Syracuse Basketball Women: Beating the Unbeatable
By David Stone
Tonight at 8:30 pm EST, The Syracuse basketball women’s team try to do what no team has done to UConn all year, or four years in the NCAA Tournament: beat the Huskies.
Before we get into it, I’d like to take you back in time. The year was 1985. The date was April 1st, and it was the men’s NCAA Championship game pitting the brutal, relentless, goliath-like Georgetown Hoyas against the scrappy, underdog Villanova Wildcats.
Before the game started, no one, and I mean no one, gave Villanova even an outside chance of winning. The Hoyas were 35-2 on the season and had steamrolled every opponent before and during the NCAA tournament by a margin of over 18 points.
The team had six eventual draft picks, including two first-rounders (Patrick Ewing, Reggie Williams). They had just come off an absolute throttling of St. John’s, the #2 seed, by 22 points.
Conversely, the Wildcats were not a juggernaut. They were just 20-10 in the regular season, and only 9-9 in the Big East. They squeaked by several opponents in the dance, including a two point win over Dayton, a three point win over Maryland, a four point win over Michigan, and a seven point win over Memphis.
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Luckily for Villanova, the game still had to be played to determine the actual winner. Also lucky for Villanova, they picked that one night to have the closest thing to a perfect game that has ever occurred in college basketball.
Led by future first-rounder Ed Pinckney, the Wildcats shot an unbelievable 78.6% from the field, made 22/27 free throws, and turned it over just three times as a team. They played nearly flawless basketball and eeked out a 2-point victory, 66-64.
It was a thing of beauty. By the end of the first half, you could tell something special was happening. The team just couldn’t miss. They were in a zone that would make even Steph Curry envious.
The win has gone down as one of the most incredible in basketball history. It’s been used countless times to talk about the ultimate underdog story. “Let’s be the next Villanova” is a phrase countless coaches, fans, and writers have used over the years.
And now, I’m jumping on that train. Syracuse basketball’s women will be the next Villanova.
Syracuse are in a similar position as they face the UConn Huskies tonight. UConn are 37-0 this year and have won a ridiculous 74 consecutive games. They’ve been as dominant as any team in the history of women’s basketball.
They’re led by Breanna Stewart, far and away the best player in women’s college basketball. They’ve won three consecutive NCAA titles and are looking to make the clean sweep for Stewart.
They are 24.5 point favorites in the game. Let that sink in for a minute. Twenty four and a half points.
So to say SU is the underdog is about the equivalent of saying Villanova was the underdog against Georgetown back in 1985. Both teams were not even given a chance. Both teams were supposed to just fade to the background and let the “better team” win.
Well that’s not how it’s going to go down. To heck with what is “supposed to happen”. This is Syracuse basketball. Were the women supposed to even make it past the Sweet 16? Not a chance. Were they supposed to beat South Carolina? No way. Were they supposed to make it to the championship game? Nope.
Yet here they stand. Battle tested. Hot as can be. Ready to play the role of David against the Goliath that is UConn. They can pull it off too. They have the style that could actually mess with UConn. They are fast. They are aggressive. They are relentless. And they are hungry.
They are out to prove to the world that UConn isn’t immortal. They aren’t infallible. They can be wounded and they can be beaten, and Syracuse basketball are the ones that are going to do it.
It might take another near perfect game, but why not? Syracuse basketball has something the Wildcats didn’t have back in ’85: the 3-point line. It is the ultimate equalizer in college basketball, and when SU goes off tonight, shooting better than 50% from 3, they will topple the beast.
Because, in the end, this team just wants it more. They can taste the glory. They can sense their destiny. And, much like Villanova in ’85, they’re sick of playing the underdog and have got nothing to lose.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: What a Year it's Been!
After tonight, people will be talking about the day that the Syracuse basketball women’s team did the unthinkable, and future coaches, fans, and writers will start to say “Remember that time when Syracuse beat UConn? Let’s be the next Syracuse.”