Syracuse women's basketball opens its 2026 NCAA Tournament action on Saturday in the event's first round against Iowa State out of the Big 12 Conference.
The Orange and the Cyclones (22-9 overall) are paired up in Regional 1, with the tip-off scheduled for 5:30 pm EST at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. This Big Dance encounter will air on ESPN2.
The 'Cuse (23-8 overall) is dancing in March for the second time in three seasons. In its all-time series with Iowa State, SU is 2-0 against the Cyclones, according to Syracuse Athletics. In Regional 1, Syracuse women's basketball is the No. 9 seed, while Iowa State is the No. 8 seed.
The latest odds for Syracuse's round-of-64 encounter against Iowa State.
When I wrote this article on Saturday morning, the Cyclones were a 6.5-point betting favorite over the Orange, per FanDuel, with the over/under set at 149.5 points.
Unfortunately, graduate student guard Dominique Darius will miss the Big Dance with a left-hand injury that she suffered in an ACC Tournament win over California. Darius is third on the 'Cuse 2025-26 roster in scoring, at 12.6 points per game.
Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and her wonderful staff have a talented group, although losing Darius for the NCAA Tournament is a bummer. Sending Dominique positive thoughts!
SU's defense will have to contend with second-team All-American Audi Crooks, a junior center for Iowa State. She averages 25.5 points per contest, which is No. 2 nationwide. Crooks also averages 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while making 64.7 percent from the field and 73.7 percent from the free-throw line.
As a team, Iowa State scores 82.3 points per encounter and allows 67.2 points. The Cyclones average 38.0 rebounds, 20.0 assists, 6.4 steals, 2.4 blocks and 12.7 turnovers per game while hitting on 47.9 percent from the field, 74.0 percent from the charity stripe and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Syracuse women's basketball, meanwhile, scores 74.5 points per contest and gives up 63.4 points. The 'Cuse averages 42.2 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 10.6 steals, 5.4 blocks and 15.8 turnovers per game while connecting on 42.4 percent from the field, 72.6 percent from the free-throw line and 31.4 percent from 3-point land.