On the road against South Florida on Feb. 23, on the heels of a six-game winning streak, Syracuse took a 13-point lead in the second half and looked poised to hit the 11-win mark in Big East play. But the Bulls made a late run and ended SU’s winning streak with a 68-66 win.

At No. 2 Notre Dame three days later, the Orange squandered a 15-point lead and dropped a second consecutive decision. Saturday, Syracuse allowed a game-tying layup with less than two seconds left in regulation, missed potential game-winning shots in the final moments of the first two overtimes, and fell 77-75 in triple overtime.

Just like that, the Orange’s 10-2 start has morphed into a 10-5 conference mark, leaving the team openly questioning its NCAA tournament placement.

“You definitely think about it, because we needed this ‘W’, I felt,” senior center and all-time SU scoring leader Kayla Alexander said. “And I feel like we have to come out with these next couple of games and get it done, because our NCAA tournament future is on the line.”

Syracuse (22-6, 10-5 Big East) faces No. 16 Louisville (23-6, 11-4) at 9 p.m. Monday at the Carrier Dome in the season finale for both teams before the conference tournament in Hartford, Conn., starts March 8. The contest marks the final regular-season home game for Alexander, along with fellow key contributors Elashier Hall and Carmen Tyson-Thomas. A win would likely secure the first NCAA bid for the No. 22 Orange in five years, while a loss would open the door for a season-ending five-game losing streak if the team makes an early exit in Hartford.

When asked if Saturday’s triple-overtime thriller could help the team prepare for tournament situations, SU head coach Quentin Hillsman quickly disagreed. He said tired legs couldn’t be a benefit. After the Villanova contest ended at about 5:10 p.m. Saturday, the team will have had just more than two full days to prepare for Louisville, which has not played since defeating Seton Hall 72-62 on Wednesday.

Still, considering the Senior Night context and desire to snap a three-game losing streak, all of which featured squandered Syracuse leads, SU doesn’t envision a problem finding motivation for Monday’s contest.

“We’re just worried about winning the next game,” Tyson-Thomas said. “We’re not looking too far ahead, we’re never skipping opponents. I feel like we’re just looking at do-or-die.”

The 55-minute battle against Villanova drained energy from both sides. All three seniors, along with Brianna Butler, saw 40-plus minutes of action, with Alexander and Hall leading the way at 48 and 46 minutes, respectively.

In a season with just one overtime game, players and coaches alike expressed amazement at what transpired down the stretch. Hillsman said he couldn’t remember taking part in as memorable a game in his career, aside from arcade-like games he played as a kid.

Against a solid Louisville squad Monday night, a win could alleviate all concerns regarding the NCAA bid that has eluded SU’s senior class. Although 35th-year Villanova head coach Harry Perretta expressed confidence after Saturday’s game that the Orange is “in the tournament, no question,” Hillsman has his doubts, pointing to past seasons like the 22-9 2010-11 campaign that led to a WNIT berth.

While the team has hit a rough patch in the past week, SU carries plenty of confidence for a turnaround.

A win in the regular-season finale would be a definitive start.

“Obviously, we have that sense of urgency right now,” Alexander said. “So we’ve got to finish it up.”

Published on March 3, 2013 at 11:45 pm

Contact Kevin: kmprisei@syr.edu