Syracuse Women’s Basketball Ranked 11th in ACC Preseason Poll
By Kiran Costa | @Costa_Kiran
The Syracuse Women’s basketball season opener is just under two weeks away! The Orange open up the campaign with an exhibition against Daeman on October 29th, and then the non-conference schedule starts with a November 5th matchup with Niagara. SU is ranked eleventh in the 2024 ACC Preseason Poll released Tuesday. Syracuse also received one AP Top 25 vote.
The Rest of the ACC
The already-stacked ACC added Stanford, California, and SMU to the conference this offseason. Stanford is a perennial women’s basketball powerhouse, the Cardinal have not missed the NCAA Tournament since 1987. Stanford is ranked seventh in the ACC preseason poll. Notre Dame is projected number one in the conference, by ACC Preseason Player Of The Year Hannah Hidalgo and former Second Team All-American Olivia Miles. Along with leading the conference, the Fighting Irish is one of six ACC squads ranked in the AP Top 25. Notre Dame (6), NC State (9), Duke (11), North Carolina (14), Louisville (17), Florida State (19). Coach Felisha Legette-Jack and company have their work cut out for them, as the ACC is projected to once again be one of the best conferences in the county.
A Phenomenal 2023
Being ranked low in preseason polls is nothing new for Syracuse. The Orange were projected to finish ninth in the ACC last season, without a vote in AP Poll. Despite the preseason naysayers, ACC Coach of the Year Felisha Legette-Jack led the Orange to a third-place finish in the ACC. The Orange ended last season ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25, but climbed as high as 18th in mid-February. SU made the second round of the NCAA tournament, losing by single digits to #3 Connecticut. The Orange headlined their 13-5 conference records with two wins over top-dog Notre Dame. It was a banner year for SU Women’s hoops, shattering the low expectations and making its 13th NCAA tournament, but without Dyaisha Fair it will be tough to follow that up.
The Returners
Dyaisha Fair shouldered most of the load offensively for the Orange last season, leading the team in points and assists. But with Fair gone it’s on the returning players to step up and match Fair’s production. Senior, Georgia Woolley was the second-highest scorer on last year’s team averaging 14 points and 3 rebounds. Kyra Wood will be pushed into a bigger role as well, the forward averaged just six points but grabbed nearly seven rebounds per game. One key piece for the Orange will be Izabel Varejão. The center appeared in just 17 games for the Cuse last season, but when healthy she was a huge contributor, especially on the defensive end. The Brazilian center had 12 blocks and 9 steals in her limited minutes. According to Coach FLJ Varejão is 100% healthy and ready to contribute this season.
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