No. 4 seed Syracuse (29-7, 13-3 Atlantic Coast) takes on No. 7 seed Washington (26-10, 11-7 Pac-12) in both teams’ first-ever Final Four on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Orange had never advanced past the Round of 32 before this year and is amid its best season in program history. SU has won 15 of its last 16 games, its only loss coming in the ACC championship game against then-No. 2 ranked Notre Dame.

Here’s everything you need to know about Syracuse’s Final Four matchup with the Huskies.

All-time series history: Syracuse leads 1-0

Last time they played: The Orange got its only win ever against UW, 66-62, earlier this season on Nov. 27, 2015, in Las Vegas. SU led by as many as 21 late in the second quarter, but Washington clawed nearly all the way back. Led by 22 points (11 in fourth quarter) from Talia Walton, 19 from Kelsey Plum and 10 from Chantel Osahor, the Huskies made it close down the stretch.

Syracuse went just 7-of-33 from behind the arc and was outrebounded 48-46. However, the Orange did force 19 turnovers compared to committing just eight, which led to SU outscoring the Huskies 13-4 on points off turnovers. With 3:47 left to play, Washington trailed by just one. But six free throws down the stretch helped seal the Syracuse victory.

“Kelsey Plum did well, (Walton) did an excellent job making shots, getting rebounds and (Osahor), she’s been having a good season so far and in the tournament,” Syracuse’s Cornelia Fondren said Thursday, “so we just want to come out and compete hard like we’ve been doing all year.”

The Washington report: Plum averages 26.2 points per game, which ranks third in the country. And throughout the postseason, the Huskies have also received contributions from Walton and Osahor, who average 16.2 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. It’s that three-pronged attack that has made UW dangerous in the postseason as it has knocked off Maryland, Kentucky and Stanford in its last three games.

Washington averages 12.6 turnovers per game while Syracuse forces opponents to commit a nation-leading 24.2 turnovers per game. The last time they played, the Huskies committed 19 turnovers.

“(Plum) is a great shooter. She’s a lefty that can get to the basket,” Fondren said. “She can shoot it pretty well, she can shoot the ball off the bounce, she’s been having a pretty good season so far.”

Numbers to know:

12.6 — Washington averages 12.6 turnovers per game while forcing 13.9 from its opponents.

10 — In the fourth quarter of the game between Washington and Syracuse earlier this season, the Huskies outscored the Orange 24-14. Though UW didn’t pull off the comeback, it gave SU a scare down the stretch.

0 — In the Nov. 27 matchup between these two teams, Syracuse shot 0-for-10 from behind the arc in the second half. The Orange has relied on the 3-pointer all season and may not be able to survive with a repeat performance like that in a half on Sunday.

Player to watch: Chantel Osahor

While all eyes will be on Plum as Washington’s go-to scorer, Osahor has flashed strong potential, especially recently. In UW’s Elite Eight win over Stanford, Osahor scored 24 points. In the Sweet 16, she scored 19. In the Round of 32, she scored 20. Plum will garner the attention, but the 6-foot-2 Osahor has a stronger potential to get in the cracks of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone and exploit the high post. If she gives Washington a legitimate second threat to pair with Plum, the Orange will be in for a tough fight.

Published on April 1, 2016 at 2:20 am

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds