For the second time in program history, Syracuse will host an NCAA tournament game. The Orange (24-8, 11-5 Atlantic Coast) earned a program-best No. 3 seed in the Portland region and will face No. 14 Fordham this Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse entered this season as the No. 15 team in the country and cruised past North Dakota in its season-opener. It then traveled to then-No.3 Oregon and lost a close contest 75-73. If SU advances to the Sweet 16, it can possibly face Oregon, which earned a No. 2 seed.

After a 1-1 start, the Orange won their next five games — including two against then-ranked opponents. They pulled away late against Texas A&M in a neutral site and capped off an undefeated Cancun Challenge with an overtime win against DePaul after a buzzer-beater by Tiana Mangakahia.

SU’s next loss came against a then-ranked Minnesota team on the road in a close 72-68 contest on Nov. 29. That would be Syracuse’s last ranked test until the new year. It steamrolled the remainder of its nonconference schedule, scoring at least 94 points in three-straight. It then swept back-to-back games in the St. Pete Shootout, before opening conference play with a win against Clemson.

Syracuse pulled out another overtime victory at Virginia Tech on Jan. 6 as Mangakahia and redshirt freshman center Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi combined for 45 of SU’s 75 points. After stringing together two more conference wins, Syracuse faltered against a lowly Georgia Tech squad, 65-55, on the road. That was followed up by a 13-point home loss to then-No. 23 Miami, marking the first Carrier Dome-loss for the Orange to that point.

Kiara Lewis propelled SU to a win at Duke on Jan. 27, which continued in a close win against Virgina. In their next big test, however, the Orange were blown out by Louisville — an No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament — 76-51, for its third loss in five games. SU then dropped its next ranked game at home against North Carolina State as Syracuse’s 3-point shooting wasn’t enough.

After two easy wins, the Orange set their season-high in attendance (7,568) but were crushed by Notre Dame, 98-68, as four different UND scorers posted 15-plus points. Still, head coach Quentin Hillsman kept his goal: he wanted Syracuse to be a top-four seed. It still had chances for quality wins.

It outlasted Florida State with 44 points by Mangakahia on Feb. 28 for its first-ranked win in more than a month. It then ended the regular season with an easy win at Boston College, where Mangakahia scored her 1,000th point. Syracuse then advanced to the semifinals of last week’s ACC tournament before losing to Notre Dame for the second time this season. The two wins against Virginia and Miami, however, seemed to have secured SU a top-four seed. Mangakahia carried Syracuse, earning an All-tournament team selection.

“I mean, we’ve got a 10 RPI. And I think, what, a 3 strength of schedule,” Hillsman said after SU’s ACC tournament loss to Notre Dame. “If we don’t (get to host NCAA tournament games), I mean, they’re going to have to change the whole criteria.”

On Monday night, Syracuse learned that its upcoming tournament appearance — its ninth-overall and fifth-straight — would be historic.

The winner of Syracuse’s first-round matchup will play the winner of No. 11 seed Quinnipiac — which includes Orange forward Digna Strautmane’s sister Paula — and No. 6 South Dakota State.

Published on March 18, 2019 at 5:22 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez