Syracuse basketball to face former Big East nemesis in new bracketology

Last time out, ESPN’s resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi had Syracuse basketball as the last team in his projected field of 68. Now, Lunardi has moved the Orange slightly up in his mock bracket, with the ‘Cuse squaring off against a well-known rival.

In his latest bracketology, Lunardi has Syracuse basketball as a No. 11 seed in the West Region, where it would play No. 6 seed and former Big East Conference adversary Connecticut in the round of 64.

Well, that’s fun! Of course, a lot of Orange fans don’t like the Huskies, based on their long and storied history together, including that classic six-overtime battle in the Big East Tournament that Syracuse basketball prevailed in more than a decade ago.

Add to this context the fact that UConn just picked up a huge commitment from 2022 four-star center Donovan Clingan, a high-priority ‘Cuse target, and a Syracuse basketball versus Connecticut match-up would prove all kinds of exciting and tense.

Let’s examine the rest of the Syracuse basketball region in ESPN’s bracketology.

The remainder of the West Region, where the Orange sits, is loaded. The No. 1 seed is Gonzaga, which finished as the runner-up in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and could be the pre-season No. 1 squad for the upcoming season.

Other stellar teams include No. 2 seed Baylor, the 2021 Big Dance champion, No. 3 seed Ohio State, No. 4 seed Alabama, No. 5 seed Oregon, No. 7 seed USC, No. 8 seed Notre Dame, No. 9 seed San Diego State and No. 10 seed Iowa.

For me, putting the two teams, Gonzaga and Baylor, that went to the 2021 March Madness final game in this same region kind of stinks.

Lunardi has eight Atlantic Coast Conference groups in his most recent mock bracket. They are No. 3 seed Duke, No. 5 seed Florida State, No. 5 seed North Carolina, No. 7 seed Louisville, No. 8 seed Notre Dame, No. 9 seed Virginia Tech, No. 11 seed Syracuse basketball and No. 11 seed Virginia.

The Orange, by the way, has one of the last four byes, while the Cavaliers are one of the last four squads in Lunardi’s projected field of 68.

The four No. 1 seeds are the aforementioned Gonzaga, along with Kansas, Michigan and UCLA, which reached the Final Four of the 2021 Big Dance.

Syracuse basketball will host Indiana in this term’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and the Hoosiers are a No. 10 seed, according to Lunardi.

The ‘Cuse is also reportedly slated to suit up against Villanova in the 2021 Jimmy V Classic at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lunardi has the Wildcats as a No. 3 seed.