Syracuse Basketball: Biggest Things to Look Forward to in 2015-16

The Syracuse basketball season is over, and now so is the recruiting season for the upcoming campaign. Recruitment came to a close when prized big man Thomas Bryant verbally committed to Indiana. That leaves the Orange with four players in the class of 2015 and a fairly thin frontcourt.

It's hard to predict what next year's Orange team will look like. After Trevor Cooney, Michael Gbinije and Tyler Roberson, the team is rife with inexperience.

But it isn't all bad; there is always a silver lining to be found. With that in mind, let's take a look at the biggest things that fans can look forward to for the upcoming season. We'll rank each entry based on how excited fans should be about it and how much it can affect the team's success next year.

Honorable Mention: The Return of DaJuan Coleman

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DaJuan Coleman's return only garners honorable-mention status because we still aren't exactly sure when he will be back.

When we last heard, Coleman was shutting it down in January for the 2014-15 season before he had even played a game. That month, Coleman—who underwent an innovative knee procedure in 2014—told Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com, "I'm close," but he didn't have much more than that to offer.

If Coleman returns, he will be a significant boon to Syracuse's front line. Without him, the Orange only have Chinonso Obokoh and possibly incoming freshman Moustapha Diagne as viable centers. That would leave the Orange significantly shorthanded in the middle, especially on defense, where the center position is vitally important.

After two years off and Coleman saying he was "close" in January, we can assume that he should be ready to go by the start of next season. But since that hasn't been confirmed yet, we still have to play the waiting game with Coleman's status.

4. Development of Kaleb Joseph

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We start off the proper list with Kaleb Joseph's development. Joseph became the starting point guard unexpectedly after Tyler Ennis made the jump to the NBA last year, and Joseph struggled to run the offense efficiently.

In his freshman year, Joseph averaged 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 turnovers in 27.3 minutes per game. He often dribbled himself into double-teams or otherwise made poor decisions that led to frustrating offensive possessions.

We can't expect Joseph to suddenly turn into a high-caliber point guard in one summer, but it's not out of the question for him to improve his game heading into his sophomore year. He now has a year of experience at the college level under his belt, so he should know what it takes to be an efficient college point guard.

He certainly got plenty of guidance from head coach Jim Boeheim. Every time the coach took Joseph out, he gave him an earful on the sidelines before he sat down. Fans shouldn't expect Joseph's game to pull a 180, but it isn't unreasonable to look forward to a little improvement.

3. The Freshman Class

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The incoming freshman class takes the next spot because it offers more potential as a whole to affect the team than Joseph does on his own.

Consisting of Malachi Richardson, Tyler Lydon, Moustapha Diagne and Franklin Howard, this year's recruiting class is a diverse mix of talent that could help the Orange all over the floor.

Richardson was a McDonald's All-American, and though he struggled in that game, he has the potential to help boost the Orange's scoring. Howard is another combo guard who could, if nothing else, potentially take some pressure off Joseph and handle the ball for short stretches.

Diagne and Lydon give the Orange some depth up front, and both are athletic players who should at least be able to help Syracuse rebound. 

Of course, because all of these players are freshmen, it's hard to guess how they will adjust to the next level. But they give the team some depth, and since none of them look like one-and-done players at this point, they provide hope for continuity with the team going forward.

2. Postseason Play

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One of the biggest things that fans can look forward to is the potential of postseason play.

We say "potential" only because it's impossible to predict at this point where a team will be a year from now, and some experts don't think that the immediate future is too bright for Syracuse. Joe Lunardi of ESPN currently has the Orange out of next year's NCAA tournament.

But as we said, all of that is meaningless right now. The Orange will be able to play in the ACC tournament. If they win that, then they are automatically in the Big Dance. But either way, the fact that the Orange are eligible for the postseason should give fans some hope and something to root for as next season progresses.

1. Georgetown

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Despite all of the questions heading into next season, the 2015-16 campaign will bring a return to the old days of the Big East.

That's right—starting next season, Syracuse and Georgetown will renew their rivalry. For now, the contract is for a four-year series with alternating home games. Georgetown will host the game this season, so fans unfortunately won't be able to see Georgetown in the Carrier Dome until 2016-17.

The teams won't be playing as members of the same conference anymore, but the players and fanbases still understand the importance and seriousness of this rivalry.

Either way, Georgetown has always been Syracuse's most hated rival, and fans and players alike will surely have that game circled as soon as the schedule comes out.