Syracuse basketball is probably going to hear its name called tonight for Selection Sunday, but the Orange fan base is feeling a tad anxious. At least I am, anyway.
The bevy of bracketology projections have the ‘Cuse in the field of 68, however, two bid-stealers did emerge on Saturday, and one more could arrive on Sunday, taking away possible at-large berths for Syracuse basketball and other bubble bunches.
Former Big East Conference rival Georgetown went on a miraculous run in the league’s post-season tournament, and the Hoyas earned an automatic bid to the Big Dance by defeating Creighton in the championship contest on Saturday night.
Additionally, on late Saturday evening, Oregon State knocked off Colorado to claim the Pac-12 Conference Tournament title. Neither Georgetown nor Oregon State was getting into the 2021 NCAA Tournament without capturing automatic invites.
Furthermore, on Sunday afternoon, potential bid-stealer Cincinnati will face top-10 Houston in the championship clash of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Houston, we have a request – beat Cincy!
Syracuse basketball is clinging to a Big Dance berth, per most experts.
With the bid-stealing by the Hoyas and Oregon State, the Orange has gotten bumped from one of the last four byes to one of the last four in the field of 68, according to both CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Lunardi has the No. 11 seed ‘Cuse playing fellow No. 11 seed Drake in the First Four, with the winner taking on No. 6 seed BYU in the round of 64 within Region 4.
Palm, meanwhile, has the Orange in the South Region, where No. 11 seed Syracuse basketball will battle No. 11 seed Wichita State, also in the First Four. The winner of this match-up will duel No. 6 seed Creighton.
Over on the Bracket Matrix Web site, the Orange appears in 119 mock brackets, with an average seed of 11.67. Syracuse basketball is presently No. 40 in the NET rankings, which is a totally respectable number.
I’m not a bracketologist, but my gut tells me that even if Cincinnati beats Houston and steals a bid, the ‘Cuse will still end up squeaking into the field as one of the last four in.
It wouldn’t be a typical Selection Sunday if our beloved Orange and its fanatical fan base weren’t nervous prior to the bracket getting unveiled, which will commence at 6 pm.