Just 10 ACC games remain for the Syracuse Orange before the conference tournament, and the arrow appears to still be pointing up for the team’s chances of getting some extra basketball this spring.
In its
most recent update, ESPN’s latest bracketology now has Syracuse as a projected eight-seed. The Orange have moved up a seed in each of its last two wins, going from 10 to nine after a triple-overtime victory over California. Most recently, it beat Stanford at home by 11 points to bump up all the way to the eight spot.
The Orange are currently one of eight teams from the conference projected to make the 2026 NCAA Tournament, according to the ESPN. The full list includes Louisville (two-seed), Duke (five-seed), North Carolina (six-seed), NC State (six-seed), Syracuse (eight-seed), Notre Dame (eight-seed), Stanford (eight-seed), Virginia (Last Four In) and Clemson (Last Four In). Miami and Virginia Tech are currently the first two of the “First Four Out” teams.
The key for the Orange continues to be inching more inside the top-68 and further away from the bubble.
As of Tuesday, Syracuse is currently 16-3 overall with a 6-2 record against the ACC, sitting third in the conference. All three its three losses — Michigan, Virginia Tech and Duke — came versus opponents ranked top-50 in NET. Despite only having one Quadrant 1 and two Quadrant 2 wins, it has handled business against the rest of its slate so far.
Syracuse is now up to No. 40 overall in NET, which is eighth-best among the ACC.
For now, eight appears to be the magic number for number of teams battling to get into March Madness. Including Syracuse, seven ACC teams range from eight-seed to bubble territory, and there is still plenty of season left to go.
The Orange still on their schedule have road contests against North Carolina, Miami, NC State and Notre Dame in four of its last 10. It will also get Louisville and Clemson both at home prior to the ACC Tournament.
Syracuse is predicted to finish with a 22-7 overall record and a 12-6 conference record, according to WarrenNolan.com. The key in this projection: picking up those wins against Miami and Clemson, two teams currently on the bubble. That duo of victories, plus cleaning house against the “should be” wins, might be enough to get the Orange back in the Big Dance.
For now, the focus is on Sunday, when Syracuse takes on the Tar Heels in what will be another chance to pick up a signature win and keep momentum going.
