Syracuse basketball sits at 9-4 after completing its non-conference schedule, and the Orange now turns to its 18-game docket in Atlantic Coast Conference play. That will start on New Year's Eve, when the 'Cuse will welcome Clemson to the JMA Wireless Dome.
We all know that the Orange hasn't played in the NCAA Tournament since 2021. A four-year absence is a long stretch for this storied program, and Syracuse basketball fans, understandably, have grown impatient.
Currently, the 'Cuse has an NCAA NET ranking of No. 88, which isn't good. The team has a quadrant-one win over Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge along with a bad quadrant-three loss to Hofstra at home.
So what does Syracuse basketball need to do in ACC contests to reach the 2026 Big Dance?
Here's a look at the Orange's ACC regular-season calendar, and where each of these foes resides in the NET rankings:
Wednesday, Dec. 31, Syracuse basketball versus Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome
Clemson's NET: No. 37 (quadrant-two game)
Tuesday, Jan. 6, Syracuse basketball at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech's NET: No. 190 (quadrant-three game)
Saturday, Jan. 10, Syracuse basketball at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh's NET: No. 115 (quadrant-two game)
Tuesday, Jan. 13, Syracuse basketball versus Florida State at the JMA Wireless Dome
Florida State's NET: No. 129 (quadrant-three game)
Saturday, Jan. 17, Syracuse basketball at Boston College
Boston College's NET: No. 191 (quadrant-three game)
Wednesday, Jan. 21, Syracuse basketball versus Virginia Tech at the JMA Wireless Dome
Virginia Tech's NET: No. 62 (quadrant-two game)
Saturday, Jan. 24, Syracuse basketball versus Miami at the JMA Wireless Dome
Miami's NET: No. 34 (quadrant-two game)
Tuesday, Jan. 27, Syracuse basketball at N.C. State
N.C. State's NET: No. 31 (quadrant-one game)
Saturday, Jan. 31, Syracuse basketball versus Notre Dame at the JMA Wireless Dome
Notre Dame's NET: No. 81 (quadrant-three game)
Monday, Feb. 2, Syracuse basketball at North Carolina
North Carolina's NET: No. 15 (quadrant-one game)
Saturday, Feb. 7, Syracuse basketball at Virginia
Virginia's NET: No. 23 (quadrant-one game)
Wednesday, Feb. 11, Syracuse basketball versus California at the JMA Wireless Dome
California's NET: No. 46 (quadrant-two game)
Saturday, Feb. 14, Syracuse basketball versus SMU at the Wireless Dome
SMU's NET: No. 36 (quadrant-two game)
Monday, Feb. 16, Syracuse basketball at Duke
Duke's NET: No. 3 (quadrant-one game)
Saturday, Feb. 21, Syracuse basketball versus North Carolina at the JMA Wireless Dome
North Carolina's NET: No. 15 (quadrant-one game)
Saturday, Feb. 28, Syracuse basketball at Wake Forest
Wake Forest's NET: No. 68 (quadrant-one game)
Tuesday, March 3, Syracuse basketball at Louisville
Louisville's NET: No. 17 (quadrant-one game)
Saturday, March 7, Syracuse basketball versus Pittsburgh at the JMA Wireless Dome
Pittsburgh's NET: No. 115 (quadrant-three game)
At the time of this writing, in its ACC schedule, the Orange has this many games in each quadrant:
Quadrant one: Seven
Quadrant two: Six
Quadrant three: Five
Quadrant four: Zero
If my math is correct, and that's never a given, 13 of the team's 18 league encounters are in quadrant one and quadrant two. None is in quadrant four. What does that mean?
A couple of things. Number one, the ACC is pretty strong as a whole so far this season. Number two, the 'Cuse has a challenging conference calendar. Number three, Syracuse basketball has ample chances to notch marquee victories and get into the conversation for a March Madness bid.
From a macro level, I think that the Orange needs to go at least 11-7, or 12-6, in ACC play to have a shot at the Big Dance. That doesn't forecast Syracuse basketball running the table in the ACC Tournament to get an automatic berth in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Those two records above would put the 'Cuse at either 20-11 or 21-10 overall prior to the ACC Tournament. Naturally, factors here will include which teams Syracuse basketball beats and loses to, how many quadrant-one and quadrant-two triumphs the Orange possesses, and the team's margin of victory, among other metrics, in league competition.
To me, it's pretty simple. Syracuse basketball must conquer the foes that it's supposed to, and the 'Cuse has to win games against tougher competition. Do that, and the Orange will be in a position to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.