Syracuse vs. UConn: 5 Things to Know

Syracuse and UConn in the postseason, what more could you ask for?

On Monday night 6-seed Syracuse will face 3-seed UConn with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. inside Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.

Here is five things to know before Monday's NCAA Tournament Second Round game vs. the Huskies:

A Rivalry Renewed
Syracuse and UConn will play for the 53^rd time in program history on Monday night and the fourth time in the NCAA Tournament making the Huskies the most common opponent for the Orange in the postseason. UConn leads the all-time series 40-12 and beat SU, 83-47, in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Second Round in San Antonio during 'the bubble' season. Last time Syracuse defeated UConn was Jan. 2, 1996 when Felisha Legette-Jack was an assistant coach for the Orange and the Huskies were ranked No. 2 in the nation.

In the three previous NCAA Tournament meetings, UConn has won all three. The most memorable of the matchups being the 2016 National Championship Game in which UConn won, 82-51, after SU made a historic run to the Final Four.

History Is Within Reach
Dyaisha Fair needs 10 points to move into fourth all-time in NCAA Division I women's basketball career scoring with Jackie Stiles (3,393) and with 20 points could pass Kelsey Mitchell (3,402) for third on the list. Fair entered the NCAA Tournament 52 points away from Mitchell on the list and erupted for 21 second-half points in Saturday's First Round win over Arizona.

The 5-foot-5 guard from Rochester, N.Y., tallied 32 points in SU's comeback win over the Wildcats. She scored Syracuse's final 13 points in the game after briefly exiting the game after a hard fall. Fair, who averages nearly 12 points per game in the second half, helped her team improve to 14-3 in fourth quarter single digit games.

Where to Watch
Syracuse and UConn will tip off at 6 p.m. on ESPN on Monday, March 25. Pam Ward will serve as play-by-play while Chirsty Winters-Scott will be the color analyst. It marks the first time the Orange are on ESPN this season. Fans across the country will be able to tune in and watch the former BIG EAST rivals go head-to-head once more with the season on the line.

Orange In the Postseason
Syracuse is in its 13^th NCAA Tournament in program history but third with Felisha Legette-Jack. As freshmen in 1985, Legette-Jack and assistant coach Sue Ludwig led the Orange to the BIG EAST Championship and first NCAA Tournament in program history. During their senior season, with Legette-Jack sidelined with a knee injury for the season, Ludwig helped lead the Orange back to The Tournament in 1988.

Saturday's win was the first time the Orange duo got to celebrate an NCAA Tournament win together while wearing the Block S.

Family Ties
The last time the Orange beat UConn was 1996 and Syracuse had a point guard by the name of Roxi Nurse. Twenty-eight years later the Orange features a point guard with the same bloodline, Lexi McNabb. McNabb, a sophomore at Syracuse, is the daughter of Nurse and former Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb. Legette-Jack has had the pleasure of coaching both Lexi and her mother, and on Monday, she will have the opportunity to share a win over the Huskies with them both as well.

Extending the family ties leads you to McNabb's older cousin Kia Nurse, a UConn alum that led the Huskies to the 2016 National Championship win over Syracuse. Nurse is McNabb's maternal first cousin and Roxi's niece.

For more on Syracuse women's basketball, follow @CuseWBB on social media.

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Players Mentioned

Dyaisha Fair

Lexi McNabb

Syracuse University Athletics