Syracuse Women's Basketball: Orange to Play in Gulf Coast Showcase

The Syracuse Orange women will play in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida this season. The Orange are one of five NCAA tournament teams from last season in this tournament that will be played November 25th through November 27th.

Syracuse will open tournament play against George Washington on Friday, Nov. 25 at 5 or 7:30 p.m. George Washington finished the 2015-16 season with a 26-7 overall record and won the 2016 Atlantic-10 Championship.

The Orange will take on either Florida Gulf Coast or Ohio State in their second contest of the Gulf Coast Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 1:30 or 7:30 p.m.

In its final contest, Syracuse will play either Baylor, DePaul, Kent State, or Western Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 27.

While this is great news for anyone who is looking for a reason to take a vacation in Florida right around snowfall season, it's also a great sign of strength for an Orange program coming off of a national runner-up finish last season.

If you told me ten years ago that the Syracuse women's basketball program would be in a preseason tournament with the likes of Baylor and Ohio State and were one of the favorites to win it, I'd call you bat crazy. Baylor is a perennial powerhouse and Ohio State puts out very strong teams every season.

But coming off of a Final Four run that included wins over juggernauts like South Carolina and Tennessee, Syracuse is as strong as it has ever been in program history. With returning star Alexis Peterson, the Orange are easily capable of being as much of a force in women's college basketball next seasons as they were last.