Syracuse had a chance to change, but left Brooklyn as its same old self

Coming into ACC Tournament play, Syracuse had a chance to turn its “can’t win away from the Carrier Dome” narrative around. One doesn’t have to be among the college basketball cognoscenti to know what Syracuse’s résumé is lacking. The Orange owns a dismal road record of 2-8 and is 0-3 on neutral courts.

Syracuse knew what it was before its loss to Miami on Wednesday. It knew it had a chance to mitigate the coffee stain on its resume by picking up a win (possibly more) away from the Carrier Dome.

As this juncture, Syracuse doesn’t have a chance to change that narrative as it stands. The Orange is what it is right now — a team with some high-quality wins yet abhorrent losses and only two wins away from the dome. A historically polarizing résumé such as this is sure to leave the NCAA Selection Committee irresolute. It’s not that this team couldn’t win away from home, it just has failed to do it. This team is capable of winning on a neutral floor despite its 0-3 record, it just hasn’t done it.

Now it’s wait-and-see mode for Syracuse as it sweats out these next few days. On Sunday the NCAA Selection Committee will decide Syracuse’s fate. SU will either be presented with an opprtunity to change its identity by winning on a neutral floor in the NCAA Tournament or be relegated to its current identity — forced to win games at home in the NIT.

Sometimes things have a way of coming full circle. Syracuse’s ACC Tournament run ended as the season started for the Orange back in its November loss to South Carolina. The Orange left the Barclays Center as it arrived — a team bereft of wins away from home.