Opponent Preview: What to know before No. 23 SU’s 2nd game against No. 15 Louisville

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When then-No. 21 Syracuse faced then-No. 16 Louisville two weeks ago, it was coming off a defeat to then-No. 19 Virginia Tech. Against the Hokies, SU struggled to break their 2-3 zone while VT dominated from 3-point land.

The Orange needed a bounce-back performance against the Cardinals, but their offensive struggles persisted, leading to an 81-69 road loss. After losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, Syracuse responded with consecutive wins.

SU was spearheaded by Dyaisha Fair’s season-high 38 points in its 75-63 win against Boston College on Feb. 4. Thursday against Georgia Tech, Izabel Varejão’s return propelled the Orange to a 62-59 win. Syracuse gets its second chance against the Cardinals Sunday, this time at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Here’s everything to know ahead of No. 23 Syracuse’s (19-4, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) matchup against No. 15 Louisville (20-4, 9-2 ACC):

All-time series

Louisville leads 20-7.

Last time they played…

The Orange traveled to the KFC Yum! Center on Feb. 1 to take on the ACC’s No. 1 team. SU led 21-14 after the first quarter, yet the Cardinals responded with a dominant second quarter, taking a 40-34 lead into halftime.

Despite hanging with Louisville at the beginning of the third quarter, Syracuse went 3-for-16 from the field and 4-for-8 from the free-throw line to end the period. This allowed the Cardinals to take a 60-47 lead into the fourth, where they put the game away. Though Fair scored 13 points in the final frame, Louisville won by 12.

The Cardinals Report

After an elite eight appearance in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Louisville star point guard Hailey Van Lith transferred to LSU. Despite her departure, the Cardinals utilized the transfer portal to their advantage, bringing in graduate students Kiki Jefferson and Jayda Curry.

Though it has a new-look roster, Louisville’s 9-2 ACC record is the second-best in the conference, trailing only Virginia Tech (10-2). As seen in their first matchup with SU, the Cardinals have thrived this season by scoring in a variety of different ways. Jefferson, the team’s leading scorer, poured in 21 points against the Orange while Nyla Harris (18), Nina Rickards (14) and Sydney Taylor (13) all scored in double figures.

How Syracuse beats Louisville

Syracuse has struggled shooting throughout the season. But against the Cardinals, it was one of their worst performances of the season. Following its second-worst shooting performance of the season against VT, Syracuse shot 36.2% from the field against U-of-L, its third-worst mark of the season.

The Cardinals threw a variety of different defenses at SU, but their match-up zone worked best. While the Orange, mostly on the back of Fair, had a late 3-point surge they settled for countless mid-range opportunities, shooting just 25-for-69 from 2. Additionally, SU shot an abysmal 11-for-23 from the free-throw line.

In its second matchup, Syracuse, especially outside of Fair, must establish itself as a threat from 3-point range to open up the rest of its offense.

Stat to know: 38.2%

One area Syracuse has dominated all season is corralling offensive rebounds. Anchored by Saniaa Wilson, Kyra Wood and Alyssa Latham, SU’s 41.0% offensive rebounding rate is the sixth-best in Division I, according to HerHoopStats. But Louisville has excelled in offensive rebounding, too. Despite only playing two forwards in its rotation, U-of-L’s 38.2% offensive rebounding is the 20th-best in D-I.

Player to watch: Nyla Harris, forward, No. 2

After averaging 4.2 points across 13.2 minutes per game as a freshman, Harris has had a breakout sophomore season. Playing nearly twice as many minutes per game (24.9), Harris is averaging 10.4 points per game while shooting 59.4% from the field.

Against the Orange, Harris was 5-for-7 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line en route to scoring 18 points. In the Cardinals’ win against Notre Dame on Feb. 8, Harris scored 19, making nine of her 11 field goal attempts.