Previewing Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament First Round clash with Iowa State
Syracuse begins its March Madness slate against Iowa State, which is led by star center Audi Crooks, in Storrs, Connecticut, Saturday. Avery Magee | Photo Editor
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Syracuse is dancing yet again. After an underwhelming 2024-25 season, the Orange have returned to March Madness for the second time in three years. Their remarkable turnaround earned them a No. 9 seed in the Fort Worth 1 region, which is hosted by No. 1 seed UConn — the winningest women’s basketball program of all time.
But SU can’t get ahead of itself. Before a potential matchup with the Huskies, Syracuse must get past Iowa State. The Cyclones opened the season ranked No. 14 in the nation and have been trying to return to the spotlight since their five-game losing streak in January.
Although ISU has lost three of its last four games, it has an All-American in Audi Crooks. And against an SU squad that’s missing Dominique Darius, the Cyclones have a prime opportunity to achieve that.
Here’s everything to know about No. 9 seed Syracuse’s (23-8, 12-6 Atlantic Coast) NCAA Tournament First Round meeting with No. 8 seed Iowa State (22-9, 10-8 Big 12) in Storrs, Connecticut, Saturday:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 2-0.
Last time they played
The Orange arrived in Las Vegas for the South Point Shootout at 4-1, and they left with two more wins. One of those victories was against Iowa State on Nov. 25, 2023. The squads were at a stalemate at halftime, but a 12-point second-half advantage led to an 81-69 SU win.
Dyaisha Fair and Alaina Rice combined for an absurd 55 points, and Kyra Wood chipped in 13. Yet it was Crooks who took the spotlight in her first career start. She starred with a team-high 23 points, but aside from Addy Brown’s 19 points, no other Cyclone finished in double figures.
Iowa State outshot Syracuse 47% to 45%, knocked down eight 3s to SU’s seven and nearly doubled the Orange’s assisting output (25-13). But SU’s defense wreaked havoc with 11 steals to ISU’s one, the ultimate difference maker.
The Cyclones report
Iowa State is probably one of the most underseeded teams in the field. The Cyclones spent the first 10 weeks of the season in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, and they have one of the nation’s best players in Crooks. Despite their unassuming No. 8 seed, they’re indisputably a top team in the country, and Syracuse will have its hands full.
Crooks is the player to watch. She’s leading ISU with an average of 25.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. She was named a Second Team All-American on Tuesday, another nod to her resume that includes three First Team All-Big 12 selections and a Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year honor.
There’s more to Iowa State than Crooks, though. Jada Williams and Brown both support Crooks with an average over 12 points per game, with Williams’ 15.3 nearly matching Uche Izoje’s Syracuse-leading 15.5.
ISU’s defense isn’t anything special, but that trio has done more than enough to lead the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year. Iowa State leads the Big 12 in points per game (82.3), field-goal percentage (47.9%) and sits fourth in points differential (+15.2). Aside from the aforementioned season-crushing five-game skid in January, ISU simply hasn’t had many flaws.
How Syracuse beats Iowa State
Since shutting down Crooks is out of the picture — she hasn’t been held under 10 points in a game this year — SU’s best bet at downing the Cyclones is dominating the offensive glass and turning every board into second-chance points. Although Crooks stands 6-foot-3 and is a pretty commanding rebounder, her 2.4 offensive rebounds per game aren’t jumping off the page.
That figure is a big reason why ISU’s 10.2 offensive rebounds per game rank 271st in the nation. Syracuse, on the other hand, feasts on extra possessions. And it gets a lot of them. The Orange haul in 16.8 offensive boards a game, the seventh-best mark in the nation.
If Izoje runs wild on the glass and builds off her already-impressive 3.7 offensive rebounds per game, Syracuse might have done enough to keep its season going.
Stat to know: 20.0
Back to where ISU excels — which is many places — look no further than playmaking. The Cyclones pass the ball a lot, and they do it extremely well, ranking fourth in the nation with 20.0 assists per game. With SU already lacking depth with Darius out, Olivia Schmitt and Angelica Velez face a tough task of shutting down Williams at the point.
ISU’s 5-foot-8 guard ranks third in the nation with 7.7 assists per game, finishing in double figures in seven games. She’s coming off a six-assist performance — somehow below her standards — in Iowa State’s upset loss to Arizona State.
Stopping Williams may be the answer to stopping Iowa State’s entire offense. From there, it’s Syracuse’s ballgame to lose.
Player to watch: Audi Crooks, center, No. 55
Crooks is a star, ranking second in the nation with 25.5 points per game. She’s arguably the best player the Orange have seen all year and hasn’t slipped up this season. When she catches fire, she’s nearly impossible to stop.
The Algona, Iowa, native has had eight 30-point performances this year, including games of 41, 43 and 47 points. She’s also put together 12 double-doubles, only two fewer than Izoje. The two bigs are a must-watch matchup. In all likelihood, whoever wins the battle will earn their team a trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
