Spring Break
The Daily OrangeWBB | Hillsman purposely scheduled No. 7 UNC early in season
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 11/15/07, 11:45 PM EST Section: Sports
When the first week's batch of top 25 rankings came out Monday, Quentin Hillsman was especially glad and relieved to see North Carolina in the top 10. With all the hype surrounding the program heading into the year, the Syracuse women's basketball coach wanted to start the season with a splash.
So instead of opening with a couple of home games against mid-majors, Hillsman searched for some serious competition. It was perhaps a questionable scheduling technique, considering the Orange was 9-20 last year, but Hillsman desperately wanted a challenge.
Hillsman was granted his wish, and an immediate opportunity to begin learning just how much attention his team truly deserves.
Syracuse begins its 2007-08 season Saturday against Coppin State (2-1) before taking on No. 7 North Carolina (3-0) Sunday. Both games are in Chapel Hill, N.C., as part of the inaugural Women's National Invitational Championship. The Orange hasn't played a non-conference opponent ranked so high in almost five years, when it lost to No. 9 Vanderbilt in November 2002 under head coach Marianna Freeman.
In its first three games this year, UNC has won by an average of 45.7 points, but that's exactly what Hillsman had hoped for.
"I scheduled it because I wanted to play Carolina, I really wanted to play them," Hillsman said. "I thought it was a great opportunity, and I wanted to play someone who I knew, or was hoping, would be a top-10 team. I didn't want to go in there and play someone like No. 17."
For the first time in five years, Syracuse did not play any exhibition games before the year, opting to schedule two closed scrimmages. While traditional exhibitions simulate an actual game experience, scrimmages provide a better opportunity for coaching, as teams aren't bound by a scoreboard or clock.
Under NCAA regulations, players and coaches may not discuss the details of scrimmages.
So instead of opening with a couple of home games against mid-majors, Hillsman searched for some serious competition. It was perhaps a questionable scheduling technique, considering the Orange was 9-20 last year, but Hillsman desperately wanted a challenge.
Hillsman was granted his wish, and an immediate opportunity to begin learning just how much attention his team truly deserves.
Syracuse begins its 2007-08 season Saturday against Coppin State (2-1) before taking on No. 7 North Carolina (3-0) Sunday. Both games are in Chapel Hill, N.C., as part of the inaugural Women's National Invitational Championship. The Orange hasn't played a non-conference opponent ranked so high in almost five years, when it lost to No. 9 Vanderbilt in November 2002 under head coach Marianna Freeman.
In its first three games this year, UNC has won by an average of 45.7 points, but that's exactly what Hillsman had hoped for.
"I scheduled it because I wanted to play Carolina, I really wanted to play them," Hillsman said. "I thought it was a great opportunity, and I wanted to play someone who I knew, or was hoping, would be a top-10 team. I didn't want to go in there and play someone like No. 17."
For the first time in five years, Syracuse did not play any exhibition games before the year, opting to schedule two closed scrimmages. While traditional exhibitions simulate an actual game experience, scrimmages provide a better opportunity for coaching, as teams aren't bound by a scoreboard or clock.
Under NCAA regulations, players and coaches may not discuss the details of scrimmages.
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