The Orange earned a No. 9 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, but it's the 2016 team that is in the recent history books.
This year, the Syracuse University women's basketball team put together an incredible season, going 23-8 and earning a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Orange, under the direction of head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, improved from a 12-18 mark a season ago to get back to the tournament. They will open up play on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET against No. 8 Iowa State.
If they win, they'll likely take on No. 1 Connecticut on Monday. The games will be played in Storrs, Conn.
However, as special as this team has been, it's the Syracuse team from a decade ago that holds a special place in recent history.
Per ESPN Insights:
No 4-16 seed team has EVER won a women's basketball national championship
4-seed Syracuse was the last 4-seed or worse team to make the championship game in 2016.
About the 2015-16 Syracuse team
--The Orange went 30-8 on the season, earning a No. 4 seed in the Sioux Falls region of the NCAA Tournament.
--Syracuse defeated No. 13 Army (73-56), No. 12 Albany (76-59), No. 1 South Carolina (80-72), No. 7 Tennessee (89-67) and No. 7 Washington (80-59) before losing to UConn 82-51 in the national title game.
--That Washington team was led by Kelsey Plum, who became the all-time leading scorer in the women's game until Caitlin Clark came along.
--Alex Peterson led the way with 16.0 ppg while Briana Day secured 7.9 rebounds per night.
--Syracuse lost to Tennessee in the regular season by two, 59-57, before beating them in the Elite 8. SU also lost to No. 5 Maryland, No. 24 Arizona State, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 14 Louisville, North Carolina and Notre Dame again before losing to UConn. Each loss except one came (UNC) against a ranked team.
--That group was honored on this year's Senior Day by the current program.
Syracuse Orange forward Bria Day (55) drives against Tennessee Lady Volunteers forward Bashaara Graves (12) in the first half in the finals of the Sioux Falls regional of the women's NCAA Tournament at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. Steven Branscombe-Imagn ImagesAlso on campus
--The Syracuse men's basketball program is looking for a new coach to replace the recently-fired Adrian Autry. Rumors are that the Orange offered South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson the job, but that he turned them down.
--The Syracuse football program held Pro Day on Monday afternoon and unfortunately we've learned star defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. is battling an injury, though it's unclear just how severe it is at this time. The SU Spring Game is set for April 11. Syracuse went 3-9 in 2025.
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