Syracuse women’s basketball begins at No. 65 in Bart Torvik preseason rankings

Syracuse women’s basketball is starting its next season at No. 65 in the preseason rankings from Bart Torvik’s projection model, according to Yahoo Sports’ report on the release. The ranking is positioned as a “resume-building” baseline for what Syracuse may be able to accomplish during the upcoming year, at least in the way the model is designed to translate performance into context for postseason evaluation.

Torvik’s ratings are built to estimate team strength rather than simply reflect last season’s record. In that sense, a No. 65 placement indicates that the model views Syracuse as a team with real upside, but not one expected to separate itself immediately from the middle of Division I. The preseason number becomes a yardstick for whether Syracuse can outperform its projection as the season moves from nonconference tests into the higher-stakes rhythm of ACC play.

For a program in the Atlantic Coast Conference, preseason standing matters less for public perception than for how it can shape the “quality of wins” conversation later. When a team begins farther down the list, beating opponents ranked significantly higher can help, while early losses can tighten the margin for error. The broader point is that the Orange’s path to a stronger postseason case typically depends on accumulating wins that look meaningful in projection terms.

In the specific framing of this preseason release, Syracuse’s starting spot at No. 65 suggests that the Orange will likely be measured against a target of overperformance. That can come in multiple forms, including competitive games against stronger opponents, improved results as the season progresses, and consistent execution in the ACC schedule where standings and projections often start to converge.

As always with preseason models, the ranking is a snapshot, not a prediction that accounts for every variable that can shift a season, such as how quickly players fit roles, how matchups play out, and how health affects rotations. Early-season results tend to confirm or correct the initial assumptions, and the next months will determine whether Syracuse stays closer to the middle of the pack or climbs toward teams that are more firmly in postseason contention.

What to watch next is how Syracuse performs relative to the projected tier established by the preseason list. If the Orange can win games that the model implies should be close and turn those into repeatable results, their own standing can rise quickly. If results diverge, postseason momentum becomes harder to manufacture, making the early portion of the schedule an important proving ground for the Orange’s “potential on paper” becoming “production on the court.”