As the college basketball season creeps closer, the Syracuse Orange are preparing to make their third straight NCAA tournament. Coming off a year where the Orange were located on the bubble before it was canceled, Coach Jim Boeheim will be relying heavily on the experience of his team. The biggest question this season for Syracuse is how they are going to fill the hole that last year’s leading scorer, Elijah Hughes, is leaving behind. 

The projected starting lineup for the Orange’s first game against Bryant consists of Joe Girard III, Buddy Boeheim, Alan Griffin, Marek Dolezaj, and Bourama Sidibe. In that lineup, the Orange have no freshman, one sophomore, two juniors, and two seniors. This necessary experience could help the Orange get off to a smooth start, something that was detrimental to their postseason hopes. A backcourt of Girard III and Buddy Boeheim, plus Alan Griffin on the wing has some serious potential to be a phenomenal shooting team. Inside the paint, the Orange have seniors Marek Dolezaj and Bourrama Sidibe, who look to provide some scoring and grab rebounds on the defensive end, two areas Syracuse has struggled with in previous seasons. Off the bench, sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier will look to play solid minutes, providing good defense and a boost on offense.

 Although they are losing Elijah Hughes, who was drafted aa the 39th pick by the Utah Jazz in the NBA Draft, the Orange have some new assets this season who could play a huge role this season. This season Syracuse will rely heavily on Alan Griffin, a transfer from Illinois. In his sophomore season with the Illini, Griffin averaged 8.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds on 41.6% from beyond the arc. Furthermore, a recruiting class consisting of Kadary Richmond, Woody Newton, Frank Anselem, and Chaz Owens will look to provide solid bench minutes. Richmond has arguably the highest potential of them all and looks to live up to who the coaching staff says he has the talent to be.

Tune in on Friday, November 27th to see the Orange take on Bryant at home in the newly renovated Carrier Dome.