Syracuse Faces Tough ACC Rivalries in Lunardi's Mock Bracket

0:00On April 22nd, ESPN Brachatologist Joe Lunardi dropped his early mock bracket for the 2027 NCAA tournament and it's got Syracuse fans. Buzzing, even though the season is months away, the orange face, a gauntlet of tough opponents projected as tournament teams, including heavy hitters from the ACC like number one seed. Duke, number, three seeds, Louisville and Virginia, plus Miami, North Carolina and NC State. Lunardi slots six ACC squads as seeds from one to ten, with Clemson and SMU just on the bubble outside. This lines up perfectly with Syracuse's conference grind under first year coach Jerry McNamara, who's got the program rebuilding after back-to-back, rough years. Syracuse win 15 wins, 17 losses last season, their second straight sub five-hundred mark, and they haven't danced in the big dance since. 20, 21. Champions are hungry for a turnaround, and early projections show the schedule won't make it easy. Non-conference clashes add firepower too, like a November 9th battle against number seven

1:03seed Indiana at Game Bridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and a showdown with Providence at TD Garden in Boston, dates still coming. John Rothstein's optimistic on the orange's chances. Expect more heat from the ACC-SEC challenge where Syracuse pulled off an upset over Tennessee last year. The Nardi has 12 SEC teams in his field, so another big test looms as the orange gear up to shock the bracket world.