Fansided

NCAA Tournament 2017: 5 biggest snubs on Selection Sunday

By Cody Williams

Mar 8, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim reacts as he coaches against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim reacts as he coaches against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Taurean Thompson (12) jogs back to play defense against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Taurean Thompson (12) jogs back to play defense against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Syracuse Orange

Perhaps the first thing that should come to mind when talking about the Syracuse Orange being snubbed from the 2017 NCAA Tournament is what they accomplished one year ago in March Madness. That team was probably less deserving of going dancing than this year’s group for head coach Jim Boeheim. And that was a team that ultimately reeled off one upset after another and made their way to the Final Four. So for a team that’s ostensibly better and that has a better resume, it’s difficult to see them on the outside.

Over the course of the season, Boeheim and Syracuse pulled off a number of big upsets that worked well to improve the quality of their body of work. Victories in ACC play over the Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Cavaliers and Duke Blue Devils. For reference, those teams are No. 3, No. 5 and No. 2 seeds, respectively in the NCAA Tournament. What’s more, their strength of schedule also certainly contributed to their 18-14 overall record, playing the 38th toughest road in the country through the regular season.

Maybe it’s the feeling of last year’s tournament and what the Orange did that is causing some sort of recency bias. That’s at least plausible in this case. But if a team like the Vanderbilt Commdores is going to get into the Big Dance with 15 losses on the strength of quality wins, it doesn’t make sense that Syracuse would be pushed out with fewer losses and equally as high-quality wins too their credit.

Home/March Madness