The Syracuse Orange men's basketball team is set to begin the 2026-27 season, with recent rankings from EvanMiya indicating a starting position of No. 57 overall. This places the Orange 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This ranking assumes that any players with pending eligibility, including transfer Amarri Monroe, will be ineligible to play.
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In the ACC, Syracuse ranks behind several teams, including:
- 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 is positioned just ahead of Florida State (No. 62), Pittsburgh (No. 71), and Notre Dame (No. 79). According to EvanMiya, the Orange are ranked No. 62 in offense and No. 64 in defense to start the season.
Should any players currently in “eligibility limbo” be allowed to play, Syracuse’s ranking could potentially improve to No. 61. The team will need to perform well during non-conference play to bolster its NCAA Tournament prospects.
EvanMiya ranks the ACC as the fifth-best conference in college basketball, behind the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, and Big East. The Orange's non-conference schedule includes four opponents in the top 50: St. John’s (No. 34), Oklahoma (No. 42), Indiana (No. 44), and Providence (No. 48). If the eligibility cases were resolved in favor of the players, St. John's and Oklahoma could rise to No. 9 and No. 28, respectively, while Indiana and Providence may fall slightly out of the top 50.
Individually, EvanMiya rates McNeese transfer guard Garwey Dual as Syracuse's best player heading into the season, marking him as the only Orange player within the top 100. Siena transfer guard Gavin Doty (No. 453) and returning sophomore forward Sadiq White Jr. (No. 460) are also within the top 500.
Syracuse will begin its season with an exhibition against UConn and officially open the Gerry McNamara Era at home on November 2 against New Haven.