Felisha Legette-Jack's squad begins their season tonight at home against Sacred Heart. The TNIAAM staff goes over their overall record prediction, their conference record prediction, and postseason aspirations:
Kevin 19-10, 11-7 NCAA 2nd Round
It feels like this Syracuse team is also going to lean on their defense this season. The difference for the women is they have an All-ACC player in Uche Izoje to lean on. Izoje's impact in the middle for the Orange should allow more space for the perimeter players and if the transfer guards can play like they showed in the UConn exhibition, I expect this team to be back in the NCAA Tournament.
Dom: 20-9, 10-8, NCAA 1st Round
Playbook for the Orange in 2026-27: there's a solid chance Syracuse could leave the non-con schedule at 9-2 or 10-1 (my prediction has the latter, with the lone loss to Oklahoma). Think the losses start to pile up way more in a usually deep ACC, but Syracuse takes care of business against the programs it needs to beat and picks up a couple bubble wins but doesn't get much in the Q1 win column. That said, it's enough to get 'Cuse as one of the final teams in the field. If healthy and avoiding foul trouble, Izoje provides a guaranteed floor of at least a .500 team. If some and not all of the other major offseason additions work out, that pushes the Orange into 18-21-win territory.
Sam: 19-10, 10-8, NCAA First Round
I like this group more than I like the men's team – granted, I know much more about MBB than WBB – but I just don't think there's a proportional amount of wins on the schedule, especially in ACC play, to reflect that. 3-point shooting will likely be a weakness, but in women's basketball, it's easier to live with that since percentages around the country are worse and the shot is not quite as efficient. It's why the mid-range game is still so prevalent, and bigs like Uche Izoje are encouraged to take mid-range shots. What SU did do is commit to an identity. An identity of being dominant on the inside on both ends. Izoje, Jaleesa Molina, and Sarah Rambus will control the glass on most nights. They could play huge lineups with Emely Rodriguez at the 2. Tyi Skinner will give them just enough shooting and shot creation out of the point guard spot as well. Regardless, I still think there's a chasm between SU and the top teams in the sport.
Audrey: 18-11, 9-9, NCAA First Round
I would feel much more confident about this group if they'd been together last year. On paper, this group seems like they ought to command the paint on both ends of the floor. I think the schedule starts generously, as they rip off ten or so games that should not be competitive (in favor of the Orange) to get a flow going. The upside of this is that Izoje and all the newcomers can build chemistry, but the downside is that they will be immediately and unforgivingly thrown against a lot of really damn good conference teams. It would be going from 0 to 100 to 75. If this squad is still finding its footing come late December/January, I'm feeling a lot worse about the Orange's postseason aspirations. I am struggling with this prediction because the sample size is literally only one game against juggernaut UConn.
*****************************************************************************************
What's your prediction for the Orange this season?
