While the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team has nearly completed its nonconference schedule, Felisha Legette-Jack and the women’s team are expected to have some open dates. The only confirmed games so far are two in the inaugural Emerald Coast Classic and a trip to Texas A&M for the ACC/SEC Challenge.
FLJ will certainly invite some local opponents to the Dome, but there is also the possibility of putting the nation’s best on the radar. That is no exaggeration; they are literally ask about it:
I’m really sorry to have to resort to this but we need a game. I’ve had some nice, fun and offbeat conversations about planning a game H/H with a guarantee and guaranteed great experience for student-athletes – if there is interest please let me know. I need to finalize this schedule
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) 9 August 2024
This is Dawn Staley, head coach of the reigning national champion South Carolina Gamecocks, asking someone anyoneto fill the final gap on their non-conference roster. Teams like NC State and UConn have already confirmed they will try to beat East-Coast USC, but one spot is still open… and whoever fills it is promised a return.
If you’re looking for a way to get your program back in the national spotlight, a game against the reigning champions is the clearest way you can find it. And if you need a way to get more fans through the gates – something SU certainly does for WBB, which averages under 3,000 spectators – get them in your Building is a marketing match made in heaven.
Now I know what many of you are thinking – there’s a reason no other school is taking this chance. 38 reasons, to be exact. And maybe the only way for Staley to lose again is to go and coach Philly’s future WNBA expansion team. Who knows? We don’t know, anyway.
What we do know is that aside from the well-received School Days in the Dome and last year’s battle with UConn in the second round of the NCAA, FLJ’s team still has some work to do to regain recognition. However you use this opportunity, it gives the Orange a chance at some prestige.
If Carolina hosts first, it will likely be a learning experience that will be looked back on as it prepares for one of the biggest dome games of the regular season. The team would have two SEC home games, giving them two good reasons to draw more casual fans – and two huge opportunities to improve its tournament record.
If the opposite is true, Legette-Jack has an opportunity early in the season to build on last season’s success and potentially pique student interest from the start. Otto’s Army tried to get more attention last year, including an attempted campout for Duke that fell through. But if they have this game ahead of them, there’s a real chance something special can be made of it. Then in 2025, a team from ‘Cuse, ideally coming off another 20-plus win season and playing in Columbia, would certainly be on the national radar.
It’s difficult enough to move up in a very crowded college landscape, so ‘Cuse needs to stop playing it safe and instead take that giant step forward.
