At the top of the women’s basketball Big East standings, you’ll find a surprise. Not at the very top, a spot that Connecticut holds tighter than Atlas grips a globe. It’s just a bit below the Huskies, where Syracuse resides in conference play.

The Orangewomen, a team picked to finish 11th in the 14-team league, currently resides in third, right behind the likes of UConn and Miami.

But starting with tonight’s game against Notre Dame at Manley Field House at 7, Syracuse begins the toughest part of its schedule.

No longer can Syracuse (6-8, 3-1 Big East) feast on perennial bottom-feeders Pittsburgh and Providence. Instead, the Orangewomen must challenge some of the better teams in the country and prove their worth.

And very quickly, Syracuse can go from third right back down to the bottom.

‘Every team we play we have to prove yourself against regardless,’ Syracuse junior center Chineze Nwagbo said. ‘Whether it’s St. John’s or UConn, you definitely have to come out and play 100 percent each time with any team, never playing down to the level of that team. And Notre Dame is going to be a test, and we’re going to be ready for it.’

Don’t be surprised, though, if SU sticks around for a little while longer. It would be right in line with the rest of the wacky conference so far.

The unpredictable nature of the Big East has already seen UConn lose twice, including once to the Irish – the same team coming off upsets of the defending national champs as well as one over No. 16 Virginia Tech. Notre Dame then lost to unranked West Virginia on Saturday.

All of it means that Syracuse better be prepared for almost anything tonight.

‘They’ve got great size and they defend very well,’ Syracuse head coach Cieplicki. ‘They’re very active defensively. They just beat the defending champ by 15. Basically blew them out. That worries me. I think they’re capable of putting together a big game.

‘They’re a top-level program in this league. There’s a lot for us to be concerned about.’

A win over Notre Dame tonight would give Syracuse not only more credibility to go along with its upset of Rutgers, but, more importantly, confidence as SU gets ready for the toughest part of the season.

If Syracuse has one thing going in its favor against Notre Dame (9-7, 2-2 Big East), it’s the fact that the Irish have struggled mightily away from the Joyce Center.

The Irish are a perfect 7-0 at home while they’ve struggled on the road, going 1-7.

Notre Dame junior forward Jacqueline Batteast leads a balanced and sizable Irish attack in scoring and rebounding with 15.9 points and 8.3 boards per game, respectively.

Batteast has been especially dominant in Big East play, averaging a double-double with 19.3 points and 10 rebounds.

The 6-foot-2 Batteast is joined by a pair of 6-foot-3 players – sophomore forward Courtney LaVere and junior center Teresa Borton – in the starting lineup. LaVere is averaging 8.6 points a game while Borton chips in with 7.4.

Five-foot-7 sophomore guard Megan Duffy is also in the mix. Duffy has been averaging more than 33 minutes per game and 11.5 points and 4.8 assists.

‘Coach Cieplicki always tells us, ‘Play harder than them,’ ‘ Syracuse freshman Lauren Kohn said. ‘And no matter what, if you’re out there playing, giving 100 percent and playing harder than they are, then you’re going to get the win.’

Published on January 20, 2004 at 12:00 pm