Syracuse men’s basketball climbs in KenPom preseason projection, slotted at No. 80 for 2026-27

Syracuse men’s basketball is entering the 2026-27 season with a modest rise in its preseason projection. In Ken Pomeroy’s preseason KenPom rankings released Sunday afternoon, the Orange were slotted at No. 80 among 365 Division I teams, a position that is seven spots higher than where Syracuse finished in the KenPom ranking a year earlier.

The KenPom preseason table is built from a mix of team performance indicators, efficiencies, and other factors that Pomeroy incorporates into his model. For fans, a preseason number like Syracuse’s is less a promise of results and more a baseline expectation for how the Orange profile compared with the national field before the season begins.

Along with the overall ranking, the preseason forecast included a projected win total and conference record. Syracuse was projected to finish at 17-14 overall, with a 7-11 mark in ACC play. In ACC terms, that places the Orange in a tier where league performance will likely determine how far they can climb toward postseason positioning, rather than giving them an automatic path by virtue of national reputation.

The placement at No. 80 also matters because it frames what Syracuse’s margin for error could look like in the opening months. Teams in the middle of the KenPom field typically need to convert early nonconference games into momentum and points on the résumé, because conference records can tighten quickly when standings separate teams by small efficiencies and game-by-game execution.

Coach Gerry McNamara’s program will likely be measured against that baseline as the season develops. A preseason projection like Syracuse’s is built on expectations for the roster entering the year, and it also serves as a yardstick for whether the Orange can translate their style of play into consistent scoring, shot quality, and defensive stop rates against ACC opponents.

Still, preseason ranking movements should be treated with caution. The difference between, say, No. 73 and No. 80 is meaningful in a national sense, but it is not destiny. KenPom preseason numbers can be influenced by how roles settle, which lineups take shape, and how quickly teams adjust to competition, especially early in the schedule.

What to watch next is whether Syracuse’s results align with the forecasted 17-win profile and, more specifically, whether the Orange can stay competitive in ACC games that can swing the league standing calculus. If the team plays closer to the high end of its preseason projection, the No. 80 ranking could look like an accurate reflection of growth; if not, the season will become a test of how quickly Syracuse can close the gap between preseason modeling and actual execution.