Syracuse WBB Earns Fifth Seed in ACC Tournament, Plays Thursday

The No. 23/RV Syracuse Orange women's basketball team (21-8, 11-5 ACC) earned the fifth seed and a single-bye in the ACC Tournament.  The Orange's first game will be Thursday at 11 a.m. against the winner of No. 12 seed Boston College and No. 13 Wake Forest.

All tournament games will be held in Greensboro, N.C. and televised on the ACC Network.

With Syracuse winning its last four games of the regular season, the question changed from whether the Orange would get a bye in the ACC Tournament, but how many. The Orange had a viable chance at securing the double-bye, up to the final day of the season. But Duke's win over North Carolina on Sunday dropped Syracuse from the No. 4 to No. 5 position.

For the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse was bumped up to a projected No. 5 seed in ESPN's latest bracketology and has a good chance to boost that resume with another conference win.  The Orange holds a combined 3-0 record against Boston College and Wake Forest this season, winning all three games by double digit margins.

Back on Jan. 15, Syracuse defeated the Demon Deacons in the Carrier Dome in a game that Alexis Peterson scored a career-high 32 points.

A few days later, Syracuse traveled to Chestnut Hill and beat Boston College in an ugly game, even without having Briana Day in the lineup because of an ankle injury.

Then on Feb. 19, the Orange blew out the Eagles at home on the night when Brianna Butler broke the school record for career 3-pointers.

Either way, it's a favorable opening matchup for Syracuse who could advance to face fourth-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals on Friday.