Syracuse Picked to Finish Third in ACC
11/10/2020 8:46:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Three Orange selected for preseason ACC teams
Greensboro, N.C. – There is a lot of buzz surrounding the upcoming Syracuse women's basketball season and for good measure. On Tuesday the Atlantic Coast Conference announced the ACC Coaches' and Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Polls and the Orange are expected to finish third in the conference according to both polls. Additionally, seniors Kiara Lewis and Tiana Mangakahia were recognized on the Preseason All-ACC Team while freshman Kamilla Cardoso is one of five newcomers on the Newcomer Watch List.
The ACC's 15 head coaches predict Louisville to finish at the top of the league standings this season as the Cardinals received 13 of the 15 available first-place votes. NC State, the 2020 ACC Tournament Champion, earned the second spot with two first-place votes while the Orange are expected to finish third.
The Blue Ribbon Panel also selected Louisville as the top team in the ACC with NC State receiving 10 first-place votes for second and the Orange with two, for third. Additionally, Louisville's Dana Evans was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and media.
Lewis led the Orange in scoring last season with 17.3 points per game. She shot an impressive 40 percent from the field and added 3.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Lewis averaged 37.2 minutes per game as Syracuse's starting point guard and was named All-ACC First Team and All-ECAC Second Team in 2019-20.
Mangakahia was sidelined for the 2019-20 season while battling Stage 2 breast cancer and has been granted an Extension of Eligibility waiver by the NCAA for the upcoming season. In two seasons with the Orange, Mangakahia became the fastest player in program history to score 1,000 career points and is the all-time leader in assists with 591. A two-time All-ACC First Team honoree and a 2019 WBCA All-America Honorable Mention selection, Mangakahia was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List on Monday marking the third time in her Syracuse career she's been a candidate for the nation's top point guard award.
Cardoso, the highest-ranked recruit in program history, adds height to the Orange's front court. Standing at 6-foot-7 the Brazilian-born center is the No. 5 recruit in country and is a key component to Syracuse's No. 4 recruiting class that joined the Orange this season. Cardoso is a McDonald's High School All-American and was selected for the 2020 Jordan Brand Classic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the McDonald's All-America Game and Jordan Brand Classic were canceled.
Syracuse returns four of five starters from last year's team that went 16-15 before the NCAA canceled the remainder of the season due to the pandemic last season. The Orange are No. 23 in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top-25 Poll.
Head Coaches & Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Player of the Year
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G
Head Coaches Preseason All-ACC Team
Taylor Soule, Boston College, Jr., F
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G (12 Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina, Sr., C
Jakia Brown-Turner, NC State So., G
Elissa Cunane, NC State, Jr., C (3)
Kiara Lewis, Syracuse, Sr., G
Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse, Gr., G
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, So., C
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, Sr., G
Ivana Raca, Wake Forest, Sr., F
Head Coaches Newcomer Watch List
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville, Fr., G
Kianna Smith, Louisville, Jr., G
Deja Kelly, North Carolina, Fr., G
Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame, Fr., F
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse, Fr., C
Head Coaches Predicted Order of Finish
Louisville (13 first-place votes) - 223
NC State (2) - 210
Syracuse - 193
North Carolina - 157
Georgia Tech - 146
Notre Dame - 138
Virginia Tech - 125
Florida State - 124
Boston College - 120
Miami - 99
Duke - 74
Wake Forest - 73
Clemson - 56
Pittsburgh - 37
Virginia - 25
Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team (57 voters)
Taylor Soule, Boston College, Jr., F (3)
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G (40)
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina, Sr., C
Elissa Cunane, NC State, Jr., C (11)
Sam Brunelle, Notre Dame, So., F
Kiara Lewis, Syracuse, Sr., G
Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse, Gr., G (3)
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, So., C
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, Sr., G
Ivana Raca, Wake Forest, Sr., F
() Indicates preseason player of the year votes
Blue Ribbon Panel Newcomer Watch List
Tiana England, Florida State, Gr., G
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville, Fr., G
Deja Kelly, North Carolina, Fr., G
Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame, Fr., F
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse, Fr., C
Blue Ribbon Panel Predicted Order of Finish (57 voters)
Louisville (45 first-place votes) – 840 points
NC State (10) – 797 points
Syracuse (2) – 724 points
Notre Dame – 555 points
North Carolina – 547 points
Florida State – 516 points
Virginia Tech – 482 points
Boston College – 468 points
Georgia Tech – 452 points
Duke – 385 points
Miami – 359 points
Wake Forest – 258 points
Clemson – 183 points
Virginia – 149 points
Pitt – 125 points
() Indicates first-place votes
The ACC's 15 head coaches predict Louisville to finish at the top of the league standings this season as the Cardinals received 13 of the 15 available first-place votes. NC State, the 2020 ACC Tournament Champion, earned the second spot with two first-place votes while the Orange are expected to finish third.
