2013-14 ACC Opponent Capsules - Syracuse University Athletics

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BOSTON COLLEGE
Series: BC leads, 23-20
Last Meeting: Feb. 12, 2005, No. 22/19 BC won, 75-50, at Manley Field House
Series Notes: The teams have not played since BC left the BIG EAST following the 2004-05 season … BC has won the last four meetings … SU’s last win was Jan. 18, 2003 at Conte Forum, 76-71, over the No. 24/22 Eagles … The teams first played on Feb. 19, 1983, a 66-62 SU win at home in the first year of the BIG EAST Conference.
Head Coach: Erik Johnson (San Diego ’94), second season
Team Notes: The Eagles are coming off a 12-19 season in which it went 5-13 in the ACC … Relied heavily on the 3-point shot, ranking 33^rd in the country in 3-pointers per game (7.0) and 49^th in 3-point shooting percentage (.336) … Return three of their four double digit scorers from last season: 5-11 guard/forward Kristen Doherty (12.3 ppg), 6-3 forward Katie Zenevitch (12.1 ppg) and 5-11 guard Nicole Bourdreau (11.1 ppg).

CLEMSON
Series: SU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 22, 2010, No. 23 Syracuse won, 77-58, at the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout
Series Notes: In their only meeting ever, Kayla Alexander had 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Iasia Hemingway also had a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) as the Orange jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead and cruised to victory at the Kendall Isaacs Gym.
Head Coach: Audra Smith (Virginia ’92), first season
Team Notes: Smith, the former head coach at UAB, takes for a team that went 9-21, including a 5-13 ACC mark … Top scorers from last year are expected to return: 5-10 guard Nikki Dixon (12.7 ppg) and 6-3 forward Quinyotta Pettaway (10.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg) as well as 5-7 point guard Aisha Turner (105 assists) … Team ranked third in the ACC in blocks with 4.8 per game.

DUKE
Series: Duke leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 30, 1995, Duke won, 84-40, in the Big Four Classic in Greensboro, N.C.
Series Notes: The teams have met just the one time and never on each other’s home courts as the game took place at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Head Coach: Joanne McCallie (Northwestern ’87), seventh season
Team Notes: Duke is coming off a 33-3 season in which it went 17-1 in ACC play … Won the ACC Championship with 92-73 win over No. 15/17 UNC … Won three NCAA Tournament games before losing to No. 2 Notre Dame in the regional final, 87-76 … Finished the season ranked No. 5 in the country … Top 3-point shooting percentage team in the country (.405) … Blue Devils return all five starters for 2013-14 … 6-3 center Elizabeth Williams was top scorer at 15.2 ppg and blocked 107 shots.

FLORIDA STATE
Series: Never played
Last Meeting: 2013-14 will be the first meeting between the programs
Head Coach: Sue Semrau (California-San Diego ’85), 17^th season
Team Notes: FSU went 23-10 last season, including 11-7 in the ACC … Seminoles were 13-2 at home, 6-7 on the road … Ranked No. 25 in final AP poll … Eighth-best shooting team in the country (.453) and 10^th-highest scoring (74.8 ppg) … FSU loses four starters from last season, including top three scorers … All-ACC forward Natasha Howard is top returner (12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) … Semrau is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year.

GEORGIA TECH
Series: SU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 23, 2012, Syracuse won, 75-72, in overtime at the San Juan Shootout
Series Notes: The teams met for the first time ever last season in Puerto Rico, with the Orange winning in OT behind 15 points and 11 rebounds by Elashier Hall … Dawn Maye led GT with 23 points … The game had 15 lead changes and 12 ties.
Head Coach: MaChelle Joseph (Purdue ’92), 11^th season
Team Notes: Georgia Tech went 14-16 last season, including 7-11 in the ACC … Yellow Jackets were top offensive rebounding team in ACC at 18.0 per game … Third in ACC in steals (10.9 per game) … Expected to return their top five scorers from last season … 5-9 rising senior guard Tyaunna Marshall is the top scorer and rebounder at 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg.

