Syracuse basketball still has a lot of work to do to feel good about potentially hearing its name called on Selection Sunday, but at least one bracketologist is projecting the Orange for the field of 68.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports, in his recent bracketology for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, included the ‘Cuse as one of his last teams in.
The Orange is forecast as a No. 12 seed, playing fellow No. 12 seed Colorado out of the Pac-12 Conference in the West Region as part of the Big Dance’s First Four.
At this juncture in the 2023-24 season, Syracuse basketball (11-4, 2-2 in the ACC) doesn’t have any bad losses on its resume. The Orange has fallen on the road to Duke and Virginia, along with neutral-site setbacks to Gonzaga and Tennessee last November in Hawaii.
What the ‘Cuse must do to feel confident about earning a berth to this spring’s NCAA Tournament is pick up numerous quadrant-one victories, and the team will have another chance to do so when it travels to No. 7 North Carolina this Saturday afternoon.
When I wrote this column, the Orange’s NCAA NET ranking checked in at No. 73, which isn’t great, but the ‘Cuse can continue to move up. Syracuse basketball, at present, has one quadrant-one success, as Oregon was No. 47 in the NET, and the ‘Cuse beat the Ducks on a neutral floor back in mid-December.
Syracuse basketball finds itself in a bracketology projection.
Palm, in his bracketology update on January 5, included six Atlantic Coast Conference squads. Besides the Orange, Clemson is a No. 3 seed, Duke and North Carolina are both No. 4 seeds, Miami is a No. 5 seed, and Virginia is a No. 8 seed.
Palm has Virginia Tech in his “first four out” category. A few other notable teams to note here in Palm’s bracketology.
Oregon is a No. 12 seed. Tennessee is a No. 2 seed. Gonzaga is a No. 11 seed. Colgate, a No. 15 seed, had a huge lead over the ‘Cuse in mid-November at the JMA Wireless Dome, but Syracuse basketball stormed back to stun the Raiders.
Over at bracketmatrix.com, ACC schools N.C. State and Wake Forest are also included in some bracketology projections at this juncture, as league play is full steam ahead.
Naturally, the NET rankings are going to fluctuate day to day and week to week. However, in looking ahead to the remainder of the Orange’s regular-season campaign, a couple of conference clashes stand out from a NET-rating perspective.
•At North Carolina on January 13
•At Pittsburgh on January 16
•Miami at the Dome on January 20
•At Wake Forest on February 3
•Clemson at the Dome on February 10
•North Carolina at the Dome on February 13
•At N.C. State on February 20
•At Clemson on March 5