The ACC Tournament is set. See where Syracuse basketball is seeded, first opponent.

Syracuse basketball will play SMU in the ACC Tournament's first round on Tuesday, as the full bracket for the 73rd edition of this annual event has been announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Pittsburgh snuck into the ACC Tournament after knocking off the Orange by two points in overtime at the JMA Wireless Dome this past Saturday afternoon in the 2025-26 regular-season finale. The Panthers (12-19 overall, 5-13 in ACC), with that win over the 'Cuse, received the No. 15 seed in the ACC Tournament, which will take place from March 10 to March 14 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Only the top-15 teams in the ACC, which has 18 members in men's basketball, qualify for the league's postseason tournament. Syracuse basketball had qualified for the 2026 ACC Tournament prior to its clash with Pitt on Saturday. Duke (29-2 overall, 17-1 in ACC) won the league's regular-season title and has earned the ACC Tournament's No. 1 seed.

The Orange (15-16 overall, 6-12 in ACC) is the No. 14 seed in the ACC Tournament, while SMU (19-12 overall, 8-10 in ACC) is the No. 11 seed. Their first-round encounter is scheduled to tip off at 4:30 pm EST on Tuesday, March 10, with television coverage on the ACC Network.

Syracuse basketball has at least one more game in the 2025-26 season.

The winner of the battle between the 'Cuse and the Mustangs will face No. 6 seed Louisville in the ACC Tournament's second round on Wednesday, March 11, with the tip-off at 2:30 pm EST and television coverage on either ESPN or ESPNU.

Both Syracuse basketball and SMU enter Tuesday's collision stuck in a rut. The Orange has lost five straight affairs, while the Mustangs have fallen on four consecutive occasions, including a 91-78 road defeat at the hands of Florida State in the regular-season finale.

SMU is firmly on the bubble for this spring's NCAA Tournament. On the Bracket Matrix Web site, the Mustangs are forecast as a No. 11 seed. They have an NCAA NET ranking of No. 38, as compared to No. 85 for SU. This is a quadrant-one opportunity for Syracuse basketball, which will have to win the ACC Tournament to qualify for March Madness.

The Orange's last victory in 2025-26, ironically, came against SMU on February 14 at the Dome. Redshirt senior small forward Nate Kingz hit a layup with about two seconds to go in regulation to give Syracuse basketball a 79-78 triumph over the Mustangs.