MARYLAND
Series: Maryland leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Jan. 11, 1984, Maryland won, 74-49, in College Park
Series Notes: The first meeting was Jan. 16, 1982, a 69-57 Terrapins win at Manley Field House in the Orange Plus Classic.
Head Coach: Brenda Frese (Arizona ’93), 12^th season
Team Notes: Maryland went 26-8 in 2012-13, finished second in the ACC with a 14-4 record … The Terps advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in Frese’s 11 years … Went 15-1 at home … Top scoring team in ACC and ninth-nationally (75.0 ppg) … No. 2 in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+13.7) … UM loses the No. 3 scorer in the ACC, Tianna Hawkins (18.0 ppg), but returns the conference’s top scorer, Alyssa Thomas (18.8 ppg) … Katie Rutan (9.5 ppg) also returns and led team in 3-pointers with 68-of-180 (.378).

MIAMI
Series: Miami leads, 17-6
Last Meeting: Feb. 18, 2004, No. 22/21 Miami won, 85-65, at Manley Field House
Series Notes: The teams have not played since Miami departed the BIG EAST for the ACC … SU’s last win was Jan. 25, 2003 at Miami, 62-59 … The teams played three times in 2002-03 with the Hurricanes winning at Manley Field House and in the BIG EAST Tournament in Piscataway, N.J.
Head Coach: Katie Meier (Duke ’90), ninth season
Team Notes: Miami went 21-11 this past season which includes an 11-7 record in ACC play … While SU had the best 3-point percentage defense in the BIG EAST, the ‘Canes were tops in the ACC (.283) … Miami’s three double-figure scorers from 2012-13 all graduated, leaving 5-11 guard Suriya McGuire (7.2 ppg as the top returner … 5-8 guard Krystal Saunders (6.2 ppg, 32 3-pointers) is the other returning starter.

NORTH CAROLINA
Series: UNC leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 19, 2000, No. 22/25 North Carolina won, 81-68, at Manley Field House
Series Notes: SU opened the 1998-99 season on Nov. 17 at Carmichael Arena, losing 85-68 to No. 7 UNC in the first meeting … No. 7/6 UNC defeated the Orange, 97-72, on Nov. 18, 2007 in the Preseason WNIT in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Head Coach: Sylvia Hatchell (Carson-Newman ’74), 29^th season
Team Notes: UNC is coming off a 29-7 season in which it went 14-4 in the ACC … Beat Maryland in the ACC semifinals before losing in title game to Duke … Beat Albany in NCAA first round before losing to Delaware in the second round, 78-69 … Second in the NCAA in steals per game (13.2) and 12^th in blocks (5.5) … Loses three senior starters from last season, including the top two scorers … 6-2 forward Xylina McDaniel (11.3 ppg, 71. rpg) and 5-9 guard Brittany Rountree (7.2 ppg) are top returners … In 2012-13, Hatchell became one of only six coaches in Division I history with 900 wins (joining Jim Boeheim).

NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Series: NC State leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 28, 1996, NC State won, 104-69, in the Orange’s season opener at the San Juan Shootout
Series Notes: The first meeting was the previous season, on Dec. 29, 1995, a 79-70 Wolfpack victory in the Big Four Classic in Greensboro, N.C.
Head Coach: Wes Moore (Tennessee ‘86 ), first season
Team Notes: After 15 seasons as head coach at Tennessee Chattanooga, Moore takes over a team that went 17-17 last season, including 7-11 in the ACC … The Wolfpack recorded a win in the ACC Tournament over Clemson before losing to No. 6 Duke … Lost WNIT opener at James Madison, 72-66 … NC State is due to return four starters from last season, led by 6-2 forward Kody Burke (13.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and 6-5 center Markeisha Gatling 9.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg) … They made the second-most 3-pointers in the ACC (5.8 per game) and shot the second-best percentage from three (.356).

