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After leading 58-55, with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it appeared that Syracuse may be able to knock off No. 2 NC State in its regular season finale.

Not only would it be a win over a top-five opponent that would boost the Orange’s NCAA Tournament resume and March Madness ceiling, it would also secure a double-bye in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. 

“It makes a difference to have a double-bye and have a single-bye,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said before the game. “Obviously, it means a lot. And we did focus on it, (but) obviously, you know, we faced the No. 2 team in the country, and they are that for a reason.”

With a win, Syracuse would have locked down the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. But a series of miscues for SU, and a 13-3 NC State scoring stretch prevented the upset.

SU slipped to the No. 5 seed, overtaken by Florida State after the Seminoles beat Wake Forest. Syracuse and FSU both finished 9-7 in the conference, but the Seminoles won the head-to-head matchup 67-52 on Feb. 11. Now, Syracuse will play the winner of Boston College-Pittsburgh in the second round Thursday at 2:30 p.m. 

If the Orange wins their first matchup, they will then play Florida State 24 hours later.

Maya Goosmann | Design Editor

First game — Winner of Boston College vs. Pittsburgh

SU fell to the No. 5 seed partly due to its poor shooting. Syracuse shot just 31% from behind the arc in the regular season, and a measly 4-of-24 from 3 against NC State. But fortunately for the Orange, Boston College and Pittsburgh have the two worst scoring defenses in the conference. The Eagles allow opponents to shoot 46% from the field, which is the 328th-ranked defense in all of college basketball.

“We make shots, we can win the ACC tournament,” Hillsman said after the loss to NC State. “So we’re not at all discouraged by this … it’s just looking at (it) as a great opportunity to go to the tournament, and know that we just got to buckle down.”

The Panthers are better than BC, but they still allow almost 73 points per game. In SU’s last game against Pittsburgh, Syracuse squeaked out a 71-67 road win, as Kiara Lewis and Kamilla Cardoso each scored 22 points. After shooting 1-of-15 in the opening quarter, SU recovered for the come-from-behind victory.

Quarterfinal — Florida State

If Syracuse advances past its opening game, it faces a Florida State team that has won four of its last six, including a 68-59 upset over No. 5 Louisville. The Seminoles are led by junior Morgan Jones, who has become one of the most efficient scorers in the ACC. In the regular season, Jones shot 47% from the field, the sixth-best rate in the conference. 

While Jones scores nearly 14 points per game, Bianca Jackson takes the most shots for Florida State. In the Seminoles’ victory over Syracuse earlier in the season, Jackson led all scorers with 18 points while knocking down two of FSU’s seven 3-pointers.

Against Florida State, Cardoso led Syracuse with 14 points. Cardoso and fellow freshman Priscilla Williams, who will be playing in their first tournament for the Orange, have become prominent scoring options throughout the year for Hillsman’s team. Cardoso is second in team-scoring, averaging over 14 points per game, and Williams is shooting 40.5% from behind the arc — the best of any key rotation member.

“The good thing about conference tournaments is that you’re playing the same teams again,” Hillsman said. “I think being familiar with your opponent helps a lot. And we try to approach it in the same way. We’re going to prep the same way and do things the same way we’ve been doing it the entire season. So hopefully these games feel very, very similar to a regular-season game.”

Semifinals — Louisville or winner of North Carolina vs. Wake Forest

If Syracuse advances past its first two games of the ACC tournament, SU could play top-seeded Louisville or the winner of UNC-Wake Forest. 

The Cardinals defeated Syracuse 67-54 in the teams-only matchup of the season, at the KFC Yum! Center. After the Orange trailed by just three at halftime, Dana Evans, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, took control in the second half and eventually finished with a game-high 21 points.

Tiana Mangakahia scored just four points, the start of a three-game slump where the fifth-year senior didn’t eclipse five points. 

Syracuse split its two matchups with UNC this season. After losing to the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill 92-68, SU rebounded in the second game, winning in the Carrier Dome 88-76 a month later. Syracuse only played Wake Forest once this season, defeating the Demon Deacons 85-78 in Syracuse. 

Though Syracuse lost three of its last four games, Hillsman still believes his team can make a deep run in the ACC tournament. That could boost its NCAA Tournament seeding, potentially paving a path for a deeper March Madness run.

Published on March 1, 2021 at 10:12 pm

Contact Thomas: tgshults@syr.edu | @ThomasShults_