Syracuse Women’s Basketball: NCAA Tournament- Iowa State Preview
By Josh Peelman
The Syracuse Women’s Basketball team are in the NCAA Tournament and will play the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday at 1:30pm in the 8/9 matchup. Inside The Loud House previews the game.
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Syracuse Women’s Basketball team (21-10,11-5 ACC), unlike the men’s team, is in the NCAA Tournament. However, they have a tough road ahead now that they’re in. Most in the media believe the Orange can squeak through this first round game against Iowa State (18-12, 9-9 Big 12) and move on to lose to UConn in the next game. I say not so fast.
That’s not doubt you’re hearing from me, it’s just we should take one game at a time. The 8/9 matchup as every one knows is no sleeper. Usually its a toss-up game as both teams are pretty evenly matched. In my opinion, I don’t think this matchup qualifies as evenly matched, but you never know. I thought the Orange more than played well enough during the regular season to be anywhere from a 4-6 seed, but the committee thought otherwise. Therefore, we have to prove them wrong with how we play.
Anyways, without further ado, let’s look at the matchup:
Game Time: 1:30 PM at Gampel Pavillion, The Home of the UConn Huskies.
Players To Watch:
Syracuse:
Alexis Peterson (Senior): The ACC Conference Player of the Year is unstoppable. She can score from outside or inside. If she’s pressured, she’s smart enough to find who’s open and get it to them. She’s an unselfish, team player who shares the ball, but also knows when to take her own shot. Last year, it was her heart and grit that pushed Syracuse through the tournament to the national championship game. Along the way, the Orange rose to new heights beating some of the best teams the country had to offer. Now, no longer a mystery, Peterson will once again carry the Orange on her back and hopefully carry them to a deep March run once again. She averages 23 points per game and 7 assists, according to ESPN.com.
Brittney Sykes (Senior): The senior backcourt mate of Alexis Peterson, and therefore she is just as much a threat to opposing defenses. Like Peterson she is a major threat on offense as she can hit it from long range or short. Her best attribute though is probably her ferocious defense. She hounds ball handlers with defensive pressure forcing them into costly turnovers for scores. An excellent rebounder and passer, she helps the SU fast break run with ease. hence, Iowa State should not take her lightly. When she gets hot, she’s hot. She averages 19 points per game and 8 rebounds, according to ESPN.com.
Iowa State:
Seanna Johnson (Junior): The star of this team is definitely Seanna Johnson. A high volume scorer who can light it inside or outside, she is someone the Orange will need to keep and eye on. She is nifty around the basket, has a decent mid-range jump shot, and knows how to finish and pick up fouls. Johnson is the fellow junior backcourt mate of Buckley and the two thrive off each other. She averages 16 points per game and 8 rebounds per game, according to Cyclones.com.
Jadda Buckley (Junior): Buckley may not be the type of star that Johnson is, but she is still a very valuable scorer in her own right. Her leadership at the point and her ability to drive and hit floaters and mid-range make her a threat you should watch out for. A capable passer she averages 3.2 assists per game, according to Cyclones.com. If Iowa State is going to beat Syracuse, she is going to have to penetrate the zone by driving and hitting some tough shots over the Day sisters. She averages 14 points per game, according to Cyclones.com
Numbers to Know:
- Syracuse’s is 15th in the nation scoring 79 points per game, while Iowa State is not far behind at 29th, scoring 74 a game, according to ESPN.com.
- Both teams shoot and make lot of threes. Syracuse ranks 9th with nine per game. Iowa State ranks 25th with 8 a game. Hence, you can expect to see a lot of shots from downtown from both teams.
- If it comes down to foul shots in a close game, Iowa State is likely to beat you. They ranked 3rd in the nation, making 80% of their free throws as a team. Syracuse ranks 41st, making 75% of their free throws. That’s not much disparity, but in March Madness, free throws at the end of games sometimes make the difference.
- Syracuse gets a lot of steals out of their press defense. They rank 14th in the nation forcing 11 steals per game, while Iowa State wasn’t even in the Top 50 in that category.
- In addition, Syracuse gets lots of steals and turnovers, but Iowa State hardly give any up. Iowa State only commits 11 turnovers per game which ranks 15th in the nation, while Syracuse was not in the Top 50 in that category.
- 1 of 14: Syracuse is among the 14 who have made it to the second round for three consecutive seasons.
Next: Syracuse Women’s Basketball: NCAA Tourney- Rapid Reaction
Prediction:
Syracuse played solid all year and was clearly one of the Top 20 teams in the nation. Iowa State meanwhile, struggled all year, leading to 12 losses in 30 games. However, I do think the Orange will struggle at the beginning because its an unfamiliar opponent. Fortunately, they will bounce back though before halftime and put away the game away.
In conclusion, the Orange are just too talented with their press defense not to get a lot of turnovers even though the Cyclones hardly give any up. With Peterson and Sykes leading the charge on the offensive end, I expect Syracuse will win with room to spare proving seed is just a number.