The 6 Best Teams Left Out of the 2017 NCAA Tournament

4. Syracuse Orange

The Syracuse Orange are the team most talking heads are pointing out as the best team excluded from the field of 68. That might have a lot to do with their level of notoriety and the respect for a future Hall-of-Fame coach. However, the beef is warranted all the same.

Having earned a nERD of 10.19 with a record of 18-14 and 10-8 in the ACC, Jim Boeheim's boys were a top-50 team (47th in nERD) nationally this year. The weird thing is that usually they're a top defensive team, but this year it was their offense that kept them afloat amid the rigors of the ACC schedule.

The Orange ended the year 49th in offensive efficiency and 204th in defensive efficiency. Needless to say, the zone was not as effective as in years past. Once you get past that, though, you realize that the Orange are a formidable team -- one that will be among the favorites for an NIT championship.