/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68802866/usa_today_15462742.0.jpg)
Teams: Syracuse Orange (11-4, 8-4 ACC) at Florida State (6-5, 5-5 ACC)
Day & Time: Thursday, February 11 at 8 p.m. EST
Location: Donald Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
TV/Streaming: ACC Network
Radio: Cuse.com
Opponent Blog: Tomahawk Nation
Current Streak: Syracuse: W2 | Florida State: L1
All-Time Series: Syracuse leads 4-3
Teams Last Meeting: Emily Engstler sank an inbound-pass at the buzzer to push the Orange over then-ranked No. 8 Florida State in the Carrier Dome, 90-89, in overtime on Jan. 2, 2020. Kiara Lewis led Syracuse with 21 points.
Orange Storylines:
- Fan voting is now live for the Basketball Hall of Fame Awards. Vote Tiana Mangakahia for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year and Kamilla Cardoso for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year.
- For the third straight week, Syracuse Orange women’s basketball player Kamilla Cardoso has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Week. This is the fourth week in a row a Syracuse player has been selected: Cardoso (Feb. 1, Jan. 25) and Priscilla Williams (Jan. 18).
- Mangakahia is one of 39 players on the Wade Watch list of candidates for the 2020 Wade Trophy.
- The Orange received votes in the AP Top 25 Poll (9) and the USA TODAY/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll (5) this week.
- ‘Cuse stands in fourth place in the conference standings and is projected as a seventh seed in ESPN’s Bracketology by Charlie Creme.
- Freshman Kamilla Cardoso leads the team with 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Kiara Lewis stands just behind Cardoso in scoring, averaging 14.3 points and 1.5 steals per contest. Emily Engstler is making a name for herself as ACC Sixth Player of the Year, averaging a near double-double this season with 10.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest off the bench. Tiana Mangakahia (10.6 pts) is also contributing double-figure scoring for ‘Cuse this season, while dishing out 7.9 assists per game.
- The Orange rank in the top-5 of the ACC in assists per game (1st), blocked shots (1st), blocked shots per game (1st), steals (2nd), steals per game (2nd), scoring offense (3rd), 3-PT field goals made (3rd), 3-PT field goals per game (3rd), turnovers forced (3rd), assists (4th), field goal percentage defense (4th), free throw attempts (4th), 3-PT field goals attempted (4th), won-lost percentage (4th), rebounds (5th), rebounds per game (5th), and 3-PT field goal defense (5th). The team ranks top-15 nationally in blocked shots per game (3rd), total blocks (7th), and assists per game (13th).
- In the conference, Mangakahia ranks first in assists per game and total assists, Cardoso ranks first in blocked shots per game and total blocks, second in field goal percentage, and fifth in total rebounds, Lewis ranks second in free throw attempts and third in minutes played per game, Engstler ranks fifth in rebounds per game and steals per game, and Williams ranks fifth in 3-PT field goal percentage. Nationally, Mangakahia ranks first in assists per game and third in total assists, while Cardoso ranks eighth in blocked shots per game and ninth in total blocks and field goal percentage.
- The NCAA announced that the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship will be held in San Antonio, Texas. The NCAA also announced the tournament will have a 64-team bracket and the .500 rule will be waived. The committee will announce the bracket at 7 p.m. EST on Selection Monday, March 15, on ESPN.
Syracuse’s Last Game: The Orange overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Panthers Sunday on the road, 71-67. Syracuse has won the last 20 match-ups against Pitt.
Kamilla Cardoso and Kiara Lewis led all scorers with 22 points each. Cardoso also added eight rebounds and Lewis tallied four assists. Emily Engstler contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tiana Mangakahia dished out 11 assists.
: Highlight’s from today’s road win at Pitt pic.twitter.com/MIJ9XXF1ms
— 'Cuse Hoops (@CuseWBB) February 7, 2021
Head Coaches: Syracuse - Quentin Hillsman (15th year, 315-164) | Florida State - Brooke Wyckoff (1st year/Interim Head Coach, 6-5)
Opponent Coach Bio: Head Coach Sue Semrau (24th year, 453-257) is on a single-season leave of absence for the 2020-21 season as her mom recovers from ovarian cancer. Wyckoff is an FSU Alumna, a 10-year Seminole assistant coach, and the Associate Head Coach of the program since 2018.
Opponent Last Year: Last season, Florida State went 24-8 with an 11-7 ACC record. The Seminoles fell in the ACC Tournament Championship to NC State, 66-71.
Opponent’s Last Game: The Seminoles fell to Miami, 68-52, on the road. Bianca Jackson led the team with 12 points and two steals.
Opponent Players to Watch: Morgan Jones, Kourtney Weber, and Jackson are averaging double-figure scoring for Florida State this season with 14.9, 13.9, and 13.2 points per game, respectively.
If Syracuse Wins: Another game in the win column for the Orange and the team is on a three-game win streak heading into the Louisville game Sunday.
If Syracuse Loses: Coming off a loss and then playing Louisville is not an ideal situation, but Florida State is undefeated at home this season so the Orange will need to put up a tough fight.
Next Game: The Orange will host No. 3 Louisville in the Carrier Dome Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN2. The contest will mark this year’s Play4Kay game.