Syracuse women's basketball saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C., but even with that minor stumble, the Orange remains significantly in the hunt for a bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
On Sunday, amid bad weather affecting much of the United States, the 'Cuse had two great looks to win this Atlantic Coast Conference clash toward the end of regulation, yet the Orange couldn't convert. UNC seized the momentum in overtime and came away with a 77-71 triumph.
Make no mistake about it, though: Syracuse women's basketball, led by head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, is having a tremendous 2025-26 season so far. The 'Cuse (16-4 overall, 6-3 in ACC play), ahead of Sunday's encounter, was No. 40 in the NCAA NET rankings. North Carolina (17-5 overall, 6-3 in the ACC) was No. 21, meaning that the Orange could have notched a quadrant-one victory in Chapel Hill.
Syracuse women's basketball freshman center Uche Izoje tallied 27 points against the Tar Heels, a new career-high for the stellar college newbie. The 'Cuse led North Carolina in numerous statistical categories. The main issue for the Orange was poor shooting: SU only made 34.6 percent from the field and a woeful 15.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Syracuse women's basketball has a great shot at dancing in March.
On January 23, ESPN's Charlie Creme published his latest bracketology for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. In that projection, he placed the Orange as a No. 8 seed facing No. 9 seed Southern California in the first round. Creme, by the way, had the Tar Heels as a No. 6 seed.
While its loss to UNC could push Syracuse women's basketball down a seed line or two, the 'Cuse appears well inside the cut line on the right side of the bubble. Next up, Syracuse women's basketball will host Georgia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 29, beginning at 6:00 pm EST.
Currently, the Orange is in a tie for fourth place within the ACC standings. Coming up, Syracuse women's basketball has some massive games against Louisville (February 8 at home), N.C. State (February 22 on the road) and Notre Dame (February 26 on the road).
As long as the Orange doesn't suffer an extensive losing streak at any point during the rest of the 2025-26 regular season, Syracuse basketball should hear its name called on Selection Sunday. That would be fabulous - this is an exciting team to watch and cheer on.