Despite Adrian Autry's recent comments, Syracuse basketball opted out of possible NIT bid

Syracuse basketball opted out of a potential invite to the 2024 NIT, a team spokesperson told me.

That helps clarify what was a confusing Sunday evening, as the 32-team field for the upcoming NIT was announced, and the Orange's name was nowhere to be found. In recent days ahead of the selection reveal for this season's NIT, multiple bracketologists had projected the 'Cuse to be in the NIT field.

Here's the statement from the Syracuse basketball spokesperson: "We respect the NIT but our only postseason goal was to play in the NCAA Tournament. Therefore we communicated to the ACC we would not participate in the NIT."

I'm glad that the Orange came out with a statement to clear up any confusion, although I think that the statement could have gone out a bit earlier, as tons of Orange fans were wondering what the deal was on social media on Sunday night for a stretch of time before Syracuse basketball addressed the topic.

The 2023-24 season for Syracuse basketball has come to an end.

In the latter half of the most recent term, the 'Cuse was playing some of its best ball, although a road loss to Clemson in the regular-season finale was a missed opportunity at a quadrant-one triumph.

Then, last Wednesday in Washington, D.C., the No. 7 seed Syracuse basketball fell by 18 points to eventual champion N.C. State, the No. 10 seed, in the 2024 ACC Tournament's second round.

That setback meant the Orange (20-12, 11-9 in the ACC) would miss the Big Dance for the third consecutive year. Interestingly enough, after the loss to the Wolfpack, in his post-game press conference, first-year head coach Adrian Autry was asked about a possible bid for his team to the 2024 NIT.

He said in part that any time that you have a chance to play in the post-season, “I think you have to take it.”

Now, for some context, the 'Cuse roster at the end of the 2023-24 season was much thinner than at this campaign's onset, due to injuries, a player being dismissed from the program, and a freshman taking a redshirt.

Plus, as I've discussed and many others have, too, the transfer portal opens on Monday, and runs for 45 days before closing on Wednesday, May 1.

If a couple of Syracuse basketball players hit the portal, that could have potentially made it challenging for the Orange to field a competitive roster for the 2024 NIT, so I get why the 'Cuse opted out of possibly playing in the event before the 32-team field was announced.

Orange fans are disappointed that the squad has missed the NCAA Tournament for a third straight stanza, and I had hoped to see the 'Cuse play a few more games in the NIT. But the portal's explosion, it seems, has caused numerous big-name programs to opt out of the upcoming NIT, including fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Pittsburgh.

On Selection Sunday, five ACC teams made the NCAA Tournament (North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Virginia and N.C. State) and three more got picked for the NIT (Wake Forest, Boston College and Virginia Tech).