Syracuse Must Beat Georgia Tech To Get In The Big Dance

The Syracuse basketball team must punch their own ticket in to the dance, they can do just that by beating Georgia Tech on Senior day.

Following then-No. 7 Louisville’s 20-point drubbing of the SU basketball squad this past Sunday afternoon, I read a bunch of comments from ‘Cuse fans in chat rooms and on message boards regarding the Orange’s precarious situation as far as a NCAA Tournament invite.

Some, but not all, of these Syracuse faithful are prognosticating that our boys are safely in the field of 68, even if SU falls to Georgia Tech in its final regular-season game on March 4 from the Carrier Dome.

I will, respectfully, disagree. Vehemently, in fact.

Should the Orange suffer a setback to the Yellow Jackets on Senior Day, which would prove sad in and of itself because it’s, well, Senior Day, Syracuse is not getting an at-large bid to the Big Dance.

The ‘Cuse, in my humble opinion, would then have to capture the ACC Tournament crown in Brooklyn, a feat that is a long-shot, at best.

At the moment, Syracuse sports a 17-13 mark, 9-8 in conference play.

Let’s keep this simple. If SU loses to GT, and doesn’t take home the ACC Tourney, it will have 15 defeats.

According to the CBS Sports Web site, since 1985, when the field expanded to 64, no men’s hoops outfit has landed an at-large berth to March Madness with more than 14 losses.

Yeah, yeah. I know. We’ve documented here in recent weeks, as have countless other places, that the bubble is extraordinarily weak. So perhaps if Syracuse stinks it up versus Georgia Tech, but then goes on a massive run to the ACC Tournament final, the Orange could stay in the Big Dance conversation.

That scenario means the ‘Cuse will have collected 15 setbacks, while simultaneously adding one or more conquests of highly ranked foes to its resume.

Still, I don’t see it. Fifteen defeats are just way too large of a number. Also consider that SU’s performance in the non-conference slate proved lackluster, and our squad has not gotten it done much at all outside of Central New York.

Look, I’m not acting like a Debbie Downer here. I’m as passionate as they come as it pertains to my alma mater. I fervently root for Jim Boeheim & Co. season after season, even in years such as this one, when the team struggles.

On the flip side, I think that besting the Yellow Jackets this Saturday might prove enough to get us in the NCAA Tournament. Might.

The Orange would own 18 triumphs and, more importantly, 10 victories in the ultra-competitive

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Atlantic Coast Conference. I’ve seen several college-basketball reporters, of late, stress that 10 ACC successes should prove sufficient for a Big Dance inclusion.

What would really make me breathe a bit easier is a conquering of GT, then at least one win in Brooklyn. That propels Syracuse, at a minimum, to an overall record of 19-14. Given that the bevy of fringe NCAA Tournament groups, including Georgia Tech, possess relatively pedestrian resumes, two more triumphs will likely ensure SU getting its name called on Selection Sunday.

In all fairness, the ‘Cuse’s overall body of work is spotty. CBSSports.com slots the Orange’s current RPI at 78; ESPN.com has it slightly better, at 75.

There are the three achievements against top-10 outfits, six wins over those in the RPI top 50 and eight versus the RPI top 100. Not too shabby.

However, Syracuse just got blasted by the Cardinals, which represented SU’s worst margin of defeat by an ACC opponent since joining the conference in the 2013-14 campaign, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

I honestly don’t have the energy to discuss the Louisville debacle, save for a second. Too many turnovers. We got killed on the glass. Subpar shooting. The list goes on and on. The lone bright spot amounted to virtually perfect execution from the charity stripe.

Moreover, I hate to keep bringing this up, but the Orange has some truly awful losses, to Boston College, Connecticut, Georgetown and St. John’s, among others.

Another key to note is should Syracuse take care of Georgia Tech in a few days, that will guarantee finishing no worse than 9th place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. In turn, that enables the Orange to avoid having to suit up for an opening-round clash in Brooklyn.

Sliding up into 7th would make things even sweeter, as that almost assuredly prevents the ‘Cuse from facing off with conference leader North Carolina, ranked 5th in the country, in the quarterfinals. The Tar Heels, which would square off with either the No. 8 or No. 9 seed, are the one ACC team that I don’t believe the Orange can knock off in Brooklyn.

For Syracuse to sneak into 7th, it needs squads like No. 17 Duke, No. 25 Miami, No. 23 Virginia and Virginia Tech to falter this week.

Most of the bracketologists who updated their projected fields on Monday kept SU in the Big Dance, but by a razor-thin margin. The ‘Cuse has to handle its business against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday. We’ll have a more in-depth preview of that tilt later in the week.

I hope our guys can feed off the crowd on Senior Day. I’m sure emotions will run high, particularly for graduate transfers Andrew White III and John Gillon, as well as seniors DaJuan Coleman and Tyler Roberson.

Syracuse has to regain its mojo. I can’t imagine that White, Gillon and sophomore Tyler Lydon, in particular, aren’t a tad gassed for logging so many minutes in recent contests. White has to re-establish his stroke. We need the stellar version of Gillon to show up. Lydon, please stop hesitating to shoot!

The two freshmen, Taurean Thompson and Tyus Battle, have proven solid. I don’t know what to make of Roberson. He’s all but disappeared, which is unfortunate, because I like him.

Maybe Roberson and Coleman can get something going in their final regular-season home game. I desperately want these players, who have exhibited a ton of fight these past several months, to pick up this vital victory and make a march toward the Big Dance.

Next: The Syracuse Football Team Gets Left At The Alter Again!

As last spring told us, once you get in to the NCAA Tournament, anything can happen. I’m hoping this year’s bunch gets that chance.