2 years after Syracuse threw a scare into UConn, the Orange get another shot at March Madness upset

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STORRS, Conn. (AP) — On the eve of playing the reigning national champions, Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack proclaimed that she is not a miracle worker. However, she has done some pretty impressive work at the home of UConn women's basketball.

In the last 25 years, only three of UConn's NCAA Tournament wins at Gampel Pavilion have been decided by nine points or less. Two of them were coached by Legette-Jack's team. The 2024 second-round matchup between UConn and Syracuse took one of Paige Bueckers' best games for the favored Huskies to survive and advance.

Can they finish the job on Monday against the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament? Junior guard Sophie Burrows, who is the only Syracuse player to play in that game, had six 3-pointers in the 72-64 loss.

“I think for me as a freshman coming from Australia, I never really played on that stage before,” Burrows said. “I thought it was such an awesome experience. That is what we play for, that kind of an environment. The thing that stood out was that buy-in into women’s basketball, I thought it was just awesome. Coming into this game, we need to go in with confidence. Obviously, we need to respect them, they are an amazing program but in 40 minutes anyone can beat anyone. We don’t need to be better than them for the whole tournament, we have to be better than them for 40 minutes.”

Junior guards Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold are the only UConn returning players from that 2024 showdown set to play. They combined for 29 points, with Arnold hitting a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left with the Orange only trailing by three points.

“I just mentioning how nostalgic it was playing in that game,” Arnold said. “Great memories and a great atmosphere we had, I can’t wait for the same atmosphere.”

The game is a reminder that anything can happen at this time of the year.

“The thing about tournament time is if you don’t have your ‘A’ game, anybody can beat you on any given night,” Shade said. “It just emphasizes the standard that we hold ourselves to and anytime we step onto the court, we want to uphold that standard.”

The moment that Dominique Darius looked at her injured finger, she hoped for the best but braced herself for the worst.

Unfortunately, the starting point guard was ruled out of the NCAA Tournament and needed to undergo surgery. Some players in that position might check out mentally. That is certainly not the case.

She has been acting like another assistant coach, with Maddy Potts and Olivia Schmitt crediting her mentorship for the Orange winning its first-round game against Iowa State to set up a matchup with UConn.

“It was hard,” Darius said. "That was the second game that I missed. It is hard not to be out there, but I trust my teammates and what they are able to do out there. I am able to watch them, kind of like a fan.

“I am human. My teammates understand that, but I try show before and after practice and even in games that I was fully invested in my teammates, coaching them up, giving them advice. I played point guard so just talking to Maddy, talking to Liv and giving them advice, not trying to overcoach them and make them think too much, just give them whatever they need to go out and perform.”

Schmitt and Potts will be under pressure from UConn's relentless defensive pressure. Darius will try to help as much as she can from the bench.

“I have never really played point guard before, so she has helped me with different plays and who to go to,” Potts said. “It means a lot. She is a great teammate and I am really happy to have her on the team to learn from.”

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This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Felisha Legette-Jack’s and Dominique Darius’ first names.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness