Among the teams not in this year’s NCAA Tournament is Syracuse, and that did not sit well with ESPN’s always opinionated Dick Vitale.
Heading into Selection Sunday, Syracuse was one of the teams considered “on the bubble.” Unfortunately for the Orange, it burst when they weren’t included among the 68 teams selected. While their 18-14 record doesn’t look particularly impressive, Syracuse did go 10-8 in the ACC, which sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Being battle tested in the toughest conference in the country is what led Vitale to say Syracuse should be in the NCAA Tournament rather than be a top seed in the NIT.
Vitale: "I think if you go 10-8 in the ACC… I think this Syracuse team deserved to be in [more] than last year's team."
Bills agrees.
— Orange Fizz (@OrangeFizz) March 12, 2017
Dick Vitale on Syracuse: "I don't have two eyes. I have one, and I can still see that they belong."
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 12, 2017
Syracuse beat six teams in the Top 50, which is certainly something they had going for them. In addition to that, they were victorious over Duke, Virginia, Florida State, Miami, and Wake Forest.
On the other hand, Syracuse had losses to UCONN, Georgetown, St. John’s, and Boston College as blemishes on their resume. They also managed just two wins on the road.
Each year there are a handful of teams left out of the NCAA Tournament that you can make an argument for being included. This time around, Jim Boeheim’s team will be one of the more talked about in that group.
