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Currently, Syracuse sits on ESPN’s Bracketology as the first four out. The Orange will continue to build their resume for one of the at-large bids with a visit to No. 10 Notre Dame on Sunday.

Syracuse last played the Fighting Irish on Jan. 15 at the JMA Wireless Dome where the Orange struggled in the fourth quarter en route to a loss, but now SU enters with an upset win over No. 14 North Carolina.

Last time out, SU used a 31-14 third quarter to develop a lead as large as a 17 versus the Tar Heels. Dyaisha Fair, Georgia Woolley and Dariauna Lewis combined for 57 points in the eventual 75-67 win, which was the Orange’s first over a ranked team since Dec. 1, 2021 and was the first in the Felisha Legette Jack’s era as head coach of Syracuse. Now, the Orange travel to South Bend in search of another.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Fighting Irish (19-4, 10-3 Atlantic Coast)

All time series

Notre Dame leads 37-3.

Last time they played

On Jan. 15, 2023, Syracuse hosted Notre Dame at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange kept it close with the Fighting Irish through three quarters, trailing just 50-45 at the end of the third period.

But, ND outscored Syracuse 22-11 in the fourth quarter in what would result as a fourth-quarter breakdown for SU. The Fighting Irish’s Olivia Miles led the way with 23 points while Fair and Asia Strong were the only SU players in double figures. The 72-56 loss was the first of a three-game losing streak for Syracuse.

We have to be mentally focused on being able to play 40 minutes,” Legette-Jack said postgame. “Every time we tried to catch our breath, they busted us in the mouth.”

The Fighting Irish report

In their most recent four games, the Fighting Irish have been .500 with defeats to Duke and NC State while picking up wins against bottom-half ACC teams Pittsburgh and Boston College. ND still sits in second place in the conference, just one game back of Duke. Sunday’s game against the Orange begins a favorable stretch on paper for ND, which plays unranked Louisville twice, Georgia Tech and Pitt again to close out the season.

ND is one of the best all around teams in the conference, scoring just under 77 points per game while holding its opponents to just 58.2. The Fighting Irish rank in the top three in the conference in both of those categories.

Although Notre Dame lost starting guard Dara Mabrey to an ACL tear in its game against Virginia Tech a couple of weeks ago, it still possesses three players averaging double-digit points. Miles puts up just over 15 points per game while Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld add 14.4 and 11.0 per game, too. The Fighting Irish convert from the field on a 46.6% clip, making them the 15th best team in Division I, of 361 teams.

How Syracuse beats Notre Dame

Syracuse proved it can hang around with Notre Dame for at least for three quarters. That was at home and was just its second home loss of the season. On the road, the Orange struggle, winning just three of its nine away games.

The Orange cannot let the Fighting Irish get hot from the floor as one of the best shooting teams in the country. And, they can’t solely rely on Fair to contribute offensively. It will need to be a collective effort from ALaina Rice, Woolley and Lewis to pull off back-to-back upsets. The Orange have been dealing with injuries recently, though that wasn’t the case against Notre Dame the first go-around.

Besides the third quarter, Syracuse upset the Tar Heels by controlling the glass, securing 43 rebounds compared to UNC’s 29. That will have to be the case against Notre Dame, which is the second best rebounding team in the conference. In the first meeting, ND just edged the Orange 42-39 in the rebounding battle.

Stat to know: 17.1

With three players averaging double figures, the bulk of the scoring opportunities come from good ball movement. ND averages just over 17 assists per game, which is 17th best nationally, per Her Hoop Stats. Against the Orange on Jan. 15, Miles notched seven assists while Westbeld added four for a total of 18 collectively. The Orange, however, had just 11.

Player to watch: Olivia Miles, guard, No. 5

Miles was the difference maker for ND in the first meeting between the teams, accounting for 23 points. The 2022 top-five Nancy Lieberman Award finalist leads the league with 7.2 assists per game. Miles also converts from the field at nearly a 50% clip. Although she was quiet in her last outing, scoring just 11 against Pitt, Miles still notched 13 assists.

Published on February 12, 2023 at 1:17 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini