Next spring, the NCAA Tournament in men's and women's college basketball will expand to 76 teams each, up from the current 68 participants.
Those eight additional spots in each bracket will be doled out to at-large teams, so in theory, that could help Syracuse men's and women's basketball as they aim to hear their names called on Selection Sunday in March of 2027.
Yet even with eight more bids available, super-early bracketology projections from several national media outlets disclosed this week didn't include Syracuse men's basketball. ESPN, late last month, forecast SU women's hoops as a No. 10 seed in the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
NCAA reveals new 76-team bracket for DI Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. https://t.co/VkZ0uG67yk
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) May 7, 2026
Syracuse women's basketball went 24-9 overall in the 2025-26 campaign, advancing to the second round of this spring's Big Dance. 'Cuse men's hoops, though, sported a 15-17 record this past term, and the program hasn't been to the annual NCAA Tournament since 2021.
New head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff are putting the finishing touches on their 2026-27 roster, and the hope is that the Orange can reverse course after finishing with a losing record in each of the past two stanzas. McNamara says he wants to win right away, although it's understandable why bracketologists don't have SU in their expanded 76-team fields, at least for the time being.
Of course, that's why the games are played on the court!
Syracuse basketball isn't in preseason bracketology projections, despite an expanded March Madness field.
In recent mock fields of 76, CBS Sports and ESPN each have included eight teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, while national reporter Andy Katz includes a half-dozen ACC squads.
🚨 FIRST 76-TEAM BRACKET PREDICTION 🚨@TheAndyKatz makes his first bracket prediction for the 2027 tournament, complete with matchup projections for the new Opening Round 🔮 pic.twitter.com/hNeK8q7QDe
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) May 8, 2026
Now, just because SU isn't in these ridiculously early projections for the 2027 NCAA Tournament doesn't mean that the Orange can't hear its name called on Selection Sunday next March. I, for one, am cautiously optimistic that McNamara and his staff will contend for 20-plus victories in 2026-27.
If Syracuse basketball can avoid bad losses, play gritty defense and not miss so many darn free throws, that will go a long way toward the 'Cuse finding itself in a position to perhaps reach the 76-team March Madness field.
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