Bracketology: Final Syracuse projections and #LEAKS before Women’s NCAA Tournament reveal

The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team has recently gained traction in the women’s college basketball world. The race for an ACC tournament crown came up short, but the season is just beginning for head coach Quentin Hillsman and his players.

Syracuse entered the ACC tournament on the outside, looking in at a coveted top-16 seed. According to ESPN’s Charlie Creme, the Orange were still just among those that were “up for grabs” for one of those.

That changed following the ACC tournament quarterfinals.

By upsetting No. 16 Miami, Syracuse dove back into the mix, and perhaps sealed a top-16 seed. The projections held ground as the Orange prepared for a tilt versus defending national champion Notre Dame.

Now, even after losing to Notre Dame in the ACC tournament semifinals, the Orange appear to have ground as not just a top-four seed, but, as Creme points out in his latest Bracketology, a No. 3 seed.

Creme’s latest projection puts Syracuse in a tough region. Assuming they make it out of its own gym, the Orange could line up versus conference rival Louisville in the Sweet 16. Louisville beat Syracuse, 76-51, back on February 8.

Having a top-four seed is imperative in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The top four seeds in each region also act as host sites for the first two rounds of the tournament. Earning a projected No. 3 or No. 4 seed would mean Syracuse gets to play in the Carrier Dome up until the Sweet 16. Syracuse was excellent on its home floor this season, finishing 10-3 and 5-3 versus ACC foes. Also worth mentioning, the Orange went 8-1 in neutral site games this season.

READ: Syracuse women’s basketball lost in ACC Tournament, but season’s far from over

Syracuse’s resume is stacked, making the case for a top-16 seed a fair one. Syracuse is 5-7 versus ranked teams and has not lost to a team other than Notre Dame (twice) in over a month, with the last such defeat coming on February 13 versus No. 12 NC State).

And today, #BREAKING #LEAKS on #TWITTER of the NCAA Women’s Tournament came out, pushing the selection show from 7:00 EST this evening to... right now.

According to the #LEAK, Syracuse is a No. 3 seed in the Portland region, and will host No. 14 Fordham on Saturday.

Creme’s Bracketology is essentially the “Creme of the Crop” (sorry, not sorry) when it comes to NCAA women’s basketball. His projections are normally accurate or close to. We will find out *officially shortly when the official bracket is revealed on ESPN2 at 5:00.

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Thoughts on seeding and what the Orange could do in the tournament? Comment below!

Follow Corey Crisan on Twitter @cdcrisan for coverage of SU athletics, for hot food (literally) takes, and for posts about video games, including his recent pacifist victory on ‘Apex Legends’.