Syracuse will be battling the No. 1 overall seed and a 30-year losing streak when the Orange meet UConn Monday night in the second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament in Storrs, Conn.

The defending national champion, UConn (35-0) brings an undefeated record and arguably the nation’s top tandem – All-Americans Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd – into the game. The Huskies are seeking their 13th title in program history.

Syracuse (24-8) is led by standout freshman Uche Izoje, who averaged 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on her way to being selected as a first-team Atlantic Coast Conference player, a first-team All-Defensive performer and the conference’s Rookie of the Year. She is fourth in the nation with 2.6 blocks per game.

But history is not on the side of the Orange, the No. 9 seed in the Fort Worth 1 region.

The Huskies and Orange have played 53 times, with UConn leading the series 40-13. Seven of those losses came before Geno Auriemma took over as head coach at UConn 41 seasons ago. Syracuse hasn’t beaten UConn since Jan. 2, 1996.

“We don't know what they're going to throw at us, but we're willing to throw the first punch, sure, because it's our story,” Syracuse head coach Felisha Leggette-Jack said Sunday. “It's not personal. It's not us being in attack mode against UConn or the next game or the next game. It's about our young people are playing for something bigger than basketball.

“We're playing for the mirror, we're playing for our faith, we're playing for our families and we're playing for ourselves. And we won't back down to anybody, not because we're this tough, broody team. It's because our story matters to us more than anything else in this world.

“So, we understand what we're facing. Let's not pretend that the big elephant isn't in the room.”

Leggette-Jack goes back to her high school days with Auriemma, who recruited her when he was an assistant coach at Virginia. She chose Syracuse, in her own backyard, instead.

“They were really, really good at the beginning, but Syracuse used to beat them all the time for the first couple of years,” she said of UConn in the pre-Auriemma days. “And they ended up getting this kid in his third year (Auriemma) and the rest is history. They went to a Final Four and never stopped going to the Final Four.”

Auriemma said he remembers his trip to Syracuse to meet Leggette-Jack.

“We've stayed in touch,” he said. “We've talked a lot, been involved in talking to her about some of the jobs that she's been involved with, and I'm really proud of her.”

This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in the tournament since 2017, with UConn eliminating Syracuse in the second round each of the three previous times. The most recent contest came March 25, 2024, when UConn defeated Syracuse 72-64 in Storrs.

Ten years ago, on April 5, 2016, the Huskies defeated the Orange 82-51 in the national championship game in Indianapolis to win their fourth consecutive title.

That season was the only time the Orange have gotten past the opening weekend of the tournament and into the Sweet 16. This is the 14th appearance for Syracuse in the tournament.

UConn is making its 37th consecutive appearance.

The Huskies have the most wins in the women’s tournament since it began in the 1981-82 season and have a 143-24 record. In 10 of the tournaments, UConn entered with an undefeated regular season.

This time around, UConn has won 51 consecutive games, with only one of those wins by single digits. The Huskies’ average margin of victory is 38.4 points, and they have the top scoring defense (50.4 points per game) and the No. 2 scoring offense (88.8 points) in the nation.

They are led by sophomore forward Strong (18.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.6 blocks, 3.4 steals) and grad student guard Fudd (17.4 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 steals), who have one of the strongest supporting casts in the nation. That includes freshman Blanca Quinonez, averaging 10.1 points per game.

“Obviously, UConn is an amazing program,” Syracuse junior guard Sophie Burrows said. “They have a lot of history of winning and playing well, good basketball. But, I mean, no one really expects us to do a whole lot in this game except the people in the locker room. And I think that's all that matters.

“We have that confidence within one another to come out and play Syracuse women's basketball. And I think at the end of the day that's all that matters.”

Syracuse will be without veteran point guard Dominique Darius, who averages 12.6 points and a team-leading 3.5 assists per game. Darius is out for the tournament because of surgery on her injured left hand.

Senior guard Laila Phelia averages 13.8 points, and Burrows contributes 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Like UConn, Syracuse plays tough defense.

The Orange force 18.7 turnovers per game and add 10.5 steals and 5.4 blocks. They average 42.2 rebounds compared to 37.5 for UConn.

The Syracuse ballhandlers will be under pressure from the Huskies, who force 24.6 turnovers and average 15.7 steals. The Orange turn the ball over 15.6 times per game.

Strong and Fudd said the team will rely on its defensive pressure to handle Izoje and the rest of the Orange.

“Play team defense,” Strong said. “Not any one (player) is going to be guarding her. We all have to be in each other's helps and be ready to make up for each other's mistakes.”

Fudd agreed.

“It's definitely going to be a team defense kind of day,” she said. “They have a lot of talented players, so just to know our scout, the ins and outs and their tendencies.”

Game time is 6 p.m. ET.

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