Some early preseason numbers for what’s expected to be an insane path ahead for the Orange.
Less than a month remains before the Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team returns to the court. With their full schedule now unveiled, it’s time for an early look at what the journey ahead will look like for this year’s Orange.
Headlining the non-conference schedule is two games versus Missouri and either Creighton or Wichita State in the inaugural Emerald Coast Classic, a true road game versus Texas A&M for the ACC/SEC Challenge and a home rematch from last year’s crazy game versus Maryland. And of course, there’s the gauntlet that is playing in the ACC, now featuring newcomers Stanford, Cal and SMU.
Similar to the exercise we did for the men’s team, this is designed simply provide some perspective on the full schedule, identify the key games/resume-building opportunities and figure out where the easy and more difficult stretches in the schedule are.
Again, preseason projections are very limited, but we do have a relatively updated bracketology update from ESPN combined last year’s NET rankings as a starting point.
With all that said, here is a breakdown of Syracuse’s schedule this coming season:
To simplify the chart a bit more:
- At least 12 of Syracuse’s 30 games (40%) include teams projected to be in the NCAA Tournament, per ESPN’s latest bracketology. That could extend to 13 if Syracuse faces Creighton.
- With the schedule as we know it now, 10 opponents projected to be in the tournament are from the ACC. The full list: Notre Dame (two-seed), Duke (three-seed), NC State (three-seed), North Carolina (four-seed), Florida State (five-seed), Louisville (five-seed), Virginia (eight-seed), Stanford (Last Four Byes), Clemson (Last Four In) and Miami (Last Four In).
- Emerald Coast Classic aside, it’s an even split among the bracketology games: six will be in the Dome and six will be true road games.
- The Orange won’t play more than two consecutive games on the road.
- Going solely off last year’s NET, Syracuse’s final 14-game stretch is a bear: just two opponents ranked outside the top-100 in NET, while seven ranked in the top-55.
Based off all that information, there’s three important things which will determine the ceiling for this year’s Orange.
First, Syracuse needs another strong start by going through the non-conference slate with as few losses as possible. Last year’s team finished 10-1 in non-con and won two signature NET wins (Alabama and Iowa State); the lone loss was to a ranked Maryland team on the road by two points.
Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
The Orange will realistically play two, but could face three, tournament projected opponents in non-con. Maryland at home in the third game of the year will certainly be one of the “swing” games of the year. Texas A&M on the road for the ACC/SEC Challenge is a significant matchup, considering Syracuse will play Notre Dame immediately after. If the matchup somehow happens, Creighton on a neutral-site could be a valuable win by the spring.
Second, consistency is going to be what makes or breaks the Orange. Particularly with the way this ACC schedule is laid out, it’s really a tough draw for the program.
Between January 5 and February 2, Syracuse has an eight-game stretch where it plays six teams projected for the tournament. It’s a very front-loaded conference schedule in terms of difficulty. The Orange will only have two conference games under their belt before this stretch: home for Notre Dame and on the road against Georgia Tech. If Syracuse is looking to get its resume-building wins, that month-long run will be the key.
Then, there’s the back-half of the ACC schedule that is just… weird. It includes a game versus Virginia Tech in a new era for the program, back-to-back West Coast games versus Stanford and Cal, North Carolina and Duke in consecutive games, then concluding at home for ACC rivals Pittsburgh and Boston College.
Duke and UNC both project as top-16 seeds in the tournament; getting both right after the West Coast trip easily makes this the most difficult four-game run of the regular season.
Syracuse doesn’t need to play nuclear against the ACC to make the tournament, like last year. The depth of the conference means Syracuse can afford to finish just above-.500 in the ACC, so long as there’s a few quality wins and a strong non-con record (similar to Syracuse’s first year with Felisha Legette-Jack). Currently, 10 teams from the ACC made an appearance in bracketology which is tied for second of all the conferences.
However, the path is really narrow this time around. Can the magic from last year make a return yet again in 2024-25? Only time will tell.
Now it’s your turn: how do you feel about the Orange’s schedule this coming year?