Andrews: In a loaded ACC, Syracuse is the team to beat

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The deafening silence which flooded Purcell Pavilion Thursday night had never been experienced before. Certainly not in that fashion.

Once Dyaisha Fair intercepted a KK Bransford pass with 2:23 left, drew a triple-team and fed an uncovered Alyssa Latham for 2, it was over. Syracuse led by 17. A once-close game had quickly shifted to a demolition.

“Our young ladies, I don’t even think they knew about the 19-0 thing and I certainly didn’t tell them,” head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said after the Orange’s first-ever win in Notre Dame’s home venue. “We don’t see what (the problem is), we just try to fight every minute for the solution.”

No. 22 Syracuse (17-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) fired on all cylinders in its 79-65 victory over No. 15 Notre Dame (14-4, 5-3 ACC). From Fair outscoring Hannah Hidalgo, the ACC’s leading scorer, to Kyra Wood and Latham anchoring a swarming second-half defense, the Orange outclassed the Fighting Irish, completing a season sweep for the first time in program history.

The win didn’t just prove Syracuse was the better team Thursday. Now, it’s the team to beat in a loaded ACC.

“It’s a neat dynamic,” Legette-Jack said. “When you’ve got Dyaisha and Alaina, fifth-years together, and Georgia who’s a cerebral kid, and you got a rookie like Alyssa who’s just running the floor like a freaking deer and Kyra who’s rebounding everything near her, you just got to kind of manage it. I feel like a manager of this group.”

About midway through Legette-Jack’s second season at the helm, she’s flipped the program on its head. Through Jan. 25, Syracuse is tied atop the ACC standings, has the fourth-fewest losses in the country (two) and holds the seventh-best winning percentage in Division I — which is also tied-highest in the ACC with No. 7 NC State.

Just three years ago, these results appeared inconceivable. Amid allegations of inappropriate behavior and bullying toward players and female staff members, former head coach Quentin Hillsman resigned on Aug. 2, 2021. Eleven players transferred during that offseason. The program hit rock bottom five years after making its only National Championship game.

Prior to Legette-Jack’s hire in March 2022, Syracuse went 14-32 against ranked opponents over the previous six seasons. Even in Legette-Jack’s first year, the Orange had a 1-7 record versus ranked teams.

But Legette-Jack has already made a mockery of last season’s numbers. Through 19 games, Syracuse has defeated three ranked opponents. On Dec. 31, 2023, SU upset then-No. 13 Notre Dame, amplifying Legette-Jack’s turnaround. Then on Jan. 18, the Orange bested then-No. 15 Florida State in an 18-point comeback. And, of course, Thursday’s historic triumph over ND stands above the rest. Syracuse has an ACC-best three-game winning streak against ranked foes, and currently sits tied at No. 1 in conference record.

Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack celebrates with her team after Syracuse defeated Clemson on Jan. 14. The Orange delivered a comeback win through fourth-quarter magic, an element of their game that’s gotten them to first place in the ACC as of Jan. 26. Joe Zhao | Asst. Photo Editor

How have the Orange done it? Via their astonishing fourth-quarter play.

Down four in its first matchup with Notre Dame, SU outscored the Fighting Irish 25-16 in the final 10 minutes. Against FSU, the Orange weathered a 54-36 deficit in the third quarter before a 25-11 fourth sealed their second-largest comeback win under Legette-Jack. And Thursday, Syracuse took plenty of punches in the third but managed to outscore ND 28-14 in the fourth.

It’s been the same formula late in games throughout the season: play staunch defense and let Fair do the rest. She drilled clutch jumpers to close Syracuse’s first win over Notre Dame. She nailed three of her program-record nine 3-pointers in the fourth quarter against Florida State. And she iced the game again in the rematch with the Fighting Irish.

“With Dyaisha Fair on your team, you got a shot every single possession,” Legette-Jack said.

The 5-foot-5 star point guard has had a historic campaign. Sure, she passed 3,000 career points and moved into the top 10 scorers of all-time in the women’s game, yet she’s been more than that. Fair averages the third-most points per game in the ACC (20.7) and is the conference’s best 3-point marksman, drilling over 3.6 triples per contest.

Legette-Jack’s been with Fair every step of her collegiate career, bringing the absolute most out of Fair by allowing her to “play free.”

The mindset has resulted in Fair’s confidence to grow. Invading passing lanes, draining step-back 3s and finishing through contact at the rim have been some of Fair’s strong suits this season. She’s put together a stellar graduate year, crediting it all to Legette-Jack.

“Before getting to this level, everyone doubted me. Everyone doubted my size,” Fair said on Jan. 14. “As coach (Legette-Jack) always says, I kept my head down and just was true to myself.”

Fair ignites the Orange. She can single-handedly seal victories and their depth provides structure to stay close against top competition. What’s not to like?

Syracuse’s one, true blunder of 2023-24 — a blowout 75-51 loss to North Carolina — did elicit some concerns. Postgame, Legette-Jack questioned her team’s physicality. She wasn’t pleased with SU’s 30 3-point attempts and its struggles on the glass. But recently, the Orange have put those worries to bed.

Two put-back layups on the offensive boards from Wood were key plays at the end of SU’s comeback win versus Clemson. Late against Florida State, Sophie Burrows pulled in two massive defensive rebounds as Syracuse closed out a tight game. Wood and Georgia Woolley came through Thursday as well, combining for 10 offensive boards and helping the Orange to 23 second-chance points — 19 more than Notre Dame.

Recent performances have also boosted Syracuse to averaging the third-most offensive boards per game in the nation with 17.1.

“People called us out and said they ‘out-hearted us,’” Legette-Jack said Thursday of the UNC loss. “You can beat us because you’re better than us but you can’t have a bigger heart than us…You can beat us but you’re going to remember you played us.”

They’ve got the right coach. They’ve got the right point guard. They rebound with tenacity. And they consistently beat high-quality teams while blowing them out in the fourth.

The Orange are clearly built to win now, even among a crowded ACC field (7-of-15 teams are ranked on the AP Poll as of Jan. 26). Legette-Jack knew this even after the blowout loss to North Carolina.

“We’re on our way,” she said on Jan. 4. “Because we lost today doesn’t mean that we not still coming, we still coming.”

Nearly one month later, fresh off one of its biggest regular-season wins in program history, Syracuse has arrived as the team to beat in the ACC. There’s no need for Legette-Jack to issue any further reminders — the conference is SU’s to lose.

Cooper Andrews is the Sports Editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at ccandrew@syr.edu or on X @cooper_andrews.