The No. 7 seed Syracuse University women's basketball will battle against No. 2 seeded Louisville in an ACC tournament contest on Friday afternoon (5 p.m. ET).  Unfortunately for the Orange, one of its most impactful players will no longer be available for the rest of the tournament. 

Dominique Darius suffered an injury during the third quarter of the team's win over California on Thursday afternoon. Darius collided with a California player and was helped off the court. The senior did not return to action in the contest.

According to a Syracuse women's basketball social media post, Darius will be out for the remainder of the conference tournament. Her injury is listed as a left hand issue.

Darius has had a standout season for the Orange. The graduate transfer has started every game this season, ranking third on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and leading the Orange with 106 assists. The Jacksonville, Fla. native was one of the four seniors honored earlier this month during Senior Day

Darius spent the past four seasons as a member of two different college programs. In her first collegiate season, Darius played for the UCLA Bruins. Following her debut season, Darius transferred from one Los Angeles school to another as she joined the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans for the next three campaigns.

Darius is not the only member of her family who has played for Syracuse. Her father, Donovin Darius played for the Syracuse football team from 1994-1997. The elder Darius was an All-Big East selection in 1996 and 1997 and the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.  He was named to Syracuse University's All-Century team in Nov., 1999. Following his time with the Orange, Darius was a first round selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Darius spent 10 years in the NFL, including eight with Jacksonville. 

In the lone game between SU and Louisville this season, Louisville defeated Syracuse 84-65. Laura Ziegler led the Cardinals scoring in the Feb. 20 matchup with a 22-point performance. Ziegler's teammate, Mackenly Randolph, added 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

If Syracuse is able to get by Louisville, the Orange will face off against the winner of North Carolina and Virginia Tech with tip-off coming at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. If Syracuse's ACC tournament journey ends vs. Louisville, the Orange will wait until Sunday, March 15 to hear their NCAA tournament draw. 

And of course, they'll have to hope that Darius is healthy enough to play by then.

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