Coming into Selection Sunday, the Syracuse Orange had lost five of its last six games with an overall record of 19-13. Syracuse's RPI was 68, considerably lower than the other teams sitting on the bubble. Nonetheless, Syracuse earned an at-large bid as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region. The difference in Syracuse's résumé? The Orange had five wins against the RPI top 50, a SOS of 38 and a 3-1 record on neutral floors (Thanks, Battle 4 Atlantis).
Current mood #MarchMadness #BigDance #CuseMode pic.twitter.com/OPDAr40ygH
— Syracuse Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) March 13, 2016
Syracuse won't be heading to Dayton for the First Four. Instead, the Orange will be heading to St. Louis as the No. 10 seed to take on Dayton. Syracuse fans will remember the last time these two teams met -- Dayton beat Syracuse in the 2014 Round of 32 in Buffalo.
There was talk about Syracuse receiving consideration from the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee and then there wasn't. After Syracuse's loss to Pittsburgh in the ACC Tournament, it felt like Syracuse was undoubtedly heading to the NIT. But hope dies last, and after some help from others in their conference tournaments, it appeared Syracuse still had a chance. Ultimately, it looks as though the selection committee did give Syracuse some consideration for its 4-5 stint without Boeheim at the helm, however there has been no official word of that as of yet.
Not to look too far ahead, but should Syracuse advance it would likely take on Michigan State as the two seed. Virginia is the one seed in the Midwest while Utah and Iowa State are the three and four seeds, respectively. What say you, Orange Nation!? Cue every dancing song you can imagine.