Syracuse Bubble Watch: March 10th Games of Note and Desired Outcomes
Here are the games that Syracuse fans should be focused on for Wednesday, March 10th.
Syracuse vs NC State (12:00 p.m., ACCN): If this game does not go the Orange's way, everything that comes after this does not matter. Syracuse needs to win this game. Period.
Miami vs Clemson (2:30 p.m., ACCN): Syracuse wants Clemson to win so the Tigers can move into the top 30 in NET and give the Orange another quad one victory.
Air Force vs UNLV (4:30 p.m.): This does not directly impact Syracuse, but the Orange should hope UNLV comes out of this one. UNLV is the better team has a better shot at knocking off bubble team Utah State in the second round of the Mountain West Tournament.
Butler vs Xavier (6:00 p.m., FS1): This is quite simple. Xavier is one of the last teams in by many bracketologists. This despite the fact that Syracuse's resume is actually better in several key metrics. That said, a loss by the Musketeers here against a Butler team with a losing record and Xavier's bubble would pop.
Duke vs Louisville (6:30 p.m., ACCN): This is a rare game where there is a positive for Syracuse regardless of the outcome. If Louisville wins, it prevents Duke from gaining some momentum and getting back into the bubble mix. If Duke wins, it could potentially knock Louisville out of the NCAA Tournament.
New Mexico vs Fresno State (7:00 p.m.): Similar to Air Force vs UNLV above, Syracuse fans should hope for Fresno State, which would have a better shot at upsetting Colorado State in the next round.
Notre Dame vs North Carolina (9:00 p.m., ACCN): Syracuse wants North Carolina to keep winning in order to move up in the NET rankings and potentially give Syracuse another quad one win.
Tuesday's Results
Miami 79 Pittsburgh 73: The downside to this result is that Pittsburgh has a losing record, giving the Orange two losses to such a team. The positive is this could move Miami from a quad four to a quad three win for the Orange.
Duke 86 Boston College 51: This game really does not have a huge impact on Syracuse, but it does give Duke some momentum. If the Blue Devils can string a couple more wins together, it puts them back on the bubble.
Notre Dame 80 Wake Forest 77: What a game this was. Notre Dame rallies late and hits a three at the buzzer to win despite trailing for most of the night. The more Notre Dame wins the more it moves up in the NET and could turn into a quad two victory for the Orange.
Mt. St. Mary's 73 Bryant 68: If Bryant had won, it would have given Syracuse another win over a tournament team. That can matter, so this result was a bit of a blow to the Orange.
