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After a statement 79-65 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 25 — SU’s first-ever win against the Fighting Irish in South Bend — the Orange won their sixth consecutive game, their largest winning streak since winning eight straight games at the start of the season.

On Sunday, Syracuse hosted then-No. 19 Virginia Tech, but the Hokies’ 3-point shooting and suffocating zone defense snapped the Orange’s winning streak. Unlike its recent fourth-quarter dominance against Notre Dame, Clemson and then-No. 15 Florida State, Syracuse was outscored 20-15 in the final frame, losing 75-62.

Despite its loss against Virginia Tech, SU’s upset win over Notre Dame moved it to No. 21 in this week’s AP Poll — its highest ranking under second-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. Now, the Orange travel to the KFC Yum! Center to face Louisville — who are first place in the ACC at 7-1. The Cardinals are 11-0 at home this season and have won their last two games against Boston College and Pittsburgh after falling to then-No. 23 North Carolina 79-68 on the road.

Here’s everything to know ahead of No. 21 Syracuse’s (17-3, 7-2 ACC) matchup with No. 16 Louisville (18-3, 7-1 ACC):

All-time series:

Louisville leads 19-7.

Last time they played:

After defeating the Orange a month earlier at home, Louisville traveled to Syracuse on Jan. 29, 2023, looking to complete a season sweep. Starting guard Teisha Hyman only played five minutes due to injury, but the Orange commanded a 36-34 halftime lead.

Georgia Woolley came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points while Dyaisha Fair notched 19, but the rest of the team combined for just 28 points. Down the stretch, the Orange’s offense stalled, shooting 4-for-18 from the field in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals outscored SU 45-31 in the second half, fueling a 79-67 win.

The Cardinal report:

After an Elite Eight appearance last season, Louisville is a completely different team. Hailey Van Lith, a First Team All-ACC selection who led the team with 19.7 points per game, transferred to LSU for her senior season. Meanwhile, Chrislyn Carr and Morgan Jones, the Cardinals’ next leading scorers, graduated from the program.

To re-tool, the Cardinals utilized the transfer portal. Kiki Jefferson (12.9 points) is a graduate transfer from James Madison and Jayda Curry (9.3) is a junior transfer from UCLA. Louisville has also improved internally, with senior Olivia Cochran playing the best season of her collegiate career while sophomore Nyla Harris has more than doubled her scoring from last season.

Five Louisville players average more than nine points but none total more than 13 per game. Depending on the game, the Cardinals’ rotation ranges from nine to 11 players, with Corchran the only player to average more than 25 minutes per game (25.3).

Despite Van Lith’s departure, Louisville is averaging 2.6 more points per game (75.9) — the 37th best in Division I per HerHoopStats — than it did last season. The Cardinals’ defense has also improved drastically, as its 59.4 points allowed per game is the 62nd lowest in D-I, over 100 spots better than the 2022-23 team.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Editor

How Syracuse beats Louisville

Louisville is one of the most well-rounded teams in the ACC and NCAA. It can score from anywhere on the court, plays solid defensively and has a deep rotation. But the Cardinals’ biggest deficiency is their front-court.

Cochran and Harris are the Cardinals’ only two forwards to appear in all 21 of their games while reserve forwards Alexia Mobley and Hennie Van Schaik play sparingly, if at all. This has led Louisville to corral only 23.7 defensive rebounds (247th in D-I) and block 1.8 shots (336th in D-I) per game.

If Syracuse continues its offensive rebounding success — its 16.8 offensive rebounds per game rank fourth in D-I — against the Cardinals, second-chance points could prove to be the game’s difference maker. Additionally, without a shot-blocking force in the middle of Louisville’s defense, SU needs to pound the rock inside on dribble penetrations and pick and rolls to spur success.

Stat to know: 19.2%

In Syracuse’s loss against Virginia Tech on Sunday, the 3-point disparity hurt the Orange. But against Louisville, SU likely won’t get torched from behind the arc. Only 19.2% of the Cardinals’ points come from 3, the 329th lowest in D-I.

When Louisville does shoot the ball from deep, it shoots a respectable 33.0% clip, but its only true 3-point threats are Jefferson, Curry and reserve guard Eylia Love. If Fair, the ACC’s leader in 3-point makes per game, continues her success from deep and Syracuse receives a lift from its secondary scorers from behind the arc, the Orange can flip the script that hampered them against VT.

Player to watch: Kiki Jefferson, guard, No. 12

After a campaign in which she averaged 18.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, Jefferson was named the 2023 Sun Belt Player of the Year. But for her fifth collegiate season, she transferred to Louisville, where she has emerged as the Cardinals’ leading scorer.

Although her scoring average has decreased by over five points per game, Jefferson is shooting a career-best 50.6% from the field while her 39.5% 3-point percentage is the second-best of her career.

Published on January 31, 2024 at 11:31 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon