How Syracuse basketball re-enters the conversation for Big Dance berth

The calendar is turning toward mid-February and then March, and the debate over Syracuse basketball and the Big Dance bubble is seemingly an annual rite of passage in recent years.

With the Orange’s 73-64 defeat of Boston College on the road this past Tuesday evening, the ‘Cuse has upped its success streak to four Atlantic Coast Conference clashes in a row. Granted, those Eagles, N.C. State and Louisville aren’t having stellar 2021-22 stanzas to date, although the Orange’s recent trouncing of Wake Forest was pretty darn impressive.

Syracuse basketball (13-11, 7-6) has pushed its overall record two games above the .500 mark, and as the ‘Cuse prepares to face Virginia Tech on the road this Saturday evening in Blacksburg, Va., the Orange is clearly on a roll and playing its best basketball of the season.

But with a 6-5 performance in the non-conference slate, and some ugly losses earlier in 2021-22 (hi, Colgate, Georgetown and Pittsburgh), can the ‘Cuse muster enough victories down the stretch to play its way into the 2022 NCAA Tournament as, yet again, a double-digit seed? That remains to be seen.

Here’s what Syracuse basketball needs to do to get into the March Madness conversation.

I’m not a bracketologist, so my take in this column is obviously my own personal opinion. In the 2021-22 regular term, the Orange has seven ACC contests left on the docket, versus Virginia Tech, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Duke, North Carolina and Miami.

I believe that if somehow, someway, Syracuse basketball can grab six triumphs in those encounters, that would put the ‘Cuse in a relatively decent spot as far as the post-season goes. The Orange would head to the ACC Tournament at 19-12 overall, and 13-7 in league competition.

Now, only succumbing to defeat once against all of those groups will prove quite a daunting task. At the same time, Syracuse basketball will significantly boost its resume if it could knock off top-flight ACC teams such as Duke, Notre Dame, UNC and Miami. A victory at Virginia Tech could also be huge.

Should the Orange manage to get to the ACC tourney with that 19-12 overall record and pick up, say, two wins at the league’s post-season event in Brooklyn, N.Y., that would leave the ‘Cuse at 21-13.

Obviously, what other squads in the ACC and around the country do throughout the rest of 2021-22 will factor into the Orange’s post-season chances, however, a 21-13 record absolutely should put Syracuse basketball at or near the bubble come Selection Sunday.

Considering that, a short time ago, the ‘Cuse was sitting at 9-11 overall and 3-6 in conference play, it’s commendable that Syracuse basketball has gotten on a roll of late and potentially put itself in a position to suit up in the Big Dance.

By the way, at the time of this writing, the Orange was rated No. 83 in the NET rankings, as well as No. 72 via KenPom. Those data points aren’t terrific, but Syracuse basketball has ample opportunities lurking on the horizon to move up in both of those metrics.