Earning a top seed for the second time in three years, Syracuse will take on 16th-seeded UNC-Asheville on Thursday in the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh to open its NCAA Tournament.

The Orange (31-2) won the regular-season Big East championship and was rewarded with the top seed in the East Region. Syracuse’s opponent, UNC Asheville (24-9, 16-2 Big South), won the Big South conference tournament with an 80-64 win over Virginia Military on March 3.

The top eight seeds in the Orange’s bracket include No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Cincinnati, No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 8 Kansas State

Syracuse’s loss in the Big East tournament semifinals on Friday did not affect where the Orange will travel to play. Syracuse’s first two games are in Pittsburgh, and SU will travel to Boston for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 as long as it advances.

Kentucky earned the overall No. 1 seed, and the other No. 1 seeds are North Carolina and Michigan State.

Syracuse completed its best regular season in school history, winning 30 of 31 games. The Orange won the Big East regular-season title outright with a 17-1 conference record.

Syracuse fell in the Big East tournament semifinals to Cincinnati on Friday, a day after defeating Connecticut in the quarterfinals.

The last time the Orange was the top seed, in 2010, it knocked off No. 16 seed Vermont in the first round in Buffalo. Syracuse fell in the Sweet 16 to fifth-seeded Butler in Salt Lake City.

Syracuse has not advanced past the Sweet 16 since 2003, when the Orange, led by Carmelo Anthony, won its lone national championship.

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on March 10, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr