No. 1 UCONN vs. No. 8 SYRACUSE
NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND
When: Tuesday, 9 p.m.
Where: Alamodome, San Antonio Records: UConn 25-1 (21-0, Big East); Syracuse 15-8 (11-8, ACC)
TV: ESPN
Radio: UConn Sports Network (97.9 FMESPN Hartford, WAVZ 1300 AM, WICC 600 AM, WINE 940 AM, WGCH 1490 AM, WILI 1400 AM)
Streaming: Available via the WatchESPN app (WatchESPN.com)
KEEP AN EYE ON
Will she or won’t she?: Freshman guard Nika Muhl is questionable after spraining her right ankle in UConn’s first-round victory over High Point on Sunday. She was assisted off the court, putting no weight on the ankle, and left at halftime on crutches.
“If there’s any way Nika can be on the court, she will be on the court,” UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey said. Leading the way: UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, who turns 67 on Tuesday, will miss his second straight game after testing positive for COVID-19. Dailey, his colleague of 36 years, will continue to run the team in his absence. Dailey is 11-0 in such instances.
How ‘Sweet’ it is: UConn, 102-11 all-time as a No. 1 seed, is looking to advance to its 27th straight Sweet 16. Syracuse has been there just once (2016).
The Orange are huge underdogs on paper, though they apparently don’t see it that way.
“I wouldn’t say we’re the underdog, even though everyone’s probably saying that,” Syracuse guard Tiana Mangakahia said. “We will compete, and we can win just as much as they can.”
Tall order: Syracuse leads the country in blocks per game (7.2) while UConn is ranked seventh (5.8). Six-foot-7 freshman Kamilla Cardoso has had a big hand in that success for the Orange, averaging 2.7 blocks.
History lesson: UConn is 39-12 against former Big East rival Syracuse, and most recently beat the Orange 94-64 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Storrs. That, too, was a No. 1-vs-8 game.
The season prior, the Huskies routed Syracuse 82-51 in Indianapolis to capture their fourth-straight NCAA championship.