Sophie Burrows named ACC Player of the Week, SU’s 1st winner in 2 years
Sophie Burrows was named the ACC Player of the Week. Burrows spearheaded Syracuse's win over Clemson Sunday with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Matthew Crisafulli | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse guard Sophie Burrows was named ACC Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday. Burrows averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 61.5% shooting across SU’s wins over Pitt and Clemson.
While center Uche Izoje has tallied six Rookie of the Week honors, Burrows is the first Syracuse player to win the Player of the Week award this season and SU’s first winner since Dyaisha Fair in January 2024.
In Syracuse’s 84-51 win over Pitt Thursday, Burrows tallied 18 points and five rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting, including a 4-of-6 mark from 3-point range. She followed it up with one of her best performances in a Syracuse jersey, tallying 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds on 9-of-16 shooting as the Orange beat Clemson 68-64. Burrows had eight offensive rebounds and had already beaten her previous career-high of 10 total boards by halftime. Additionally, Burrows turned the ball over just once in 57 combined minutes across the two contests.
“I just wanted to come in and try to impact the game in ways that wasn’t just scoring,” Burrows said following the Clemson game. “Whether that was defense or offensive rebounds today, that was kind of my goal.”
It’s been part of Burrows’ new identity all season. Last season, the Orange relied on Burrows as a 3-point sniper and second-option scorer. She did that pretty well, averaging a career-high 12.2 points on 39.6% shooting from deep.
Both of those numbers have regressed this year, but Burrows has been exactly what head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and the Orange need — she’s evolved into a stellar defender and a far more balanced player, as she showed Sunday. Burrows is averaging career highs in steals (2.1), blocks (0.9), assists (2.2) and is tied for a career-high with 5.6 boards a game.
Her game never jumps off the screen. As Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie put it postgame, she’s not the best athlete, but she’s a winner. Her performances often go understated because they won’t light up the stat sheet. But she’s been the glue of Syracuse’s starting lineup this season.
Now, with Monday’s honor, she’s finally in the spotlight. So, too, are the Orange as they look to close out an NCAA Tournament berth in the final few weeks of the regular season.
