Syracuse Basketball: The path to 12-plus wins for the Orange in the ACC

Syracuse basketball (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Syracuse basketball (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Syracuse basketball may need about a dozen league victories to reach the Big Dance.

Syracuse basketball will play up to 27 regular-season games in the 2020-21 campaign, including 20 Atlantic Coast Conference contests.

The Orange’s seven non-conference battles aren’t completely ironed out, however, assuming a 2021 NCAA Tournament takes place amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the ‘Cuse should aim for at least 12 ACC successes to feel good about its name getting called on Selection Sunday.

I say this knowing that the 2020-21 term for the Orange and every other college basketball squad could prove challenging during the pandemic. Games will likely get canceled, and teams won’t end up competing in the same number of regular-stanza encounters.

Still, if the ‘Cuse goes 12-8 in the ACC, for example, and 5-2 during its non-conference slate, a 17-10 overall mark prior to the league’s post-season tourney should prove suitable for March Madness inclusion.

As I noted earlier this week when the 20-game ACC docket got unveiled for Syracuse basketball and its conference peers, the Orange has a tough league calendar to get through, but it’s not an impossible gauntlet.

Here’s a realistic route for Syracuse basketball to collect 12 ACC conquests.

As far as meetings inside the Carrier Dome, the Orange needs to take care of business against Boston College, Clemson, Louisville, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Miami, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.

This is easier said than done, as the Tigers, the Cardinals, the Wolfpack and the Hurricanes, at a minimum, will likely contend for Big Dance berths. I would anticipate the ‘Cuse falling on the Hill to North Carolina and Florida State. That scenario gives Syracuse basketball an 8-2 record on its own turf.

Away from Central New York, the Orange then would need four wins. Three could feasibly come from Boston College, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest.

The ‘Cuse has defeated Duke and UVA on the road in the past, however, let’s assume Syracuse basketball loses in 2020-21 to the Blue Devils and the Cavaliers in Durham, N.C., and Charlottesville, Va., respectively. Louisville and North Carolina, both at home, should best the Orange.

This puts the ‘Cuse at 3-4 on the road. It has to secure one more victory to get to four outside of CNY and 12 in total within the ACC. The three remaining possibilities are at Clemson, N.C. State and Georgia Tech.

Those teams are all expected to hover around the same area as Syracuse basketball in the league standings, and they could amount to March Madness bubble squads, just like the Orange.

Should the ‘Cuse manage to knock off the Tigers, the Wolfpack or the Yellow Jackets, that would enable Syracuse basketball to have at least a 4-6 record on the road. Coupled with an 8-2 home mark, the Orange would possess a 12-8 ACC performance in 2020-21, which is a solid benchmark to hopefully go dancing next March.