Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman spoke Friday afternoon at his team’s annual media day. Hillsman, entering his 11th season at the helm, leads an Orange team just a few months removed from its first-ever national championship game appearance. In July, Hillsman signed a multi-year contract extension with SU.

Here are three things Hillsman talked about at media day:

Syracuse is an ‘Orange collar’ team

Syracuse’s fast offense and full-court defense helped the Orange average 68.6 shots per game last season. Opponents took almost 15 fewer shots per game when facing SU (54.9 shots per game). That high-octane, gritty style of play remains at the core of Hillsman’s squad.

“We’re going to be a hard-nosed team, really pressure, have a fast-paced offense, just create the uncomfortable,” Hillsman said. “We want to be an Orange collar team. It’s not blue collar. No. Blue collar’s corporate.

“People are looking for us and we want to set a standard for college basketball, college women’s basketball …. We’ll continue to make our opponents uncomfortable. An orange collar team that plays tough.”

Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes combine for the ‘best backcourt in the county’

Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes enter their final years of eligibility at Syracuse. Peterson, a senior, and Sykes, a redshirt senior, have played together for three seasons.

“I would say we have the best backcourt in the country,” Hillsman said of his guard duo. “You look at Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes, I mean how are you going to guard that? We have two All-American type guards on the team. We can push tempo, we’ve been doing things fast, it should be an exciting brand of basketball. You just got to watch.”

After missing most of the 2014-15 season due to injury, Sykes finished third on the team in points per game, with 10.2. Sykes’ 77 steals in 2015-16 ranks 10th in program history. She was the lone Syracuse player named to the All-Final Four team.

Peterson averaged a team-leading 16 points per game last year. The 5-foot-7 senior enters her final campaign ranked 16th in program history with 1,207 career points, sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.331) and ninth in assists per game (3.6).

“She’s one of the top three point guards in the country,” Hillsman said of Peterson.

Syracuse may not be on the bull’s eye, but it’s ‘in the best shape’

Despite advancing to its first national championship game in program history, Syracuse is not on everybody’s radar.

“I guarantee we’re not going to be in the Top 10 in the polls,” Hillsman said. “So unless you put a bull’s eye on No. 13 or 14, we’re not on the bull’s eye. … We’ll come out, play the way we play, play tough.”

The Orange finished 30-8 with a 13-3 ACC mark one year ago. It fell in the national championship game to Connecticut, led by Central New York native Breanna Stewart. But with UConn’s three best players in Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson gone, Syracuse’s objective has stayed the same as that of last year.

“We’re in the best shape right now than in all my years here,” Hillsman said, adding, “We’re going to go undefeated and win a national championship. That’s still the goal.”

Published on October 21, 2016 at 7:11 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21