Syracuse basketball plays its final regular-season game of the 2021-22 campaign this Saturday afternoon against Miami on the Hill.
Then the Orange (15-15, 9-10) will travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., for the 2022 ACC Tournament, which will transpire next week. As has been discussed ad nauseam of late, head coach Jim Boeheim is in danger of having a ‘Cuse squad finish below the .500 mark for the first time in his 46 years at the helm in Central New York.
Some various scenarios have to play out, but there is a possibility that Boeheim’s group in 2021-22 could wind up with a losing record by falling in an ACC Tournament game to Duke, which as we all know is led by head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Krzyzewski, who is retiring after the current stanza, has captured five national titles and reached 12 Final Fours with the Blue Devils. He and Jim Boeheim are also dear friends, having been league counterparts in the Atlantic Coast Conference since 2013-14 and winning multiple Olympic gold medals together with USA Basketball over the years.
But first, let’s see how Syracuse basketball fares versus Miami.
Before we get into any kind of discussion about what the ACC Tournament may mean for the Orange’s record in 2021-22, the ‘Cuse will battle a good Miami group at home. Earlier this season, Syracuse basketball blew a huge lead and fell by one point on the Hurricanes’ turf in South Florida.
Let’s say that Miami defeats the Orange at the Carrier Dome. That would put the ‘Cuse at 15-16. According to media reports, Syracuse basketball will play a second-round contest in the ACC Tournament matching up the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds on Wednesday, March 9. It appears that the ‘Cuse will face Florida State in this encounter.
Syracuse basketball split with the Seminoles in 2021-22, winning by three points on the road and losing by five points at home. Should the Orange conquer FSU, the ‘Cuse will be 16-16 and would square off against the tourney’s No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals.
Duke has already clinched a share of the conference’s regular-season crown and will be the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils have also destroyed Syracuse basketball in their two regular-stanza meetings, including one this past Saturday evening.
I imagine Duke would be a heavy favorite in a third match-up of Krzyzewski and Boeheim. And if the Blue Devils prevailed under this scenario, the Orange would end 2021-22 with a 16-17 mark.
Of course, other things could happen, like Syracuse basketball besting Miami or the ‘Cuse falling in its first ACC Tournament affair. I’m also under the assumption here that Syracuse basketball isn’t getting an invite to the NIT or the CBI post-season events.
If the Orange and Duke did go toe to toe in Brooklyn with the ‘Cuse at 16-16, Coach K would let Coach B win, right? All kidding aside, Syracuse basketball could end my hypothetical by taking care of business versus Miami and in the Orange’s first ACC Tournament game.