The Blue Ribbon Panel also selected Louisville as the top team in the ACC with NC State receiving 10 first-place votes for second and the Orange with two, for third. Additionally, Louisville's Dana Evans was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and media.
Lewis led the Orange in scoring last season with 17.3 points per game. She shot an impressive 40 percent from the field and added 3.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Lewis averaged 37.2 minutes per game as Syracuse's starting point guard and was named All-ACC First Team and All-ECAC Second Team in 2019-20.
Mangakahia was sidelined for the 2019-20 season while battling Stage 2 breast cancer and has been granted an Extension of Eligibility waiver by the NCAA for the upcoming season. In two seasons with the Orange, Mangakahia became the fastest player in program history to score 1,000 career points and is the all-time leader in assists with 591. A two-time All-ACC First Team honoree and a 2019 WBCA All-America Honorable Mention selection, Mangakahia was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List on Monday marking the third time in her Syracuse career she's been a candidate for the nation's top point guard award.
Cardoso, the highest-ranked recruit in program history, adds height to the Orange's front court. Standing at 6-foot-7 the Brazilian-born center is the No. 5 recruit in country and is a key component to Syracuse's No. 4 recruiting class that joined the Orange this season. Cardoso is a McDonald's High School All-American and was selected for the 2020 Jordan Brand Classic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the McDonald's All-America Game and Jordan Brand Classic were canceled.
Syracuse returns four of five starters from last year's team that went 16-15 before the NCAA canceled the remainder of the season due to the pandemic last season. The Orange are No. 23 in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top-25 Poll.
Head Coaches & Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Player of the Year
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G
Head Coaches Preseason All-ACC Team
Taylor Soule, Boston College, Jr., F
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G (12 Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina, Sr., C
Jakia Brown-Turner, NC State So., G
Elissa Cunane, NC State, Jr., C (3)
Kiara Lewis, Syracuse, Sr., G
Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse, Gr., G
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, So., C
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, Sr., G
Ivana Raca, Wake Forest, Sr., F
Head Coaches Newcomer Watch List
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville, Fr., G
Kianna Smith, Louisville, Jr., G
Deja Kelly, North Carolina, Fr., G
Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame, Fr., F
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse, Fr., C
Head Coaches Predicted Order of Finish
Louisville (13 first-place votes) - 223
NC State (2) - 210
Syracuse - 193
North Carolina - 157
Georgia Tech - 146
Notre Dame - 138
Virginia Tech - 125
Florida State - 124
Boston College - 120
Miami - 99
Duke - 74
Wake Forest - 73
Clemson - 56
Pittsburgh - 37
Virginia - 25
Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team (57 voters)
Taylor Soule, Boston College, Jr., F (3)
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G (40)
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina, Sr., C
Elissa Cunane, NC State, Jr., C (11)
Sam Brunelle, Notre Dame, So., F
Kiara Lewis, Syracuse, Sr., G
Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse, Gr., G (3)
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, So., C
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, Sr., G
Ivana Raca, Wake Forest, Sr., F
() Indicates preseason player of the year votes
Blue Ribbon Panel Newcomer Watch List
Tiana England, Florida State, Gr., G
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville, Fr., G
Deja Kelly, North Carolina, Fr., G
Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame, Fr., F
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse, Fr., C
Blue Ribbon Panel Predicted Order of Finish (57 voters)
Louisville (45 first-place votes) – 840 points
NC State (10) – 797 points
Syracuse (2) – 724 points
Notre Dame – 555 points
North Carolina – 547 points
Florida State – 516 points
Virginia Tech – 482 points
Boston College – 468 points
Georgia Tech – 452 points
Duke – 385 points
Miami – 359 points
Wake Forest – 258 points
Clemson – 183 points
Virginia – 149 points
Pitt – 125 points
() Indicates first-place votes
Players Mentioned
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