Opponent Preview: Everything to know before SU faces UConn in 2nd round of NCAA Tournament
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STORRS, Conn. — In the new most significant game of the Felisha Legette-Jack era, her program takes on its boogeyman. Syracuse hasn’t defeated UConn this millennium. The closest it’s come to an upset was a 64-51 loss to the Huskies in March 2013. Ten of SU’s last 14 contests versus UConn featured it suffering a blowout by 25 points or more. Even the Orange’s lone National Championship appearance in 2016 was spoiled by UConn.
This year’s squad, though, enters the matchup fresh off an enormous achievement. Thirty-two points from Dyaisha Fair spearheaded a comeback 74-69 win over No. 11 seed Arizona in the round of 64. It was SU’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2021.
The Orange have a herculean task ahead of them. But a regular-season which featured two victories over No. 2 seed Notre Dame — the latter by a commanding 14-point margin — at least gives SU a fighter’s chance.
Here is everything to know about No. 3 seed UConn (30-5, 18-0 Big East) prior to its battle against No. 6 seed Syracuse (24-7, 13-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion:
All-time series
UConn leads 40-12.
Last time they played…
The Orange faced the Huskies in the exact same scenario. On March 23, 2021, the two sides faced off in the NCAA Tournament’s second round, where UConn demolished Syracuse 83-47. SU lost every single quarter by at least five points, including by 14 in the third quarter.
No one from that SU roster or coaching staff remains with the program. Though, that season was current UConn stars Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards’ freshman years. Bueckers dropped 20 points and Edwards registered 19 versus Syracuse, leading the Huskies to a 55.1% clip from the field while the Orange posted a lowly 28.1%.
The Huskies report
Weathering a tough ACC slate is still child’s play compared to the threat UConn poses. The Huskies may only be a No. 3 seed this tournament, yet they’re the most decorated women’s program of all-time for a reason.
UConn is the No. 3 overall team in the nation, per HerHoopStats’ team ratings. Its offense drops 80.1 points per game, shoots 49.6% from the field, 56.1% from 2 and dishes out 19.4 assists a contest — all metrics rank in the top 15 among 360 Division I programs. And its defense is suffocating, holding opponents to just 57.2 points per game and a measly 36.1% field goal percentage — the 11th-best total in the country.
The Huskies haven’t lost a game since Feb. 11, when it fell to undefeated and overall No. 1 seed South Carolina. Their few blemishes may be uncharacteristic for the program’s standards, but they still have enough firepower to compete with anybody. Led by Bueckers and Edwards, UConn has four players averaging double-digit point totals and five who shoot 33.3% or above from 3-point range.
How Syracuse beats UConn
The Orange need their best performance of the season. Plain and simple. Success over Notre Dame shows their potential to beat a team like UConn, but Geno Auriemma’s squad just doesn’t lose in March. The only way Syracuse has a shot at doing the near-impossible is by riding its hot hand in Fair while receiving a major shooting boost from its secondary options.
It’s unrealistic to say SU can stop Bueckers or Edwards. Fair just needs to match them. The star guard showed off her scoring prowess against an elite Arizona defense, draining four 3s and 13 fourth-quarter points to almost single-handedly put Syracuse ahead late. She can replicate that performance versus UConn, though it has to be paired with at least three 3-point makes and a consistent shooting clip from both Georgia Woolley and Alaina Rice.
Syracuse won’t find relief on the offensive glass like it typically can as the Huskies are the 31st-best defensive rebounding team in the nation (28.4 boards per game). If SU can space the floor well, get Fair going early and take advantage of double-teams directed at Fair through lethal long range shooting from Woolley and Rice, it can shock the world.
Stat to know: 31
Auriemma hasn’t failed to qualify for a Sweet 16 since 1993 — 31 seasons ago. For reference, Syracuse has only made a Sweet 16 once, which was when it lost to Auriemma in the 2016 national title game.
The 11-time National Champion head coach is arguably the greatest the sport has ever seen. Even though programs like Iowa, South Carolina and LSU have seemed to overtake the Huskies in the national limelight, UConn is still as dangerous as ever.
Player to watch: Paige Bueckers, guard, No. 5
Bueckers is back in March after missing last year’s NCAA Tournament due to a torn ACL. The former Naismith Player of the Year and Wooden Award winner — honors she earned as a freshman in 2020-21 — was selected as a First-Team All-American in 2023-24.
The 6-foot guard averages 21.8 points, five rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Bueckers is one of the best shooters in the country, totaling a 54% field goal percentage and a scintillating 42% clip on 3-point attempts. There’s not much else to say about Bueckers other than that she will be a major mismatch for whoever is assigned the daunting task of guarding her.
