Syracuse basketball and NC State are two peas in the same pod. Here’s what that means and why that makes this game even more important on Tuesday.
Syracuse basketball doesn’t appear in a single NCAA tournament bracket across the country.
The Bracket Matrix tracks every major bracketology across the country and the Orange aren’t mentioned once at this moment.
Currently, this team is 14-9 on the season and is two games above .500 in conference play at 7-5.
This means the Orange has plenty of work to do and that starts with the NC State Wolfpack on Tuesday night in the dome.
In preparation for this contest, both the Orange and the Wolfpack look eerily similar.
ACC standing.
The Orange are currently tied for fourth in the ACC with Virginia (7-5), but just behind them is a Notre Dame, NC State cluster (6-6).
If the Orange win they’ll be three games above .500 in the conference. Although with a loss, NC State and Syracuse would hold the same position in the ACC.
NCAA Net Ranking.
Despite the Orange having one more win in the conference, NC State has one more win overall. The Wolfpack also holds the edge in the NCAA Net Ranking (61) and Syracuse is a few paces behind at 65.
Statistical metrics.
"Points per game: NC State (74.3), Syracuse (74)Points allowed per game: NC State (68.9), Syracuse (67.9)Field goal percentage per game: NC State (44.5 percent), Syracuse (43.8 percent)Rebounding per game: NC State (36 rebounds), Syracuse (35.8)Assists per game: NC State (13.3 assists), Syracuse (14.9 assists)Blocks per game: NC State (4.6 blocks), Syracuse (4.4)Steals per game: NC State (7.6), Syracuse (7.4)"
When you take a gander at all of these metrics and see how similar Syracuse and NC State actually are, that makes this game on Tuesday night that much more important.
These two ACC foes will only square off once this season which means this will be the only opportunity for the committee to directly stack them against each other. This result could decide who gets in the tournament and who doesn’t.
It’s time to start separating from the pack, not falling back into the middle of the conference. This win won’t skyrocket the Orange into the tournament, but a loss could be devastating.