Syracuse bracketology: Orange trending toward 8/9 lines with key games remaining

Last week’s big upset over Louisville did wonders for the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team’s NCAA Tournament chances, and recent bracketology updates reflect that — despite losses to both Duke and UNC over the past few days.

James took a look at the Orange’s résumé prior to facing off with the Heels, and what was true then remains true now: SU is trending up but a lot hangs in the balance during this final stretch of games. A loss to Wake Forest could be very problematic. Beating Virginia would virtually seal the deal.

As you’ll find below, many experts have similar thoughts on the matter. Also, some of them are a few days behind our on-court results — though, admittedly, no one’s going to hold it against us for losing to North Carolina on the road.

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

In any case, here’s where things “currently” sit:

7-seed

NCAA.com: South Region, vs. Texas Longhorns

Thanks, NCAA. Too bad I have to read Andy Katz’s handwriting to figure this out.

8-seed

The Athletic: Midwest Region, vs. Texas

ESPN: West Region, vs. Ole Miss Rebels

Fox Sports: South Region, vs. VCU Rams

SB Nation: Midwest Region, vs. Oklahoma Sooners

USA Today: Midwest Region, vs. Oklahoma

As the article title mentions, this is one of the two lines where most of the picks fall. Texas, Ole Miss and Oklahoma present interesting possibilities to win a game — but also mean games against the likes of teams like Gonzaga or Kentucky in round two. Not ideal. VCU’s a disaster from three and that sounds like it could be a fun one for us.

9-seed

Bleacher Report: West Region, vs. Washington Huskies

CBS Sports: Midwest Region, vs. St. John’s Red Storm

Sports Illustrated: South Region, vs. Baylor Bears

Stadium: Midwest Region, vs. Wofford Terriers

TeamRankings: West Region, vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

Bracket Matrix*: West Region, vs. Ole Miss (Bracket Matrix is an average of all bracket predictions)

As always, GIVE ME THE WEST REGION! The opponents above are a pretty mixed bag. We don’t want Washington and St. John’s is too motivated to play us. Wofford’s pesky but should be beatable. Not as worried about ASU or Baylor, however.

10-seed

Washington Post: West Region, vs. Washington

Stil want to avoid Washington. Though much prefer the potential 2-seed matchup in the second round than the 1-seeds we’re largely slated against otherwise.

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