Well, it may not be deserved. And it surely may be shocking to a lot of us. But Syracuse Men’s Basketball will be playing postseason basketball.
The Orange had the chance to control its own destiny. A win yesterday over Virginia Tech would not only have started a win streak for SU, but also would have put the Orange into the ACC tournament.
Of course, that did not happen. SU blew a 13-point lead and, despite some late-game heroics from Jaquan Carlos, the Orange collapsed in overtime and gave up over 100 points for the first time this year.
But, as has happened a few times this year, Syracuse got bailed out. NC state got blown out by Georgia Tech and Boston College lost on the west coast to Cal.
With that, Syracuse moves two games ahead of both in the standings with two games left. And thus, SU has clinched a spot in the ACC tournament. Postseason basketball!
Does it mean much? Not really. The Orange would likely need to win it all to get a bid into the NCAA tournament, and based on every single game we’ve seen this season, that’s not happening. (The sportsbooks agree.)
But hey, at least we get a few more days of Syracuse Men’s Basketball (that statement can either be read with dread of elation). So how does the road look for Syracuse?
Well, seeds are still very much in the air. The Orange still have two games to play and could move up from their current #15 spot.
It is however, pretty safe to say that Syracuse will be a bottom six seed and playing on Tuesday in the first round. So who are the five other teams in those spots? As it stands right now, Notre Dame, Cal, Virginia, Pitt and Florida State.
Against this bottom tier, SU hasn’t done horribly. Syracuse owns wins over Cal and Notre Dame, while a match with Virginia still awaits. Of course, Pitt and Florida State are different stories. But, SU has shown it can compete with some of the teams at this level.
Thus, a win on day one – believe it or not – is quite possible. But after that it seems a lot less likely. The Orange will be playing better teams with actual NCAA Tournament berths on the line.
One win though would at least be nice.
