Syracuse basketball must go on massive run to have shot at Big Dance

The Syracuse basketball loss at fellow bubble team Duke on Monday evening in Durham, N.C., was not only ugly, but it also represented a missed opportunity for the Orange to pick up its first quadrant-one victory of the 2020-21 season.

Without question, the ‘Cuse (13-7, 7-6) is on the outside looking in as it pertains to the upcoming March Madness. If Syracuse basketball had bested the Blue Devils on the road, it would have inched the Orange closer to the field of 68, but either way the ‘Cuse would still have had work to do.

Now, as Syracuse basketball winds down its 2020-21 regular season, it’s pretty simple for the Orange. From my perspective, the team has to win out during the remainder of the regular term, and pick up a couple of successes at the ACC Tournament, to re-enter the conversation for an invite to the 2021 Big Dance.

Of course, if the ‘Cuse were to capture the Atlantic Coast Conference post-season crown, that would undoubtedly lock up a March Madness berth for the Orange. But let’s face it, it’s a huge long-shot for Syracuse basketball to achieve this.

Syracuse basketball is in a tough spot for the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

As of games on Feb. 22, the ‘Cuse is No. 54 in the NET ratings, which isn’t awful, but it’s not great, either. Let’s dissect the squad’s record in a bit more detail.

Syracuse basketball is 6-1 in the non-conference slate, and 7-6 in ACC competition. The Orange is 11-1 at home and a sub-par 2-6 on the road. Finally, in quadrant-one/quadrant-two encounters, the ‘Cuse is 3-6, as compared to 10-1 in quadrant-three/quadrant-four duels.

Save for blowing an 18-point lead on the Hill and falling to Pittsburgh earlier this campaign, all of the Orange’s other losses are on the road, and primarily to high-quality foes.

The issue is that Syracuse basketball doesn’t have any quadrant-one triumphs, and its best win is against an excellent Virginia Tech group in Central New York.

The ‘Cuse faces Georgia Tech on the road this Saturday, North Carolina at home the following Monday, and Clemson from the Carrier Dome on March. 3. The Yellow Jackets are a quadrant-one chance, while the Tar Heels and the Tigers are just outside of quadrant-one opportunities. The Orange will also have at least one neutral-site affair in the ACC Tournament.

While Syracuse basketball hasn’t taken advantage of the quadrant-one games to date on its schedule, it also has had several battles versus high-quality groups postponed due to Covid-19 protocols.

Among them, the Orange was supposed to suit up against Louisville twice, along with Florida State. Naturally, the ‘Cuse would have needed to emerge victorious in some of those games for it to boost the Syracuse basketball resume, but it’s still a bummer.

Head coach Jim Boeheim said as much in his Zoom call with media members following the Duke setback, calling the postponements “unfortunate.”

Boeheim’s squad isn’t completely out of the 2021 NCAA Tournament picture, but the Orange needs to pile up wins over the next few weeks.