Bubble Watch: March 9th Games to Watch & Syracuse's Desired Outcomes

Which games should Syracuse fans watch today?

It is championship week in college basketball with several conference tournaments determining NCAA Tournament placement. Syracuse is one of the bubble teams that is very interested in results across the country in addition to needing to take care of business itself. 

With that in mind, here are games Syracuse fans should watch with the desired income for each. 

Miami vs Pittsburgh (2:00 p.m., ACC Network): The first round of the ACC Tournament may seem like an irrelevant game for the Orange. However, Syracuse's worst loss is a home defeat to Pitt. The more wins and higher NET Pitt has the better for Syracuse. This is not as significant an impact as other games will be this week, but still one to watch. 

Boston College vs Duke (4:30 p.m., ACC Network): Duke is well off the bubble right now and behind Syracuse. In order to get back on it, Duke needs a run in the ACC Tournament. You cannot make a run if you lose early. For Syracuse fans looking to prevent another team getting into the bubble mix, hoping for a Blue Devils loss is the way to go. 

Wake Forest vs Notre Dame (7:00 p.m., ACC Network): The Irish currently sits at 82 in the NET ranking. If it can move into the top 75, that becomes a quad two win for Syracuse instead of quad three. Syracuse fans should hope Notre Dame can win a couple of games in the ACC Tournament to make that happen. 

Mt. St. Mary's vs Bryant (7:00 p.m., ESPN2): This is the Northeast Conference Tournament title game. Syracuse beat Bryant in the season opener. If Bryant does not win, it will not be in the NCAA Tournament. Wins over tournament teams is something that can help a resume. Syracuse fans should be hoping Bryant wins this to give the Orange another win over teams in the field. 

While Tuesday's slate may not be overly interesting in terms of how it impacts Syracuse, Wednesday will start to kick things off including the Orange's matchup with NC State. 

March 8th Results: There were only two games on Monday that had any impact on Syracuse. Both in the West Coast Conference Tournament. BYU and Gonzaga both won in the semifinals, preventing a potential bid stealer in the title game. Both teams are safely in the tournament, so those results were good for Syracuse.