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The UConn women’s basketball Huskies continued their perfect season with a crushing victory, 98-45, over the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night at Gampel Pavilion.
This marked the third consecutive NCAA tournament in which the Orange’s season ended at the hands of the Huskies, and Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack let out her frustration with that fact during her postgame press conference.
The Orange made the tournament in 2021, before Legette-Jack took over Quentin Hillsman’s program, where they lost in similar fashion to the Huskies, 83-47. When Legette-Jack took over and finally led the Orange to the 2024 tournament, it was a much closer loss, 72-64, albeit again at the hands of UConn.
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Felisha Legette-Jack of the Syracuse Orange reacts during a second-round game against the UConn Huskies in the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 23, 2026 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Sean Elliot/NCAA Photos)
Now in 2026, after going 24-8 during the season, Legette-Jack felt his team deserved a chance elsewhere. But the selection committee that assembles the field for the NCAA Tournament had scheduled a possible showdown with the Huskies on their home court if both made it out of the first round.
After doing so, the game was decided and the outcome was ugly, as UConn went on a record 31-0 run in the first half, ultimately putting the game out of reach before the third quarter began. It was a 65-12 halftime score, and legendary Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma let off the gas with his starters in the second half.
Legette-Jack then expressed his frustrations in a strong opening statement.
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“For us and what we’ve done, our job, having to come play against the best team in the country. Geno has this going and I love what he’s done. But I thought we deserved more respect after being in this business for 37 years. Having to come and be in this particular group every damn year is unacceptable. It’s wrong,” he said.
Legette-Jack even wondered if anyone within the selection committee has any beef with her considering one of her previous head coaching stops in Buffalo saw a loss to UConn in the Sweet 16 of the 2019 tournament.
“If you’re on the committee and you’ve been on the committee for more than a year or two (five to 10, 15 years), you understand what that’s like,” he continued. “I’ve been on those committees to see how it’s done, how you can put people on different lines. Put us on the 10 line. But for us to keep coming to Connecticut, year after year after year is, to me, a personal attack. Because I think we’re a lot better than we were today. But I think what you’re going to notice with everyone that goes through Geno and UConn is going to get the wrath of what they can bring.
Syracuse Orange’s Felisha Legette-Jack looks on during the UConn Huskies’ second round of the NCAA Women’s Championship versus Syracuse Orange on March 23, 2026, at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire)
“I just know that this team had a great chance to surpass this particular level.”
Legette-Jack said he hopes to “not disrespect anyone” or “embarrass Syracuse like crying.” [over] spilled milk.”
“But, after a while, I’ve never said anything in this kind of light before… I just want my people that are in my locker room to have a fighting chance. I’m grateful to be in the NCAA Tournament where we come from, but I think we’ve earned the right to go anywhere outside of a four-hour radius. That’s all I have,” she concluded.
NCAA tournament brackets are created by selecting 68 teams, selecting them from number one to 16 per region, and then placing them with a reasonable competitive balance in mind for the four regions.
As the selection committee goes through the motions, geography plays a vital role in where teams end up in the pool if they are selected. The committee seeks to place teams near their first-round matchups. And unlike the men’s tournament, the top 16 seeds host the first and second round games, meaning they can play at their home stadium or a nearby site.
Legette-Jack suggests his orange team could have been placed elsewhere, but they made the family trip to Storrs, Connecticut, to take on this NCAA Tournament favorite, and the result wasn’t what they expected.
Syracuse Orange’s Felisha Legette-Jack reacts as the UConn Huskies’ lead grows during the third quarter in a second-round game of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 23, 2026 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Sean Elliot/NCAA Photos)
Azzi Fudd, playing in her final home game, matched her career-high 34 points, adding eight 3-pointers in the victory that sent the Huskies to the Sweet 16 for the 32nd straight time.
The Huskies will face the UNC Tar Heels in the Sweet 16, marking only the second time they have met in history in this tournament.
The regional finals of this year’s women’s tournament will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas and Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