NOTRE DAME
Series: Notre Dame leads, 26-2
Last Meeting: Feb. 26, 2013, No. 2 Notre Dame won, 79-68, at Purcell Pavilion
Series Notes: No. 22/20 Syracuse led by as many as 15 in the first half in last season’s meeting, but Kayla McBride (25 points) and Skylar Diggins (24 points) led a 23-4 run that gave the Fighting Irish the lead … Kayla Alexander had 24 points and 16 rebounds for SU … ND has won 14 in a row over SU … The Orange’s last win was March, 3, 2002, 84-79.
Head Coach: Muffet McGraw (Saint Joseph’s ’77), 27^th season
Team Notes: Notre Dame is coming off its third straight Final Four appearance, going 35-2 overall and winning the BIG EAST regular season (16-0) and tournament titles in its final season in the conference … The Irish loses All-American Skylar Diggins (17.1 ppg) but returns 5-11 guard Kayla McBride (15.9 ppg), 6-3 forward Natalie Achonwa (13.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and 5-10 guard and 2013 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Jewell Loyd (12.5 ppg) … McGraw swept the BIG EAST and all major national Coach of the Year awards in 2012-13 … No. 2 scoring team in the country last season (81.2 ppg) … Lost to UConn in Final Four, 83-65.

PITTSBURGH
Series: Syracuse leads, 30-19
Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 2013, No. 23/21 Syracuse won, 80-39, at the Carrier Dome
Series Notes: Kayla Alexander had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks to lead SU to a 51-point win over the Panthers in this season’s final BIG EAST meeting between the two teams … SU scored 27 points off 23 Pitt turnovers … The Orange has won four in a row vs. the Panthers … The long-time rivals have played every season since 1979-80.
Head Coach: Suzie McConnell-Serio (Penn State ’88), first season
Team Notes: McConnell-Serio makes the move across town after leading Duquesne for six seasons, five of which were 20-win campaigns … Pitt is coming off a 9-21 season including a 0-16 record in its final BIG EAST season … Winless in BIG EAST for last two seasons … Panthers return an extremely young team that did not have a single senior in 2012-13 … 5-7 junior guard Brianna Kiesel, from Utica, N.Y., returns as the top scorer (14.9 ppg) … 6-0 forward Asia Logan is the top inside player (14.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg).

VIRGINIA
Series: Virginia leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 24, 2012, No. 23/22 Syracuse won, 74-73, in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the San Juan Shootout
Series Notes: The Orange defeated Virginia for the first time in school history, 74-73, after senior Elashier Hall made two free throws with .4 seconds left in the San Juan Shootout last season … Fellow senior Kayla Alexander led SU in scoring (18) and rebounds (9) … Prior to the 2012 meeting, the last time the two teams met was in the 1999-00, when SU fell, 70-59, at Virginia.
Head Coach: Joanne Boyle (Duke ’84), third season
Team Notes: Virginia went 16-14 overall last season and had an 8-10 record in the ACC … The Cavaliers led the conference in free throw percentage (.741 percent) in 2012-13 while ranking fifth in scoring defense, only allowing its opponents to score an average of 60 ppg … Rising senior 5-11 guard Ataira Franklin led the Cavaliers with an average of 14.3 ppg.

VIRGINIA TECH
Series: Virginia Tech leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: Jan. 31, 2004, No. 23/22 Virginia Tech won, 75-60, at Manley Field House
Series Notes: The teams have not played since Virginia Tech departed the BIG EAST for the ACC … SU’s last win was Jan. 23, 2002 vs. #16/17 Virginia Tech, 75-59 … The only other win came in the 1988-89 season, when the Orange defeated the Hokies, 76-74, in overtime on Nov. 27.
Head Coach: Dennis Wolff (Connecticut ’78), third season
Team Notes: Virginia Tech went 10-20 and 4-14 in the ACC this past season ... Has the second-best defense in the ACC after holding opponents to an average of 56.1 ppg … 5-11 guard Monet Teller returns after leading the Hokies last season with 13.2 ppg … 6-1 forward Uju Ugoka also returns after averaging 8.5 rpg and 12.5 ppg.

WAKE FOREST
Series: Never played
Last Meeting: 2013-14 will be the first meeting between the programs
Head Coach: Jen Hoover (Wake Forest ’91), second season
Team Notes: Wake Forest went 13-19 last season, including 5-13 in the ACC … Demon Deacons ranked fourth in the ACC in three-point field goals made (5.2/gm) and in assists (14.8 avg/gm)… Expected to return two of its top five scorers from last season … Rising senior Chelsea Douglas led the Demon Deacons with 14.6 ppg and averaged 2.3 rbg.