Syracuse basketball not only big-time power that may miss Big Dance
By Neil Adler
Syracuse basketball is on the bubble, and so are other historically top teams.
Syracuse basketball has resided on the proverbial March Madness bubble quite often in recent years since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2013-14 campaign. The present term may prove more of the same.
Numerous bracketologists have the Orange (7-3) either just barely in the projected field of 68, or one of the first few teams out, although not all of these mock brackets factored in the ‘Cuse loss on the road to North Carolina earlier this week.
Now, the Orange still has many games left in its 2020-21 campaign, assuming that the team doesn’t have further postponements amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Syracuse basketball, competing in a deep Atlantic Coast Conference, will have ample opportunities to boost its 2021 NCAA Tournament resume.
If recent ‘Cuse history is any indication, though, the team and its fan base will have to sweat out Selection Sunday in mid-March. But Syracuse basketball isn’t the only big-time national brand that may find itself on the outside looking in when the Big Dance field is revealed.
In the ACC alone, perennial Final Four contenders Duke and UNC aren’t faring all that stellar so far in 2020-21. It’s conceivable that either or both of them might not make this spring’s March Madness. If they do get in, they could earn unusually sub-par seeds.
David Kenyon, a writer for Bleacher Report, recently published an interesting piece where he looked at some historically premier programs (each with at least 30 all-time Big Dance appearances) that could be at risk of missing the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
"Kenyon includes the ‘Cuse in his article. He writes, “Syracuse should be more optimistic about its NCAA tournament chances, but the Orange need to beat someone of note. Like, literally anyone. … Yes, this is largely a product of COVID-19 protocols disrupting the schedule. Still, per WarrenNolan, all seven of Syracuse’s wins are against Quadrant 3 or 4 teams. The best victory is over Bryant or Buffalo, and that’s not going to attract much attention. … The reason for a lighter schedule is basically out of Syracuse’s control. But with a potentially smaller sample size, the 7-3 Orange have a reduced margin for error, too.”"
Other well-known squads that Kenyon notes are Indiana, Kentucky, Marquette and Michigan State, as well as Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Oklahoma and Purdue. I could also add in here usually strong teams such as Auburn, Florida and Maryland.
Hopefully, Syracuse basketball will land a March Madness invite, but certainly, a handful of the biggest names in the sport may end up out of this season’s Big Dance.