No. 23 Syracuse women’s basketball vs. North Carolina: TV/streaming, time, history & more

Teams: No. 23 Syracuse Orange (6-1, 3-1 ACC) vs. North Carolina (7-4, 2-4 ACC)

Day & Time: Tuesday, January 19 at 12 p.m. EST

Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.

TV/Streaming: ACC Network

Radio: Cuse.com

Opponent Blog: Tar Heel Blog

Rivalry: Syracuse leads 7-5

Current Streak: Syracuse is 5-1 in the last six match-ups

Teams Last Meeting: The Orange suffered their first loss of the season at North Carolina on Dec. 17, 92-68. Emily Engstler (18 pts & 10 rebounds) and Kamilla Cardoso (11 & 13) tallied double-doubles of the season in the defeat.

Orange Storylines This Week:

• Priscilla Williams was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Week. Williams went 9-9 from the field (6-6 from three) to lead all scorers with a career-high of 26 points in Sunday’s win over Miami.
• The Orange stand at No. 23 (+1) in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 21 in the USA TODAY/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
• Syracuse averages a 15.3 margin of victory this season. Freshman Kamilla Cardoso leads the team with 15.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest. Kiara Lewis (12), Priscilla Williams (11.7), and Tiana Mangakahia (10.8) are also contributing double-digit scoring for ‘Cuse this season.
• The Orange rank in the top-5 of the ACC in opponent field goal % (1st), blocked shots (1st), steals (2nd), opponent 3-pt % (2nd), 3-pt field goals made (2nd), rebounding offense (3rd), offensive rebounds (4th), defensive rebounds (4th), scoring offense (4th), scoring margin (4th), and scoring defense (5th).
• Individually in the conference, Williams ranks first in 3-pt %, Cardoso ranks first in field goal % and fourth in blocks, Mangakahia ranks first in assists, third in free throw %, and fifth in steals, Lewis ranks third in steals, and Engstler ranks fifth in rebounding.
• Erica Morrow, a 2011 ‘Cuse graduate, has rejoined head coach Quentin Hillsman in Central New York as an assistant coach.
• On December 2nd, 2020, the Syracuse Athletics staff were able to adjust and achieve a live basketball game despite a location change in under 60 minutes. This is their story.
• The NCAA announced the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship will be held in one geographic area and is in preliminary talks with the city of San Antonio, Texas.

Syracuse’s Last Game: After a 28-day break due to COVID-19 protocol, the Orange returned to the court and dominated Miami in the Carrier Dome on Sunday afternoon, 99-64. Freshman Priscilla Williams went 9-9 from the field (6-6 from three) to lead all scorers with a career-high of 26 points. Williams is the second Syracuse player to shoot 100 percent from three (Julie McBride, 2002-03).

Tiana Mangakahia tallied her first double-double of the season with 10 points (4-5) and 10 assists. Emily Engstler also tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kamilla Cardoso (17 pts) and Digna Strautmane (12) also contributed double-digit points for the Orange. As a team, Syracuse tied a program-best 17 three’s and a season-high 28 assists. The 35-point win is the largest margin of victory in an ACC women’s basketball game this season.

Amaya Finklea-Guity and Taleah Washington did not appear in Sunday’s game. Coach Q stated in the postgame press conference that they are “going through protocol”.

Head Coaches: Syracuse - Quentin Hillsman (15th year, 310-161) | North Carolina - Courtney Banghart (2nd year, 23-18)

Opponent Coach Bio: Banghart began this season with a 270-117 career record. Prior to joining the Tar Heels last season, Banghart was the head coach of the Princeton Tigers. She was named the 2015 Naismith National Coach of the Year and 2015 Fortune Magazine World’s 50 Greatest Leaders after leading Princeton to a 30-0 regular season record. In 12 years as the Tiger’s head coach, Banghart won seven Ivy League titles and reached the NCAA Tournament eight times.

Opponent Last Year: Last season, North Carolina went 16-14 with a 7-11 ACC record. The Tar Heels fell in the first round of the conference tournament to Wake Forest.

Opponent’s Last Game: Like the Orange, North Carolina’s last game was at Miami. The Tar Heels fell to Virginia Tech, 66-54, at home. Three players tallied double-digit points, including Deja Kelly (15), Janelle Bailey (11), and Petra Holešínská (10).

Opponent Player’s to Watch: Senior Janelle Bailey is averaging a near double-double with 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She was named to the Preseason All-ACC Team, Wade Watch List, and the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List this season.

If Syracuse Wins: Evening the series will likely help the Orange’s conference standing in March.

If Syracuse Loses: As I said above, the ACC standings will likely come down to the last few games of the season, so a UNC sweep could hurt ‘Cuse’s postseason seeding.