Syracuse has reloaded through transfers to be a Final Four contender once again

Source: www.sbnation.com --- Tuesday, October 11, 2016
The Orange check in at No. 12 in our preseason countdown. There are two routes to take when it comes to previewing the 2016-17 Syracuse Basketball team, and on the surface, neither seem overly encouraging for Jim Boeheim's club. Route one: Syracuse lost its three leading scorers from a team that advanced all the way to the Final Four a season ago. Route two: Syracuse lost its three leading scorers from a team that many believe didn't deserve to make the NCAA Tournament a season ago. Both of those statements, the second one especially, likely have you wondering why the Orange check in at No. 12 on our preseason countdown. For starters, Tyler Lydon chose not to parlay his breakout March into an early exit to the NBA. The 6'9 forward who averaged 12.2 ppg after Valentine's Day last season has reportedly added 20 pounds of muscle to make the "inside" portion of his already lethal inside-out game that much tougher for ACC opponents to deal with. Second, Boeheim has brought in a top 15 recruiting class headlined by a trio of four-star prospects. Leading the charge is combo guard Tyus Battle , a player who, even if he doesn't wind up starting at either guard position, figures to be able to shoulder a sizable chunk of the scoring load lost with the departures of  Michael Gbinije , Malachi Richardson and Trevor Cooney . Finally, no team was a bigger winner in the annual offseason grad transfer lottery than Syracuse. Nebraska transfer Andr ...

from Basketball http://ift.tt/2dIMwGd