It's been a long time coming for Coach Quentin Hillsman and the Syracuse Orange womens basketball team, but this winter's historic season just got a lot sweeter.
On Monday, the NCAA released its 2013 tournament bracket and the Orange landed a 7 seed in the Norfolk bracket.
The 2013 bid marks the first time since 2008 the Orange has made the big dance.
But an even bigger drought could be ended on Saturday.
If the Orange handles its opponent, 10th-seeded Creighton, it could earn the program's first ever NCAA Tournament win.
The game with the Blue Jays of the Missouri Valley Conference is set for 11:20 a.m. on Saturday in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The game is being played in Knoxville because the site also hosts the #2 seed Tennessee Volunteers. Should SU win, that legendary program would likely be their next opponent.
Syracuse (24-7), ranked No. 22 in the season's final AP poll, earned its fifth NCAA tournament appearance and the second in seven seasons under coach Quentin Hillsman. Syracuse lost to Hartford, 59-55, in the 2008 first round at Baton Rouge, La. The Orange will meet Creighton (24-7) at Louisville, Ky., Saturday.
Three of Syracuse's four previous NCAA opponents advanced to at least the round of 16. Old Dominion beat the Orange 88-63 in the first round in 1985 at Norfolk, Va. and went on to win the national championship.
The Orange were beaten 64-51 by UConn in the Big East semifinals. The Huskies lost to second-ranked Notre Dame in the title game as the conference's big two continue to perform at a level the Orange are striving to achieve.
(Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.)
