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Syracuse Basketball: Top 5 March Madness matchups for SU in opening round

By Paul A. Esden Jr.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Elijah Hughes #33 of the Syracuse Orange reacts after a 84-72 loss to the Duke Blue Devils after their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Elijah Hughes #33 of the Syracuse Orange reacts after a 84-72 loss to the Duke Blue Devils after their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

The Syracuse basketball team is going to be playing in March Madness, but who will they play? We speculate on the top-five possible matchups here.

Syracuse basketball fans, rest easy, you’re in the NCAA tournament. This should be the safest you have felt in over five years, thank heavens I don’t know if my heart could’ve taken it. Which means Selection Sunday will have a bit less drama than usual in the salt city.

But one big question remains for the Orange, who will they play to kick off the NCAA tournament? Well before we get into that, here are a few notes and quotes that point where Syracuse will likely land per Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com:

  • There’s a chance that for the second time in NCAA history we could have three No. 1 seeds all from the same conference. Which for Syracuse makes it almost certain the ACC will earn the No. 1 seed in the East Region.
    • Because of that combination, the Orange are not projected by any of the national experts to play in the East Region. The four top seeds will likely come from a group that includes, Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Gonzaga, Kentucky and Michigan State.
  • Why is that? Well according to the bylaws of the NCAA bracketing system they historically try to avoid allowing teams from the same conference to play that soon. They do not allow teams that have played three times to meet, meaning the Orange can not face Duke before a region final and would be unlikely to face Virginia or North Carolina in the second round.
  • Because of those trends, Syracuse would be extremely unlikely to be placed in the East Region as either a No. 8 or No. 9 seed. Currently, according to the wide array of experts, Syracuse is predominately projected as a No. 9 seed. It also means that Syracuse is frequently being placed in the same region as Kentucky or Gonzaga, making both teams likely second-round opponents.

So who will the Syracuse basketball squad face in the opening round of the March Madness tournament? We gathered inside information from prominent bracketologists from around the league across several different platforms and here are the top-five potential matchups in the opening round. Check out what we came up with in the following slides, then share your feedback in the comments below and on social media!

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