The Orange will play Indiana State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse was named a No. 3 seed in the East after being knocked out in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. It is Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s 28th NCAA bid in 35 seasons as head coach.
The Sycamores will be playing their first NCAA tournament in a decade after they defeated top seed Missouri State, 60-56, in the Valley tournament final on Sunday.
Indiana State and Syracuse have never faced each other.
Syracuse, which has reached the Sweet 16 in the past two years, would play the winner of Xavier/Marquette in the second round should it advance.
Ohio State, Kansas, Pittsburgh and Duke will be the top seeds in the 2011 NCAA tournament, which has been expanded to include 68 teams this season.
The Buckeyes, Jayhawks and Blue Devils won their respective conference tournaments, while Pittsburgh was knocked out in the Big East tournament quarterfinals. Ohio State will play in the East region as the overall No. 1 seed while Kansas will be in the Southwest, Duke will play in the West and Pittsburgh will come out of the Southeast.
Pittsburgh and Syracuse are among 11 Big East teams that qualified, setting a record for most bids from one conference in NCAA tournament history. Big East tournament champion Connecticut will play from the West Region with the No. 3 seed.
Notre Dame (No. 2, Southwest), Louisville (No. 4 Southwest), West Virginia (No. 5 East), St. John’s (No. 6 Southeast), Cincinnati (No. 6 West), Georgetown (No. 6 Southwest), Villanova (No. 9 East), and Marquette (No. 11 East) will also be playing.
But, much like every year, there was some controversy around the NCAA Selection Committee’s choices. UAB and VCU were selected over St. Mary’s, Alabama, Virginia Tech and Colorado.
The Final Four will be played in Houston on April 2 and 4.
Here is the full field:
EAST:
1. Ohio State vs. 16. UTSA/Alabama State
8. George Mason vs. 9. Villanova
5. West Virginia vs. 12. UAB/Clemson
4. Kentucky vs. 13. Princeton
3. Syracuse vs. 14. Indiana State
6. Xavier vs. 11. Marquette
7. Washington vs. 10. Georgia
2. North Carolina vs. 15. Long Island University
SOUTHWEST:
1. Kansas vs. 16. Boston University
8. UNLV vs. 9. Illinois
4. Louisville vs. 13. Morehead State
5. Vanderbilt vs. 12. Richmond
3. Purdue vs. 14. Saint Peter’s
6. Georgetown vs. 11. USC/VCU
7. Texas A&M vs. 10. Florida State
2. Notre Dame vs. 15. Akron
SOUTHEAST:
1. Pittsburgh vs. 16. UNC-Asheville/Arkansas Little Rock
8. Butler vs. 9. Old Dominion
4. Wisconsin vs. 13. Belmont
5. Kansas State vs. 12. Utah State
3. BYU vs. 14. Wofford
6. St. John’s vs. 11. Gonzaga
7. UCLA vs. 10. Michigan State
2. Florida vs. 15. UCSB
WEST:
1. Duke vs. 16. Hampton
8. Michigan vs. 9. Tennessee
4. Texas vs. 13. Oakland
5. Arizona vs. 12. Memphis
3. UConn vs. 14. Bucknell
6. Cincinnati vs. 11. Missouri
7. Temple vs. 10. Penn State
2. San Diego State vs. 15. Northern Colorado
