Syracuse Basketball is not broken, but it does have work to do. Yes, this is Coach Boeheim’s worst opening record in his coaching career, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get back to the NCAA tournament.
In the hardest conference in America, the ACC (Atlantic Coastal Conference), Syracuse basketball has lots of opportunities to prove to the tournament committee they belong in the bracket. The conference houses the likes of Louisville, Notre Dame, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida State, so they still have chances for marquee wins. I’ll admit Syracuse has an uphill battle having not won on the road (yet) and losing to two of those teams already (Notre Dame & North Carolina), but look who’s left on the schedule.
Syracuse Basketball Remaining Schedule (via ESPN.com):
- Wed, Feb 1- @ NC State
- Sat, Feb 4- vs #12 Virginia
- Tue, Feb 7- @ Clemson
- Sat, Feb 11- @ Pittsburgh
- Mon, Feb 13- vs #13 Louisville
- Sun, Feb 19- @ Georgia Tech
- Wed, Feb 22- vs #17 Duke
- Sun, Feb 26- @ #13 Louisville
- Sat, Mar 4- vs Georgia Tech
Syracuse has 9 games left and sitting at 5-4 in conference they sit right in the middle of the pack with the ability to go either up or down. Forget Syracuse’s 13-9 record for a second and consider these interesting nuggets.
1) Home Games will help the Orange
Firstly, of the 9 games left, four are at home in the Carrier Dome where Syracuse has played well, and has achieved a 13-2 record there this year. Of the four games remaining at home, three of them are versus ranked opponents: Duke, Virginia, and Louisville. That means the Orange will have the home crowd and fans behind them in the games they’re needed the most. That can play a big factor in terms of confidence during games, and hopefully the Orange can pick up a couple of wins as a result.
2) Road Games Left are Versus Bottom of ACC
Secondly, of the five remaining road games, only one is versus a ranked team, Louisville. The rest of those games are versus teams with just about as bad a record as Syracuse’s. Here’s how Syracuse stacks up versus those they have left on the road in conference (Standings via ESPN.com):
| Teams | ACC Conference Record | Overall record |
| Louisville | 5-3 | 17-4 |
| Syracuse | 4-4 | 12-9 |
| Georgia Tech | 4-4 | 12-8 |
| NC State | 3-5 | 14-7 |
| Clemson | 1-6 | 11-8 |
| Pittsburgh | 1-6 | 12-8 |
Of these remaining teams on the road, only Louisville has a better record than Syracuse (and technically Georgia Tech) in conference. That is a good sign because if Syracuse wins most of these games then they can separate themselves from the lower pack of the ACC. If Syracuse combines these wins with a few wins against ranked teams at home then they should have a winning record in conference which is usually good enough for a NCAA berth.
Path Forward & My Prediction on Remaining Games
Now, Syracuse possibly might get in with a deep ACC tournament run (defeating top-25 teams along the way) and/or be ACC champion and get the automatic bid, however they probably don’t want to leave it up to that. Syracuse needs to play well from here on out and pose a winning record to end this regular season.
As shown the Orange have a shot at the NCAA tournament, but they just need to go out and start winning like now. Easier said than done? Maybe, but anything is possible in college basketball. Here’s how I see the Orange’s remaining games going:
My Prediction of Results for Remaining Syracuse Games
| Remaining Games | Syracuse Past W-L record vs Remaining teams (via orangehoops.org) | W-L record in Last 9 games (via ESPN.com) | My prediction |
| Syracuse @ NC State | 6-3 | 5-5 | Win |
| #12 Virginia @ Syracuse | 4-4 | 8-2 | Win |
| Syracuse @ Clemson | 1-4 | 4-6 | Win |
| Syracuse @ Pittsburgh | 66-44 (1-0 this year) | 4-6 | Win |
| #13 Louisville @ Syracuse | 8-16 | 7-3 | Loss |
| Syracuse @ Georgia Tech | 4-3 | 6-4 | Win |
| #17 Duke @ Syracuse | 4-5 | 6-4 | Win |
| Syracuse @ #13 Louisville | 8-16 | 7-3 | Loss |
| Georgia Tech @ Syracuse | 4-3 | 6-4 | Win |
Syracuse Wins
Now I may be crazy, but I see Syracuse Basketball going 8-2 the rest of the way. In the Georgia Tech games, I think Syracuse takes both as the Yellow Jackets are just mediocre and the Orange are (in my opinion) just more talented. Clemson I think is an easier win, while Pittsburgh will want payback for their loss earlier this year to us, but I think they pull out a squeaker there. Same goes for the game versus NC State, a close win, but a win none the less.
#12 Virginia I think will be a tough defensive game for both teams, but once again, like last year, the Orange find a way to defeat the Cavaliers. Plus with the home crowd behind us that will help too knowing what’s at stake. Duke I think is struggling right now finding an identity and that will be a trap game for the Blue Devils. They’ll see Syracuse’s record, doubt us and then Syracuse will steal a win from them. That makes three marquee wins at home.
Syracuse Losses
Louisville, who I predict they’ll lose to on the road and at home.
If the Orange truly go 8-2 the rest of the year that would put them at 20-11 and 12-6 in conference. The overall record isn’t great, but a winning conference record in the nation’s best conference would look good to the committee prior or even after the ACC tournament. If the Orange steal a few in the ACC tournament that would be even better.
Looking Ahead
Things are not impossible for Syracuse to end this year, but they need to win when it matters most. I still believe in this Orange team, but I’m sure we can all agree that things need to change for us to have a shot at the postseason.