There is no question SU will be an exciting team to watch this upcoming basketball season.  There’s no shortage of talent on the roster.  So much has been made about the terrific recruiting class coming in – and rightfully so, but let’s not forget that Jim Boeheim has to essentially replace four starters from last year’s squad.  Syracuse lost its “Big Three” to graduation (Demetris Nichols, Daryl Watkins, and Terrence Roberts), as well as Andy Rautins to injury.  So who will fill the void?

We know Eric Devendorf can score, but can he be the leader that Coach Boeheim needs him to be?

We know the freshmen are talented, but will they be able to adjust quickly to this high level of major college basketball?

If opponents go zone on defense, who will step up and consistently knock down the “3”?

Is it a problem that SU really only has one true center on the team in Arinze Onuaku?

These are all questions that need to be answered and will get answered over the course of the next several months.  Fortunately, that happens to be one of Jim Boeheim’s strengths as a coach.  He takes what he has, and he finds a way to make it work.  He maximizes his players’ strengths and minimizes their weaknesses.  That’s what the early part of the season is all about, finding out what role each guy fills on the team and what combinations work well on the court together.

Despite some of these questions, if you ask me, I think Syracuse will be just fine.  In talking with Eric Devendorf this preseason, he seems hungry to do whatever it takes to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament this year.  The freshmen, especially Johnny Flynn and Donte Greene, seem poised beyond their years.  Both have shown the ability to connect from long range, which should help take some of the pressure off of Devendorf on the perimeter.  Scoring shouldn’t be a problem, but everyone on this team will have to rebound.  Syracuse will be so athletic and versatile that it will be able to play without on a center on the floor at times, but even the guards will have to play “big” – something Paul Harris is particularly good at.

In other words, the Orange should be good, with the potential to be very good.  And they’ll need to be very good in order to compete in the upper echelon of the Big East.  The preseason Top 25 coaches poll was released on Friday.  Five Big East teams make the list, Syracuse isn’t one of them (the Orange just missed out on the poll checking in at #27).

So what do you think?  How will Syracuse fare this season?

It won’t be much longer before we find out.  SU’s preseason opener is set for Sunday, November 4th.  See you in the Dome…