Despite Loss, Syracuse Still Deserves Top NCAA Seed
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 2:08PM 
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
Unless you're watching a Tom Cruise movie and he's trying to get the girl, there are no sure things in life.
Before taking the floor in its Big East Tournament opener Thursday, Syracuse was a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week.
Kansas and Kentucky appear to be headed toward top seeds, and Duke leads Ohio State, Purdue and maybe West Virginia for that fourth No. 1 slot.
But Syracuse lost to longtime rival Georgetown on Thursday, which means the debate is on about whether the Orange still deserve a top seed.
YOUR THOUGHTS: Is Syracuse A No. 1 Seed?
When teams play 30 to 35 games a year, of course they're going to lose a few. It doesn't mean they're not among the top teams; it just means they didn't play their best, or their opponent played a great game. Often times it means both.
But when you're unsure whether a team deserves the top spot, then you compare it against the other candidates. None of the aforementioned teams did anything close to what Syracuse did in posting a 7-0 mark against ranked teams during the regular season. I'm surprised the feat hasn't gotten more attention.
Kansas is probably the best team and will be the top overall seed, but Syracuse is the most complete team in the country and still will be on that top line on when the tournament field is announced on Sunday.
Reader Comments (1)
Certainly think Syracuse is deserving of the #1 seed. They have beaten Georgetown twice. But yesterday the total physicality of the Georgetown team undid them, much the way Louisville's football players-turned basketball players.. And while I am not trying to make excuses for the Orange, the refereeing was horrendous. In the second half of the Georgetown game ALL the fouls in the second half save one...I think only one...were on Syracuse. The Georgetown players practically fell on guys like Rautin with no penalty. Actually, it got to be so funny that the Orange team players were caught smiling and once I saw one of the refs actually applauding when the Georgetown players were applauded by their coaching staff. And then Syracuse lost their big guy in the middle, very much needed with such a competition. They did shoot poorly, few...one?...3 pointer and no chance against the offense.