Syracuse Meets Arizona in NCAA First Round

ACC Coach of the Year Felisha Legette-Jack will lead her Syracuse women's basketball team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 on Saturday, March 23 when the Orange face No. 11 seed Arizona at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2 with Pam Ward and Christy Winters-Scott on the call. The first-round matchup will take place in Storrs, Conn., as the Orange are seeded sixth in the Portland 3 Regional.

Syracuse is a 6-seed for the third time in program history in its 13^th NCAA Tournament, where SU is 10-12 all-time. In 2016, Syracuse earned a 4-seed and hosted the first two rounds en route to a historical run to the NCAA Championship game where they lost to former BIG EAST rival UConn. The Orange will play the first two rounds of this tournament in the home of the Huskies, who defeated SU, 83-47, in 'Cuse's last NCAA Tournament appearance in the second round of the 2021 tournament. The Orange advanced to the second round in each of its last two NCAA Tournaments (2019 and 2021).

Arizona faces the Orange on the heels of its 69-59 victory over Auburn in their First Four matchup on Thursday night. Arizona's defense forced 23 turnovers in the contest, as freshman Jada Williams led the team with 17 points. The Wildcats are 18-15 this season and made the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament before losing to eventual conference champions USC. SU and Arizona last faced each other in Hawaii on Dec. 2, 2011, where the Wildcats were victorious, 80-74, at the Hukilau Invitational in Laie. It's the only previous meeting in program history.

The Orange head into this year's NCAA Tournament after putting together its best regular season since 2015-16, tying the program record for wins in the regular season (23) and conference wins (13). 'Cuse also grabbed six conference road victories, their most since joining the ACC in 2013-14. 'Cuse was ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 in the final poll of the season and was ranked each week since Week 9.

This is the third time Legette-Jack and assistant coach Sue Ludwig have been part of an NCAA Tournament squad. The duo led SU to its first NCAA Tournament in program history as freshman during the 1984-85 season and again during their senior year in 1988. Ludwig averaged 10 points in two NCAA Tournament appearances with 17 points including a then-postseason program record 9-for-9 at the charity stripe as a senior in 1988. Legette-Jack had 14 points and seven rebounds as a freshman against No. 5 Old Dominion as a freshman but missed the 1988 tournament game due to a knee injury that sidelined her for the season.

Tickets to the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds in Storrs, Conn., are on sale now. Tickets are SOLD OUT for Saturday's First Round games and can only be purchased through secondary market SeatGeek.

For behind the scenes updates on Syracuse's NCAA Tournament run, follow @CuseWBB on social media.

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