When we last checked in on the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball bubble picture, things were trending downward, but had a decent shot to shoot right back up if SU could collect a key road win against NC State.
Unfortunately, SU lost by 15 to the Pack, and now we’re moving even further down in most bracket projections.
On Tuesday, Bobby outlined what the bubble could look like for the Orange, and toda’s update premeditates some of that downward momentum they could easily pick up with a three- or four-game losing streak possibly in the cards. Seeing a lot of double-digit seeding here underlines how critical it is for Syracuse to grab a win against one of the next three opponents (Louisville, Duke, at UNC).
Going into that section of the schedule, though, here’s where things sit:
7-seed
USA Today: East Region, vs. Oklahoma Sooners
USA Today has yet to lose faith, and that means we get to stay as a 7-seed. Guess the Duke win is speaking pretty loudly right now? Or they really put a premium on Frank Howard’s early absence.
8-seed
ESPN: South Region, vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Sign me up for a repeat date against Jamie Dixon — once Jim Boeheim kryptonite, but more realistically, NCAA Tournament choke artist. We beat the Frogs last year, for those that forgot.
9-seed
SB Nation: Midwest Region, vs. St. John’s Red Storm
Stadium: West Region, vs. Washington Huskies
Bracket Matrix*: Midwest Region vs. St. John’s (Bracket Matrix is an average of all bracket predictions)
A 9-seed’s well within the realm of possibility, even if Syracuse can get a big win. Unfortunately that could mean a matchup with St. John’s or Washington — neither of whom (for different reasons) are enticing opponents to face.
10-seed
Bleacher Report: Midwest Region vs. Wofford Terriers
CBS Sports: South Region, vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Fox Sports: East Region, vs. Kansas State Wildcats
SI.com: West Region, vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Washington Post: East Region, Ole Miss Rebels
As far as 10-seeds (bleh) go, this is a mixed bag of foes. Cincinnati creates a bad matchup for the Orange, though I’m not super worried about either of the Mississippi schools. Wofford’s a weird one, since they’re not that high in other brackets. Still, a pesky low-major that’s worth a single-digit seed is never the team you want to play in round one (should it come to fruition).
11-seed
TeamRankings.com: West Region, vs. Maryland Terrapins
Mehhh... Could mean play-in game.
Not updated yet
The Athletic: 8-seed vs. vs. Oklahoma (South Region)
NCAA.com: 7-seed vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (East Region)
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