76% (as compared to less than 40% in the first poll) now have Syracuse making the big dance. I find this very interesting considering at the time of the first poll we were still in contention to land Tucker and Ayala. After that poll closed we did not sign either one (something I said would happen and took heat for).
Since that poll we've landed 3 players:
1. Elijah Hughes who is transferring and cannot play.
2. Marek Dolezaj who is rail thin, who has to adjust to life in a new country, new culture, new language, no family support, and little time to develop chemistry with teamates, become stronger, and learn the zone. I actually like Marek a lot, but I think it is grossly unrealistic to expect much in season one.
3. Gene Thorpe who is another 5th year grad transfer who will provide depth. I suspect he'll be better than Gillon defensively just because he's taller. Our past experience with AW3 and JG proved how hard the zone is to grasp in such a short time. Again, I like him, but I'm not sold he's going to be the PG "stud" others have made him out to be.
So what this poll tells me is that many people are placing a whole lot of hope on MD, who may or may not adjust and be ready in year one. It's also placing a lot of expectations on Geno.
MM, OB, BS and HW were already in place at that time. So this renewed faith/optimism stems from Thorpe and Marek?
Don't get me wrong, I like many of these players. But I think we are at least one year away from being a contender in the ACC and a Tournament team. GT and MD are nice but IMO they are not game changers going into next season. I realize that I'm once again in the minority but I was more optimistic going into 2017 when I posted the original poll than I am now.
Anyhow, I hope I'm wrong and these guys will surprise us. Sometimes when expectations are lower we play better. I'm still holding strong that our ceiling is a sweet sixteen, but am expecting the NIT.