Boeheim Predicts This Year Syracuse Will Make NCAA Tourney

In the course of coaching a premier college basketball program for nearly five decades, it would be easy to assume that one would get pretty good at assessing their team's chances from one year to the next. On Wednesday at the ACC Men's Basketball Media Day, Boeheim told several reporters that this year's squad of Orange will go to the Big Dance in March. After suffering his first losing season since taking up the profession at Syracuse, the 77 year-old coach is ready to get his team back to playing tournament basketball.

“We’re going to make the tournament. I think that every year, but that’s all right," Boeheim explained according to Mike Waters of syracuse.com. “We would’ve made it last year if Jesse (Edwards) hadn’t gotten hurt. I think we would’ve won four or five of those games down the stretch and we would’ve edged our way in there. But he got hurt and we didn’t."

The Orange will have a ton of scoring to make up for. Buddy Boeheim is now with the Detroit Pistons and Cole Swider signed with the Los Angelas Lakers. However, Jim Boeheim is counting on a change of position for Glens Falls native Joseph Girard III to provide a needed scoring spark. “Joe is better at the two," Boeheim told syracuse.com. “Joe did a good job at the one, but he’s better at the two."

Girard will definitely need the help of fellow senior Jesse Edwards and a super-talented freshman class. “Our freshmen as a group are very advanced. I always say that some freshmen are ready and some aren’t. I think we have six freshmen that can play. Obviously, some of them are going to play more than others, but I think they’re ready to play and that’s not always the case with freshmen." It should certainly be a fun year for Syracuse fans and of course, Joe Girard III fans.