How Syracuse Has Exceeded Expectations After Eight Games
By: Carson Fowler | @CarsonFowlerTV
Not many knew what to expect from Syracuse women’s basketball coming into Coach Jack’s second season. Three of SU’s top scorers from last season no longer with the program, five newcomers, and a projected 9th-place finish in the ACC. Flash forward to now, SU is 7-1 and, in reality, one possession away from an undefeated record with three wins against power-five opponents.
Monday, Dec. 4, Syracuse received votes in the AP and USA Today Women’s Basketball polls, the first time under Head Coach Felisha Legette Jack and the first time SU’s received votes since Feb. 16, 2021.
When I asked Coach Jack what the recognition meant to her, Jack said, “It means people are starting to get it,” she added. “No, I’m kidding, we don’t care about any of that … it’s all about the team, it’s all about us, it’s not about someone else’s opinion of us, we’re going to write our own story, and like I said last time, we’re coming.”
Syracuse fell 83-81 to, then ranked 20th, Maryland, Nov. 19, in a game where the Orange had a chance to win but turned the ball over on their final possession. Since that game, SU’s won four straight, including a six-point win over Alabama in the first-ever ACC/SEC Challenge.
Tuesday, Dec. 5, ESPN’s Charlie Creme released his most recent 2024 Women’s Bracketology. The Orange positioned to be a 10-seed and play-familiar opponent, Maryland.
After eight games, SU has made tremendous strides as a team worthy of an at-large bid to March Madness — competitive in games against other potential tournament teams, vast improvements defensively from last season, and results, 7-1 speaks for itself. Not to mention, Dyaisha Fair, the five-foot-five graduate student, hasn’t skipped a beat since last season. Fair is top-5 in minutes, points, three-point percentage, and three-pointers made.
A gauntlet of an ACC conference schedule remains for SU in 2023-24, and of those games, eight come against ranked opponents. Philadelphia Eagles’ starting Center Jason Kelce once said, “Hungry dogs run faster,” and this is a hungry Syracuse Women’s Basketball team. Hungry to get back to March Madness and make some noise in the conference it was picked to finish 9th.
But until then Coach Jack says, “We’re just taking it one game at a time.”
SU has the rest of the week to prepare before it hits the road for its matchup with Ohio (2-3), on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 1 PM in Athens, OH.
