Syracuse Basketball: 32-team tourney would hurt Orange Big Dance odds
By Neil Adler
If the NCAA ends up with a 32-squad March Madness next spring, Syracuse basketball would have a tough time making the field.
The prospect of Syracuse basketball earning an invite to the 2021 NCAA Tournament got a significant boost earlier this week when word came through that talented wing Alan Griffin, a transfer from Illinois, received a waiver for immediate eligibility.
I’ll cover this in much more detail within future columns, but, for my money, with Griffin able to play in the coming months, I believe that the Orange is a fringe top-25 crew and a top-six group in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Additionally, while Syracuse basketball has hovered on the proverbial Big Dance bubble for multiple years now, I think that Griffin’s insertion into the 2020-21 line-up could enable the ‘Cuse to possibly enter Selection Sunday without having to sweat out the bracket unveil as much as it has in other recent campaigns.
However, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, NCAA officials are certainly discussing various models as it relates to both the 2020-21 regular season, as well as March Madness.
To that end, CBS Sports recently quoted NCAA President Mark Emmert as saying that a tourney with 32 teams could ultimately prove “a more manageable number.”
That obviously makes sense, although if the 2021 Big Dance shrinks from 68 to 32 schools, that likely doesn’t bode super well for the chances of Syracuse basketball landing a seat at the table.
An NCAA tourney of only 32 participants could make it more difficult for Syracuse basketball to get chosen.
Per a separate CBS Sports article, an NCAA Tournament next spring featuring 32 teams could entail a format where all of the invitees receive an automatic bid. In other words, you either capture your league crown, or you don’t get to dance.
Let’s face it, folks, the Orange probably isn’t going to win the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference, with heavyweights such as Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Florida State and Louisville also vying for the top prize.
Another option is to hold a tourney where all 32 squads are getting at-large berths. However, I’m not sure that this alternative is all that fair to the smaller conferences.
Even so, Syracuse basketball, according to many pundits, isn’t deemed a top-32 unit at this juncture, although Griffin’s ability to suit up puts the ‘Cuse in better shape within the national landscape.
Only time will tell how everything shakes out as far as the 2021 March Madness is concerned, but Syracuse basketball could need a bracket that’s bigger than 32 teams to compete for an NCAA title.