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[QUOTE="73CAV, post: 2522393, member: 3916"]
I don't believe conference affiliation has any bearing on Syracuse's problems.  I think there has been a paradigm shift in intercollegiate basketball which has not worked to the advantage of the Orange.  I'm not even convinced that the scholarship reductions are a major factor.  Boeheim is recruiting just fine, IMO.  His problem is that he is not retaining that talent.  20 or 30 years ago, those players who left for the draft would have been around for four years.  Furthermore, if you are going to recruit OAD types, you have to do it every year, and, if you want to be successful, you have to surround them  with good senior leadership.  The frosh alone are not enough (see Kentucky this year).  UVa only has 11 scholarship players this year and one of them is redshirting, so I don't think raw numbers are as important as experience and leadership.  Syracuse is recruiting enough talent to be a national power, but they are not doing it at such a high level that the attrition is mitigated.  Furthermore, because of that attrition, there is a lack of continuity.  If this were still the 90's, Lidon and Richardson would still be on the team, and Syracuse would have some upperclass leadership and you would be fine, regardless of conference.
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