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After dropping three of its prior four games, including just a one-game appearance in the ACC Tournament, Syracuse came from behind to defeat No. 11 seed Arizona 74-69 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The win marked the Orange’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2021 and their first under second-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.

The victory booked No. 6 seed SU a matchup versus No. 3 seed UConn Monday night in the Round of 32. The Huskies, who last failed to make the Sweet 16 in 1993, defeated No. 14 seed Jackson State 86-64 Saturday.

Ahead of the contest, both teams met with the media Sunday at the Harry A. Gampel Pavillion. Here are some takeaways from the presser:

FLJ is going with the flow

In Syracuse’s 74-69 win over Arizona, Legette-Jack used a unique lineup in the second half. With 2:49 remaining in the first half and the Orange trailing 31-23, reserve guard Kennedi Perkins was inserted into the game. SU trimmed its deficit down to five by halftime and Perkins replaced Alaina Rice in the starting lineup to start the second half.

Legette-Jack also opted to start reserve forward Izabel Varejao, but she soon replaced her with Kyra Wood, who played the rest of the game. Around the same time, Saniaa Wilson replaced Alyssa Latham, but Latham re-entered a few minutes later and never exited.

Meanwhile, Perkins, who only averaged six minutes per game over her last 10 games, played every second of the second half. With Wood, Latham and Perkins all on the floor together, Syracuse outscored the Wildcats by eight points, leading to a come-from-behind win.

But going forward, Legette-Jack said it’s more of a feel thing with how she’ll manage her going forward.

“I love each one of my kids with my whole heart, and this is never going to be about personal like of a young lady, that’s why she’s going to play more than somebody else,” Legette-Jack said. “If it’s working and it feels right, it stays right.”

Alaina Rice day-to-day

Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Orange trailing 62-59, Rice drove through the lane attempting to cut their deficit to one. Instead, she was blocked by Arizona forward Breya Cunningham and her head smacked against the hardwood.

Rice remained in the game for the next minute and a half, but didn’t return once she was sent to the bench. According to a Syracuse spokesperson, Rice did not travel with the team to the Harry A. Gampel Pavillion for its media availability Sunday.

“It’s day by day right now. And we’re letting her rest right now and making certain that she’s going to be able to go for it all tomorrow,” Legette-Jack said.

Rice, a graduate student, is the Orange’s third-leading scorer this year (9.8 points per game) and second-best 3-point shooter (31.5%). Though she struggled down the stretch of SU’s season, Rice played a pivotal role in some of its best wins this season including a 26-point outburst on Nov. 25 versus Iowa State and a superb 19-point spark against Notre Dame on Jan. 25.

“At the end of the day, whoever is out there, they’re going to give their best effort,” Legette-Jack said. “And if she can’t go, then the next person in line is going to have to do just a little bit more to replace her because she really wants this and she’s really found her niche.”

If Rice can’t go, Perkins seems to be an obvious choice to enter the starting lineup after posting a game-high +13 plus/minus while shooting 4-for-4. Another option could be Sophie Burrows, who adds a bit more size, poses a threat as an outside shooter and is a better rebounder.

But Legette-Jack is hopeful Rice will be good to go for Monday.

“Right now we’re giving her a day to rest, and hopefully tomorrow she’ll be out there,” she said.

Containing Fair

When UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was asked about how his team was going to stop Dyaisha Fair, he had a simple answer.

“Nothing. She is going to go off. You know, she is going to score a lot of points,” he said.

Fair, a top-five scorer in Division I women’s history, scored 32 points in SU’s win over Arizona with 13 coming in a heroic fourth quarter.

Despite Auriemma’s statement, UConn guard Nika Mühl thought St. Johns point guard Unique Drake had some similarities to Fair.

“I feel like she’s kind of similar to her in terms of being an aggressive, smart guard,” Mühl said. “Just very shifty, aggressive in the lane, can shoot from, you know, behind the arc.”

Drake, a 5-foot-7 guard, averaged 18.3 points per game this season while making 36.1% of her 3s on 6.4 attempts per game. Fair, listed at 5-foot-5, scores 22.3 points per game while making 37.9% of her triples on 9.5 attempts per game.

In two games against the Huskies this season, Drake scored just 9.0 points per game while shooting 6-for-15 from the field and 1-for-6 from distance.

“(Fair is) not the same player. Every player is different. Every player is unique. But I would say that’s a very similar matchup that we’ve had this year,” Mühl said.

Published on March 24, 2024 at 7:20 pm

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