Just how easy or tough is this non-conference slate?
The non-conference schedule for this year’s Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team is officially set.
To recap, Syracuse will take play seven home non-conference games: Niagara, St. Joseph’s, Maryland, Fairleigh Dickinson, Albany, Yale and Dartmouth. The rest of the non-conference slate includes two true road games — Texas A&M in the ACC/SEC Challenge and Binghamton — and two neutral site games at the inaugural Emerald Coast Classic, one against Missouri and the other against either Creighton or Wichita State.
It’s certainly a ‘who’s who’ type of non-con schedule for the Orange this upcoming season, so let’s break down some of these matchups and take stock of the overall difficulty.
There will definitely be some resume-building wins available at the beginning of the year for Syracuse. Among their Power 4 opponents, at least two of the Orange’s opponents are expected to be in the mix for the NCAA Tournament — Maryland and Texas A&M. In ESPN’s most recent bracketology update (writer’s note: keep in mind it was last updated in May), the Terrapins were a projected seven while the Aggies were the first of the ‘Last Four In’ programs.
There’s a chance Syracuse’s non-conference schedule could include three tournament-hungry teams. The Orange could see Creighton, a projected five-seed, depending on how the Emerald Coast Classic plays out. Syracuse’s non-conference slate includes two opponents listed as projected automatic qualifiers — St. Joseph’s and Albany.
True preseason projections remain sparse at this point, but three things certainly stand out with this non-conference slate compared to last year.
First, looking at the total body of opponents, it appears this season will be about the same as 2023-24. Last year, seven of Syracuse’s 11 non-con game were against opponents ranked worse than No. 200 in NET, including six ranked No. 284 or lower and even two sitting below No. 300.
This season, looking solely on last year’s numbers, as many as five opponents this upcoming season (Niagara, Wichita State*, Yale, Binghamton and Dartmouth) finished No. 203 or worse last year, and one of them (Fairleigh Dickinson) didn’t even make an appearance in the NET. Also similar to last year, Syracuse is likely going to need to avoid a loss during that six-game stretch.
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Second, among the guaranteed games remaining, Syracuse needs at least a signature win against either Maryland and Texas A&M. The Orange killed it in non-con last year, but that also included quality wins over Alabama and Iowa State. A dub against a non-conference opponent that is in the tournament conversation tends to age down the road during the thick of bracketology season.
Third, there will certainly be a few more projected ‘swing’ non-conference games in 2024-25. Again, relying just on last year’s NET, Syracuse is expected to play either four or five teams ranked No. 85 or above (pending results from the Emerald Coast Classic).
St. Joseph’s will be a very early-season test for the Orange. Maryland was a close matchup last year and will now be at home, but that appears to be the toughest non-conference game as of now. The Emerald Coast Classic, similar to last year’s South Point Thanksgiving Shootout, will say a lot about this year’s Orange. Texas A&M is a valuable matchup since it is on the road and the Aggies are on the fringes of bracketology.
Especially in the ACC, resume-building games will always be there given the quality of opponents. Non-conference does allow the Orange to diversify that resume, and performance there can indicate a lot down the line. Last year’s team finished 10-1 outside the ACC with some huge wins, and look how things turned out in 2023-24.
Now it’s your turn: how do you feel about the Orange’s non-con slate this upcoming season?