Syracuse Basketball: Orange must win out for NCAA Tournament hope

With five games remaining, Syracuse Basketball will face a tough road to make it to both the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Is it possible?

As of today, Syracuse Basketball is sitting at 14-12 overall and sitting 7th in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) overall. Even though this season has its ups and downs, the Orange have five games left this season against some tough competition, with most notable matchups being of February 23rd against Notre Dame and the 26th against the number nine team in the nation, the Duke Blue Devils.

So, what is Syracuse planning to do to make it to not only the ACC Tournament but the NCAA Tournament altogether?

Win the remaining games on the schedule and might have to win the ACC Tournament altogether to get to the NCAA Tournament. Now, this is easier said than done, as the Orange have lost one of the key pieces to the team with Jesse Edwards being done for the season with a broken wrist, and the team looking sluggish on both ends.

The Orange needs to finish out the remaining five games on the schedule with tough offense and defense at both ends of the court and needs to have its big-name players step up.

Keys for Orange to make NCAA Tournament

1. Pick up the upset against the Blue Devils 

Syracuse will need to upset Duke at home on the 26th, that way they can have an upset over a ranked team under their belt. The NCAA selection committee will look at that and consider the Orange for a possible bubble team.

2. Go far in the ACC Tournament

Syracuse will need to have its team clicking on all ends in order to make the run possible. They will need to at least make either the semi-final or final to make it possible for an NCAA Tournament spot.

3. Close out the schedule with wins

With games against Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Duke, North Carolina, and Miami, with four out of the five teams sitting atop the ACC, Syracuse will need to finish out the season by winning most of these games. If the Orange pick up wins against Notre Dame, Duke, Miami, and North Carolina, they will most likely have a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

This is a tough division and a rough road that Syracuse will travel, but they have to go through this route to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Will the Orange be a bubble team? Will they be going to the NIT? Is the end of the season near for the Orange? We will have to wait and see if these questions can be answered.