Girshon: Players Era presents perfect time for Syracuse to reintroduce itself
Syracuse will likely play three Quad 1 games this week, giving it the chance to show the college basketball world it's back. Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor
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LAS VEGAS — Traveling to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival gives Syracuse the perfect time to reintroduce itself to the college basketball world.
Pick a program at random from the 18-team field, and it’s probably in college basketball’s upper echelon.
Besides March Madness, the Players Era is the premier college basketball tournament. It’s a field the Orange should belong in annually.
“When we stop being in those tournaments,” Autry said during SU’s media day, “then it’s a problem, alright?”
However, there’s one glaring problem: Syracuse (4-0, Atlantic Coast) hasn’t played in a tournament with this magnitude since the 2021 NCAA Tournament. With Autry’s hopes of “not being mediocre” and aspiring to always make “deep March runs,” the Players Era presents SU a perfect opportunity to start restoring the “Orange Standard.”
Participating and making a statement are two different things, though. Collecting the $1 million payout, losing three games and continuing its recent sputter would be problematic, especially considering Autry’s job could be on the line.
But notching at least one win over a top-tier program like No. 2 Houston or No. 24 Kansas? That helps put Syracuse back on the map — reintroducing itself as a program that should be considered among college basketball’s best.
SU shouldn’t need to introduce itself to anyone. Top 10 all-time in wins, top 15 in Final Four appearances and the 2003 National Championship should speak for itself.
But recently, there’s been a fall from grace. Mentioning the Orange as one of the best programs in college basketball, let alone the ACC, would be ludicrous right now. The final two years of Jim Boeheim’s Hall of Fame career and the first two of Autry’s tenure thrust Syracuse into mediocrity.
With four consecutive missed NCAA Tournaments, the Orange are amid their longest drought since missing six straight from 1967-72. The worst of it came last season, when SU’s 14-19 record marked its worst since the 1968-69 campaign.
The state of the Orange’s program was best encapsulated when they faced Maryland at the Barclays Center in December. Needing a Quad 1 win to keep any hopes of making the NCAA Tournament alive before the calendar even flipped to the new year, Syracuse was instead routed.
Even worse, the loss showcased that SU was the farthest it’s been from the “Orange Standard” since Autry became the head coach. For Autry, that’s the greatest sin.
Everything for the third-year head coach revolves around restoring the “Orange Standard.” Look no further than the phrase displayed in his office, on apparel that SU players and coaches wear and on the boxing gloves that Autry awards to his “fighter of the game” in a new tradition after wins.
As Autry saw from his playing days and joining Syracuse’s staff in 2011, Boeheim laid a foundation: everyone familiar with the program should know it’s one of the best in the history of college basketball. But, right now, SU is just another program.
One hundred forty-three different programs have made March Madness since 2022. The Orange aren’t among those 143.
Among all of Autry’s teams since taking over for Boeheim, this one is his most talented and equipped to compete with the likes of Houston and Kansas in Las Vegas. It began with hiring general manager Alex Kline, who, alongside Autry, built a roster that can compete with anyone.
Thus far, Syracuse, for the most part, has looked the way it should look. The Orange’s +28.3 average scoring margin is the seventh best in the country.
But that’s come against Binghamton, Delaware State, Drexel and Monmouth. Not the most inspiring list of opponents.
Sure, SU has likely done itself some favors by boosting its NET Rating — a key metric the NCAA Tournament committee considers. But that only helps Syracuse come March if it can string together some marquee Quad 1 wins.
Rated by EvanMiya as the No. 44 team in the country, while KenPom has it No. 61, SU has a lot of work to do between now and March if it wants to solidify an NCAA Tournament spot. With likely three Quad 1 games this week, the time is now for the Orange to make a statement.
The Syracuse of right now has a million reasons to be excited about playing in the Players Era — even if it means losing three games.
But there are a million more reasons why this is the perfect time to bury that version of Syracuse and show the college basketball world the program is back.
Justin Girshon is a Senior Staff Writer at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at justingirshon@gmail.com or on X @JustinGirshon.
