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DULUTH, GEORGIA - MARCH 05: Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack of the Syracuse Orange reacts against the California Golden Bears during the first quarter of the second round of the Women's ACC Tournament between the California Golden Bears and Syracuse Orange at Gas South Arena on March 05, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Syracuse Orange are back in the Big Dance and will take the court this weekend in Storrs for its First Round Game.
The ninth-seeded Orange will take on the eighth-seeded Iowa State Cyclones. Here is an early preview to get you ready for game day:
Matchup: No. 9 Syracuse Orange (23-8, 12-6) versus No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones (22-9, 10-8)
Date: Saturday, March 21
Tip-off time: 5:30 pm EST
TV info: ESPN2; can also listen live on cuse.com
All-time series: Syracuse is 2-0 versus Iowa State all-time, both of those previous matchups coming on neutral sites. The Orange previously beat the Cyclones by 20 in Storrs back in the 2016-17 season. Years later, the two teams met up again in 2023-24 with Syracuse winning by 12.
Resume comparison:
| Team | NET | Q1 record | Q2 record | Q3 record | Q4 record | Best wins | Worst losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | 39 | 1-7 | 6-1 | 3-0 | 13-0 | Virginia, Clemson | Michigan, Duke, Louisville, Virginia Tech |
| Iowa State | 33 | 2-3 | 6-5 | 1-1 | 13-0 | Iowa, Texas Tech | Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, BYU |
Strengths:
- Syracuse
- Rebounds per game: 12th
- Blocks per game: 14th
- Steals per game: 42nd
- Scoring offense: 45th
- Turnovers forced per game: 59th
- Turnover margin: 75th
- Iowa State
- Assist/turnover ratio: 3rd
- Assists per game: 4th
- Field goal percentage: 10th
- Scoring offense: 11th
- Three-point percentage: 12th
- Turnovers per game: 21st
- Free throw makes per game: 26th
- Scoring margin 29th
Weaknesses:
- Syracuse
- Three-point percentage: 142nd
- Free-throw percentage: 143rd
- Turnovers per game: 159th
- Scoring defense: 159th
- Field goal percentage defense: 199th
- Three-point attempts per game: 283rd
- Iowa State
- Scoring defense: 253rd
- Turnovers forced per game: 256th
- Blocks per game: 281st
- Three-point percentage defense: 291st
- Steals per game: 316th
Matchup of the game: Uche Izoje versus Audi Crooks. Two of the best centers in the sport will battle in the paint from start to finish. Izoje will look to stay out of foul trouble and block some of her post moves, while making life difficult for Crooks defensively with her mid-range shooting. On the other side, Crooks is a scoring machine and is hoping to give an early lesson to the ACC Freshman of the Year. Get your popcorn ready.
Odds: Syracuse is currently a 7.5-point underdog versus the Cyclones, according to FanDuel. Over-under is set at 149.5, as of Tuesday.
If Syracuse wins: the Orange a chance to pull off one of the greatest upsets in women’s college basketball history
If Syracuse loses: hey, at least one basketball team got to dance this year
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