By Jo Simpson
Louisville will aim to extend their six-game winning streak as they face the Syracuse Orange at home.
Life’s not Fair
It should be no surprise that after the fifth leading scorer in women’s basketball all-time, Dyaisha Fair, graduated from Syracuse, their offense would take a step back.
Syracuse’s offense now largely runs through Georgia Woolley, who leads the Orange with 15.3 points per game. Woolley’s a ball-dominant, volume-scorer whose versatility as both a scorer and facilitator makes her a challenge to contain.
Her biggest issue, however, is that ball dominance. She turns the ball over 3.5 times a game and shoots 36.3% from the field while taking almost 70 shots more than the nearest teammate.
Expect Ja’Leah Williams and Tajianna Roberts to apply heavy pressure on the perimeter in an attempt to create transition scoring opportunities.
While Syracuse has Woolley as their offensive anchor, Kyra Wood provides much-needed support, scoring 11.2 a game and grabbing 6.9 boards per game. Wood is exclusively an inside presence, as she has yet to take a single three-pointer this season.
Outside of the Batman and Robin for the Orange, Syracuse plays really well together as a team. They average 16.7 assists which is 42nd best in the country. Unfortunately for the Orange they give the ball up 17 times a game, giving them a .98 assist/turnover ratio.
While Syracuse has a lot of average numbers on offense, the biggest reason they score 73.5 points each game is their rebounding, specifically their offensive rebounding. The Orange haul 40.1 boards a game with 15.7 of those coming from the offensive glass. These boards give Syracuse almost 16 extra possessions a game, and if Louisville lets that go unchecked it could be a long night for the Cardinals.
A lot of Syracuse’s rebounding actually comes from their guards stepping into the paint and keeping possessions alive. Williams, Roberts and Jayda Curry will have to find a body whenever a shot goes up to let players like Olivia Cochran and Nyla Harris do damage inside.
Just not very good
While the offensive of the Orange would make you question their 7-9 record, their defense makes it make sense very quickly.
Syracuse gives up 71.4 points a game, which ranks 310th nationally. Syracuse has only held opponents below 70 points five times this season, and are 4-1 when doing so. They allow opponents to shoot 41.7% fro the field and 45.2% from inside the arc.
Although Syracuse averages 4.6 blocks per game, they will need more from their entire frontcourt to slow down Louisville’s interior attack.
The Orange try to makeup for their porous defense by being aggressive. They grab 10.1 steals a game as a part of their 18.3 turnovers forced a game. However, when Syracuse can’t get out and running they’re on the wrong end of possessions more often than not.
Louisville has a more talented and deeper roster than Syracuse, but that will mean nothing if they can’t hold onto the rock.
It’s become a tale as old as time, but that is the X-factor for the Cards. If Louisville can withstand the tempo and pressure that Syracuse plays with, they have a great chance to improve to 13-5 on the year.
Tip-off is set for Thursday at 7 p.m.
Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics