University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Syracuse
No. 1 UConn Huskies to Face No. 9-Seed Syracuse in NCAA Second Round
3/22/2026 5:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. – The top-seeded UConn women's basketball team (35-0) plays its final game of the season in Gampel Pavilion Monday when the Huskies host Syracuse (24-8) in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Second Round at 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN and the UConn Sports Network from Learfield (FOX Sports 97.9).
UConn enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the 23rd time in program history and as the No. 1 overall seed for the 15th time in program history. The Huskies are 32-2 all-time in the Second Round and have won 31 straight Second Round games.
UConn is 142-24 overall in the NCAA Tournament, which is the winningest record in the sport. The Huskies won the 2025 NCAA Championship, the program's 12th title.
The Huskies opened the NCAA Tournament with a 90-52 win over No. 16-seed UTSA. Sophomore Sarah Strong led the Huskies with 18 points while freshman Blanca Quiñonez had 15 off the bench and junior Ashlynn Shade had 14. UConn won its 32nd straight First Round game.
UConn has won at least 35 games for the 17th time in program history.
UConn and Syracuse are former BIG EAST rivals. The Huskies are 40-13 all-time vs. the Orange and have won the last 27 meetings between the teams.
The teams last faced off in the 2024 NCAA Second Round, a 72-64 win for the Huskies. Dealing with injuries that season, UConn only played six players. Then-freshman Shade scored 19 points and then-freshman KK Arnold had 10, including a clutch three pointer with 29 seconds remaining in the game to push UConn's lead to two possessions.
 This is the fifth time the Huskies and the Orange will face off in the NCAA Tournament and the fourth Second Round game between the teams.
No. 9-seed Syracuse beat No. 8-seed Iowa State, 72-63, in the First Round. This season, ACC Rookie of the Year Uche Izoje leads the Orange with 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack is in her fourth season at Syracuse.
