Joe Lunardi breaks down NCAA Tournament implications of Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech

As the NCAA Tournament creeps ever closer as the calendar gets ready to flip to March, teams are vying for their postseason bids. And a Tuesday night game between Syracuse and Virginia Tech could have major implications on the bubble picture.

ESPN resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi joined the broadcast during the first half on ESPNU, providing his insight on the matchup and what it means.

“You know, I often think that Al Davis, the late Raiders owner, should have been a bracketologist because his mantra, ‘Just win, baby!’ is really all that applies to Syracuse and Virginia Tech in this one,” Lunardi said. “Play-out game, probably, for the loser. A keep-alive game for the winner. Still a long way to go.”

In other words, neither team should feel very secure about their NCAA Tournament chances at the moment.

Syracuse sports an 18-10 record overall, with a 9-8 mark in ACC play. Virginia Tech trails both with a 15-12 overall record and a 7-9 mark in ACC play.

The Orange played a very difficult non-conference slate, something that is undoubtedly helping it in the metrics this year. Had the program secured one or two more key wins, they’d likely already have an NCAA Tournament berth locked up.

Syracuse, though, dropped games to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 11 Gonzaga in the non-conference slate. Those would have been killer resume-boosters had they gone the other way.

But the Orange did manage to knock off Georgetown on the road, as well as Oregon during the non-conference slate. Now it’s just a matter of finishing the regular season strong and trying to find a way to secure another big win or two.

One remaining road trip to Clemson, plus any ACC Tournament games, are likely it for Syracuse.

On the other hand, Virginia Tech probably has a slightly steeper climb to make it into the NCAA Tournament. The Hokies dropped key non-conference games against South Carolina, Auburn and Florida Atlantic. The program did pick up a big win over Iowa State.

But Virginia Tech has found stringing together long winning streaks rather difficult this year. An early three-game winning streak in ACC play was promising, but it was immediately followed by a three-game losing streak.

Virginia Tech really lacks big wins at the moment, with only a demolition of Virginia really standing out in conference play. Another bubble game upcoming against Wake Forest could help the NCAA Tournament chances, though.