Previewing Syracuse's women basketball's postseason chances

The ACC tournament is right around the corner. Syracuse closed out the regular season with a dominant win over Boston College, securing the 7th seed in the conference tournament, set to tip off Wednesday in Georgia. If you haven’t been paying attention or are finally giving up on the wildly disappointing men’s team, it’s a good time to be supporting Felisha Legette-Jack’s squad.

Led by star freshman Uche Izoje, the Orange roll into the postseason with a 22-7 record. Laila Phelia, Dominique Darius and Sophie Burrows join Izoje as double-digit scorers on one of the best rebounding teams in the country. ‘Cuse ranks 10th in total rebounds and 5th in offensive boards this season. They like to play in the post, ranking 330th in 3-point attempt rate. Defensively, they generate a lot of splash plays. Syracuse is 37th in steals per game and 14th in blocks per game despite being middle of the pack as a scoring defense.

Far from a heavyweight contender, the Orange have dominated in their weight class this season. They finished conference play at 12-6, with all six of their losses coming against the teams that finished ahead of them in the ACC standings.

Simply stated, this Syracuse squad beats the teams it is supposed to, but never pulls the upset. The Orange finished the regular season 1-6 in Quad 1 games, but 21-1 in Quad 2-4 games. While that does not bode especially well for a deep conference or NCAA tournament run, Legette-Jack avoids embarrassment.

First up, a trip down to Georgia

As it stands, ‘Cuse will face the winner of Wake Forest and California on Thursday. The Orange beat both teams during the regular season, cruising past the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem and narrowly edging the Golden Bears at the Dome. Cal has played much better over the past six weeks, finishing 9-9 in conference play after starting 1-5. It also beat Wake earlier this year, so that is the likely matchup for Syracuse.

A win over Cal is not a given, but ‘Cuse will absolutely be favored in that matchup. A win would advance the Orange to the quarterfinals, where they would face Louisville. 'Cuse came very close to earning the 6th seed, but Notre Dame's upset of the Cardinals, coupled with Virginia Tech topping rival Virginia, forced a three-way tie that saw the Orange drop down to seventh.

One spot does not seem like a major difference, but the potential quarterfinal matchup is a massive swing. All but one of Syracuse’s losses this season have been by double digits. The exception was a road game in Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels needed overtime to survive. It was one of the Orange’s worst offensive performances of the year, as the team shot 35 percent from the field and finished 3-of-15 from behind the arc. If there were a top-seeded ACC team ‘Cuse would have liked another shot at, it feels like North Carolina would be at the top of that list.

Instead, a rematch with Louisville awaits. The Cardinals romped 84-65 at the Dome in early February. It feels unlikely Syracuse would really have a shot at the upset, but never rule anything out in March. Reaching the ACC semifinal would be an impressive feat and solidify the team’s resume heading into the NCAA tournament.

What about March Madness?

As of now, Charlie Creme, Megan Gauer, Connor Groel and Autumn Johnson have ‘Cuse as a 9-seed. The Orange appear to be safely in, but won’t be expected to reach the second weekend. Winning more than one game in the ACC tournament could change that, but it seems unlikely Syracuse will climb any higher than a 7-seed, barring a miracle run to the final. A loss to Cal or Wake would definitely see them sweat a bit on Selection Sunday.

While it would be great to see the Orange make a deep postseason run in either tournament, it feels much more likely that ‘Cuse claims a few victories in March and bows out about where expected. This season was a big bounce back for Legette-Jack after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. It will be fun to go dancing and dream of building a contender around Izoje in the future.

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