ESPN's Joe Lunardi posted an early season bracket with the expanded rules for the new tournament included.
The Syracuse men's basketball team, along with more than 300 other Division 1 programs, will all compete for a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament in 2026-27. Next year's tournament will have a new format as the NCAA announced earlier this month the expansion from 68 schools to 76 schools.
That means their is room for eight new schools to make the tournament, and it should help middling power conference schools the most. That seems to be Syracuse, who has now missed the tournament for five straight years.
Understanding the new format
Tournament changes will include the addition of eight more teams to the field. The previously named "First Four" is being replaced by the "First 12."
According to the NCAA's official website,
"Half of those games will feature the 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers on the committee’s overall seed list. The other half will feature the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams selected to the field. "
Those 12 games are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 17.
Following the conclusion of the "First 12," the NCAA Tournament will follow the same setup as previous seasons - with the Round of 64 beginning on Thursday, March 18.
The Final Four and national championship will be held in Detroit, Mich. on April 3 and April 5.
Where does Syracuse appear in projected bracket?
Although Syracuse has been active this offseason, the Orange do not appear anywhere on ESPN NCAA Insider Joe Lunardi's way too early bracket projection. Not only does Syracuse not appear in the bracket, but they also do not make an appearance on the list of schools ranked from 77-84.
The five-year tournament drought is the longest such drought in school history.
What ACC schools did make Lunardi's tournament?
Despite Syracuse not appearing on Lunardi's list, eight other ACC schools did.
The defending ACC champion Duke Blue Devils were the highest seed, as Lunardi projected them as a No. 1 seed, even despite losing Cam Boozer to the NBA.
Virginia and Louisville were both projected as No. 3 seeds.
Miami was a No. 7 seed in the 2026 tournament and Lunardi believes the team will match that same seed line in 2027.
In state rivals North Carolina and North Carolina State were both slotted as No. 9 seeds.
Lunardi has Clemson as a No. 11 seed, and in this early projection, they would be slated to play their opening game in the "First 12."
Florida State was included in the "First Four Out" category which means the teams ranked 77th-81st just outside of securing an at large bid. Virginia Tech was listed in the "Next Four Out" category which means teams ranked 81st-84th who also missed the cut.
Join the Conversation
Remember to join our SYRACUSE on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Orange fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
