Brendan Haywood knows something about the ACC. He was an All-American player for UNC, and reached the Final Four in 2000. Now he’s an analyst for CBS Sports Network. I asked him if Syracuse should make the tournament after last night’s thriller. He left no doubt.
“Syracuse is definitely a tournament team. They have enough wins, they’ve beaten enough teams. And then when you have a signature win like Duke? They’ve won a lot of close games recently, which I think should be a feather in their cap because they’ve proven they can win tight ballgames. So I think Syracuse should definitely make it. I think the ACC is probably as tough as it’s ever been. I think if you finish with an above .500 record (in conference), if you’re one of the top 9-10 teams in the ACC¬†then you should make the tournament based on the strength of the league.”¬†
Probably doesn’t hurt that Haywood is proud of his conference, and likely enjoys when someone knocks off the Dookies. But, we’re not arguing. At least one analyst thinks SU is a slam dunk. Syracuse is now 9-7 in the league with two more games to go, plus the ACC Tourney. I think Haywood is onto something. If this is the best ACC ever, and SU is now 7th in the league standings, the Orange should be pretty close to a lock, since the league should get at least 8 bids.
