Let's Dance! Orange, Cyclones Meet in NCAA Tournament Saturday

Syracuse women's basketball returns to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, facing Iowa State in a first-round 8/9 matchup at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Orange enter at 23-8 after one of the more remarkable turnarounds in the ACC this season, doubling their conference win total from a year ago to finish 12-6 — well ahead of the 13th-place preseason projection that greeted them in October.

The Orange carry serious firepower into the bracket. Freshman center Uche Izoje has been the story of the season, averaging 15.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. The 6-foot-3 Nigeria native is the 2026 ACC Rookie of the Year and the only freshman in the country averaging those numbers. Senior guard Laila Phelia provides a veteran complement, averaging 13.7 points per game and earning All-ACC Second Team recognition after a season that included a 38-point outburst at Virginia. Junior guard Sophie Burrows, the 2026 Kay Yow Scholar-Athlete of the Year, rounds out the starting unit with 11.2 points and a team-best 60 steals on the season. The Orange will be without graduate guard Dominique Darius, their third-leading scorer, due to a left hand injury.

Syracuse owns the all-time series against Iowa State 2-0, including an 85-65 NCAA Tournament first-round win in this same building in 2017. That game, played at Gampel Pavilion as an 8/9 matchup, saw the Orange erupt for 33 first-quarter points and never look back. Guard Gabby Cooper connected on 8-of-15 three-pointers for 24 points, Alexis Peterson added 25, and Syracuse forced 18 turnovers en route to a dominant victory. The most recent meeting came at the 2023 South Point Shootout, where Dyaisha Fair and Alaina Rice each posted 20-point performances in an 81-69 Orange win.

The statistical case for Syracuse is built on the glass. The Orange average 16.8 offensive rebounds per game — seventh in the country and first in the ACC — and hold a +8.0 rebounding margin. Iowa State averages 38.0 boards per game. If Syracuse can control the offensive glass and get their transition game going with the press, the Orange have the talent to advance to the second round for the second consecutive year.

Tip-off is Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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