. 57)
Syracuse sits just ahead of Florida State (No. 62), Pittsburgh (No. 71), and Notre Dame (No. 79).
EvanMiya also has the Orange ranked No. 62 in offense and No. 64 in defense to open the year.
Syracuse would be at No. 61, according to EvanMiya, if any player in “eligibility limbo” ends up being allowed to play.
Of note regarding Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament prospects, it will really have to capitalize on non-conference play to beef up the resume.
Heading into the season, EvanMiya has the ACC ranked as the fifth-best conference in college basketball, trailing the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, and Big East. Syracuse also has four non-conference opponents on its schedule ranked in the top 50 by EvanMiya. Those are St. John’s (No. 34), Oklahoma (No. 42), Indiana (No. 44), and Providence (No. 48).
(Writer’s note: the rankings in the paragraph above assume the eligibility case doesn’t go in favor of the players/the programs seeking to add those players. If it does, St. John’s and Oklahoma move all the way to No. 9 and No. 28, respectively. Indiana and Providence would both fall slightly outside the top 50.)
In terms of individual rankings, EvanMiya projects McNeese transfer guard Garwey Dual as Syracuse’s best player entering 2026-27. According to the metric, Dual is the Orange’s only top-100 player. Two other names, Siena transfer guard Gavin Doty (No. 453) and returning sophomore forward Sadiq White Jr. (No. 460), cracked the top-500.
Syracuse will first take the court less than a month from now for an exhibition against UConn. The Orange will formally begin the Gerry McNamara Era at home on November 2 against New Haven.