Mountain West Tournament Could Help Determine Syracuse's NCAA Fate
Syracuse basketball has a path to the NCAA Tournament that is simple and straightforward. Win two games in the ACC Tournament. That would mean beating NC State for a third time and upsetting Virginia. The second of those two steps is the more difficult one. So what happens if Syracuse cannot do that?
If Syracuse does not beat NC State, any discussion of the Orange in the NCAA Tournament is moot. If Syracuse is able to top the Wolfpack but falls to Virginia, Syracuse still has a shot depending on how other teams fare in their respective conference tournaments.
One such conference tournament is perhaps the most important in determining Syracuse's NCAA Tournament fate. The Mountain West Conference Tournament.
The Mountain West has three bubble teams that Syracuse is battling with for a spot in the NCAA Tournament field. Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State. If you are Syracuse, you want San Diego State to win the conference tournament with chaos everywhere else.
Boise will face Nevada in its first game as the 4/5 matchup. That game will take place on Thursday. Orange fans will want a Nevada win.
Colorado State plays the winner of Fresno State and New Mexico. New Mexico is the worst team in the conference going just 2-15 in Mountain West play. Fresno State lost by over 20 to Colorado State twice this season, but perhaps the third time is a charm. Whoever wins, a loss by the Rams would help the Orange.
Utah State plays the winner of UNLV and Air Force. Both have losing records and both would be a bad loss. For Syracuse fans hoping for an upset, UNLV seems to be the most likely option. Utah State and UNLV split the regular season matchups in two close games. Air Force was blown out by Utah State in both previous meetings.
The likelihood that all three lose their first game is not high, but that is the best case for Syracuse. The good news is that none of those games would be considered quality wins, so they will not help resumes. But losses to those teams would hurt them.
If those teams advance, there is a bit of a silver lining. Boise would play the top seeded San Diego State. The Aztecs are safely in the tournament and beat Boise twice already. This would be an opportunity for a resume booster for the Broncos as well. If Boise wins that, it likely is in the tournament.
On the other side of the bracket, wins by Colorado State and Utah State could create a play in game of sorts in the Mountain West semifinals. The winner would advance to the title game and add another solid win to the resume. The loser would fail to do so and put its fate in the hands of the committee.
There is also a nightmare scenario for Syracuse. That is all three advance to the semifinals, Boise State upsets San Diego State and either Utah State or Colorado State beats Boise in the final. That means at least three Mountain West teams are getting in, and likely seals Syracuse's fate without a win over Virginia.
There are other teams and games that should be monitored by Syracuse fans as well. Xavier, SMU, Ole Miss as examples. But there is not a single conference tournament that will have the Orange's attention as much as the Mountain West.
