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No. 25 Syracuse: Orange will be back at dance
Last Season: 21-14, 9-9 Big East
Postseason: Lost to UMass, 81-77, in the NIT
Season Outlook
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim watched his leading scorer, Donte Greene, depart after just one season, but the Orange will be improved this season and should end their string of two straight years watching the NCAA tourney as spectators.
Goodman's Countdown
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| Who are the nation's best teams? We'll find out as the season starts this week. For now, here's Jeff Goodman's preseason Top 25 Countdown. Check our college basketball page for more features and news. |
Jeff Goodman's Top 25
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1. North Carolina Tar Heels
2. Michigan State Spartans
3. Louisville Cardinals
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs
5. Connecticut Huskies
6. Duke Blue Devils
7. UCLA Bruins
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
9. Pittsburgh Panthers
10. Purdue Boilermakers
11. Texas Longhorns
12. Georgetown Hoyas
13. Memphis Tigers
14. Tennessee Volunteers
15. Miami Hurricanes
16. Arizona State Sun Devils
17. Oklahoma Sooners
18. Marquette Golden Eagles
19. Villanova Wildcats
20. UNLV Runnin' Rebels
21. Florida Gators
22. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
23. USC Trojans
24. Wisconsin Badgers
25. Syracuse Orange
First of all, they will have Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins back from knee injuries. Devendorf was averaging 17 points per game over the first 10 games of the season before he went down for the rest of the year, while Rautins suffered a season-ending knee injury in the summer and didn't play at all.
That forced freshmen Jonny Flynn and Greene into having to do too much too soon.
Greene averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and bolted for the NBA after one year and his perimeter shooting — which was his forte — should be replaced by the duo of Rautins and Devendorf.
Flynn (15.7 ppg, 5.3 apg) can make a case for being the top point guard in the nation and now he'll have more help.
Flynn's childhood buddy from Niagara Falls, junior Paul Harris, quietly had a solid season a year ago. He is one of the top rebounders in the country despite being only 6-foot-5 and his offensive game (14.5 ppg) has improved. Big man Arinze Onuaku is solid down low and gives Boeheim a quality interior guy who averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 boards last season.
Syracuse also returns its top three reserves — Kristof Ongenaet, Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson — and will welcome talented freshmen forwards Mookie Jones and Kris Joseph.
That's 10 deep if you're counting at home.
With a core of Flynn, Harris, Devendorf, Onuaku and a knock-down shooter like Rautins, the Orange has all the makings of a team that could make plenty of noise this season. Even in what will be the toughest conference in America this year.
Don't expect their NCAA tourney drought to grow to three for the first time since 1972.
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