Is Syracuse in March Madness? Exploring Orange Men's postseason prospects
Syracuse will miss out on March Madness for the third year in a row, owing to their defeat in the second round of the ACC tournament. The Orange went (20-12) in the regular season and (11-9) in conference play, eventually losing their at-large bid on Selection Sunday. This is the first time Syracuse has missed three NCAA tournaments in a row since 1970.
Syracuse faced off against NC State in the first round of the ACC tournament. However, the 10th-seeded Wolfpack won 83-65, effectively ending the Orange's dreams of going to the NCAA tournament this season.
An outright spot in March Madness as ACC champions was out of the question for Syracuse, and the school failed to get an at-large bid.
Despite not being a complete success, the first season under Adrian Autry was an interesting one.
There's still an opportunity for Syracuse to continue its season, as it might get an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). With the rise in importance of the transfer portal, many schools turn down spots in NIT to focus on the off-season. However, it looks like Syracuse could be interested in joining.
Here's what Aubry had to say about the matter after the defeat to NC State:
“I think any time you get a chance to make a postseason I think you have to take it, again, this team, we’re disappointed. It’s really just trying to get through this right now with this team. They battled. They left it out there all year long. Did we play well? No. We didn’t play well. But I thought the effort and the battle was there all season long... We haven’t crossed that bridge yet.”
Has Syracuse ever won March Madness?
The Orange has only won the NCAA tournament once, in 2003. They have been runner-ups twice in 1987 and 1996. They have six Final Four appearances (1975, 1987, 1996, 2003, 2016) and 10 Elite Eight showings.
They last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2021, when they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. They last won the conference championship in 2006.