No. 10 Syracuse secures NCAA Tournament spot for 5th consecutive year
Syracuse will play No. 7 Liberty Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after earning its fifth straight berth to the national playoffs. Tara Deluca | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse earned its 19th-ever NCAA Tournament berth after the NCAA announced its 18-squad field Sunday. The unseeded Orange were one of five Atlantic Coast Conference squads chosen. SU will face No. 7 Liberty Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Although No. 10 SU began the season 6-0 — its best start since 2017 — the Orange stumbled in ACC play, with all five of their regular-season losses coming in conference play. Still, SU stepped up at the ACC Tournament, soundly defeating No. 6 seed Wake Forest 3-1, before taking No. 4 seed Virginia to double overtime and eventually losing in a shootout.
By qualifying, Syracuse punched its fifth straight NCAA Tournament ticket. Three of its last four runs have ended at the quarterfinals, twice by Maryland and once by Duke, before losing in the second round last year to then-No. 10 Harvard.
SU and Liberty last met in the NCAA second round in 2023, when the Orange pulled out a 2-1 overtime win courtesy of a Charlotte de Vries game-winner. On this occasion, the Flames enter the match boasting their third Big East title and a 15-2 (7-0 Big East) regular-season record.
The victor of the second round matchup is slated to play either No. 2 seed Princeton or the winner of the first round Boston University-Fairfield matchup, in the quarterfinals on Nov. 16.
