Syracuse deserves to be #1?

Nick, I know you’re a big Hoya basketball fan. Therefore, you know that all Hoya fans must have an irrational hate for Syracuse. Unfortunately, the Orange are one of just three remaining unbeaten teams in college basketball, making them the #1 ranked team in the country.

But do they really deserve that top spot?  The problem is their relatively easy schedule.  Their best two wins are against Marquette and Florida, and for most of the season they’ve bullied awful teams like George Washington and Eastern Michigan, who don’t even deserve to be in Division I.  When it comes to the elite teams, I don’t think it is right to judge them by how many losses they have. Rather, we should judge them by how many wins they have against legitimately good teams.  

There is no greater measure of a team’s ability than a head-to-head matchup with a team that is also considered to be top-tier. Syracuse has not had nearly enough of these matchups, but teams like #2 Kentucky, #5 Ohio State, and #8 Indiana have. Kentucky and Indiana both have 1 loss and Ohio State has 2. Kentucky’s 1 loss was to now-#8 Indiana on the road by just a single point, and the Wildcats have beaten 3 ranked teams in Kansas, North Carolina, and Louisville. Indiana’s 1 loss was to now-#7 Michigan State on the road and they’ve beaten the then-#1 and #2 teams as well as top-15 Michigan. Ohio State’s only 2 losses were at Kansas and Indiana, both top-20 teams, and they’ve beaten Duke and Florida. Needless to say, these teams have impressive resumes and have beaten some really solid opponents.

Syracuse, on the other hand, has only played 2 ranked teams. They beat Florida by 4 and Marquette by 7, both at home. The only other quality opponent ‘Cuse has played is Seton Hall, but they’re not even ranked. The bottom line is that three teams listed above have played, and beaten, top-5 teams whereas Syracuse’s toughest opponent was Florida, who has since fallen to 19^th in the rankings. Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio State all have out-of-conference wins against elite teams while Syracuse scheduled cupcakes for their pre-Big East games.  Syracuse is good, but they definitely don’t deserve to be #1.

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Your hate for Syracuse is not the only thing that’s irrational.  Being from upstate New York means I have a little more sympathy for the Orange, and a lot more sense as well.  You talk a lot about scheduling, but in my book, a 17-0 record is impressive no matter who you play.  Led by legendary coach Jim Boeheim, Syracuse has done everything expected of them, and then some more.  They haven’t just won, they’ve won handily by as much as 20 or 30 points.  Unlike the Hoyas, they know how to put away a team. 

Their schedule is a constant, and I’ll admit that it is not very difficult.  But their performances have certainly been dynamic.  What more can you ask of them when they have been so dominant?  Syracuse is one of the deepest teams in the nation, and going undefeated in the Big East is nothing to sneeze at.

It’s hard to find flaws in a team with zero losses.  The same can’t be said of Kentucky, Ohio State, or Indiana, who are not as good as you think they are.  In 16 games, Kentucky played on the road only once.  They are also incredibly young and inexperienced, and I doubt they have the discipline to keep it together down the stretch.  And first place in the SEC?  That would sound a lot better if we were talking football.

The Buckeyes aren’t good enough to even be mentioned in this discussion.  They have failed in their two toughest games this season, losing on the road to both Kansas and Indiana.  Indiana is probably the most deserving, but a 15-point loss to an overrated Michigan State makes their resume less-than-perfect.  Syracuse is an unblemished, brand-new t-shirt; Indiana’s got a stain that’s covered in bleach.

But in the end, how much does the schedule really matter?  Judging a team’s strength of schedule is a very subjective enterprise, one that is too easily swayed by prejudices and misperceptions.  It’s one of the reasons why we hate the BCS Bowl system.  Sometimes we just have to call a win a win, and a loss a loss.  When studied at the most basic level, Syracuse is clearly the best team in the land.