NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

UCONN VS. SYRACUSE

When: Monday at 6 p.m.

Where: Gampel Pavilion

Records: UConn (30-5, 18-0 Big East) Syracuse (24-7, 13-5 ACC)

TV: ESPN

Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Willimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), Fox Sports 97.9 FM Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973

KEEP AN EYE ON

A new beginning: UConn women’s basketball treats every March like a new season.

It’s a new chance to show the country why the Huskies are made for tournaments and championships. It’s why Geno Auriemma knows how to bring out the best of his players when it matters most and why Paige Bueckers remains one of the best players in the nation.

Bueckers put on a show Saturday afternoon, recording a 28-point, 11-rebound double-double to help the Huskies advance to their 30th straight NCAA Tournament second round.

On Monday, the No. 3 seeded Huskies will face No. 6 Syracuse at 6 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion for a chance to advance to next weekend’s Sweet 16 in Portland, Ore.

UConn has made 30 straight appearances in the Sweet 16 and hasn’t lost in the second round since 1992 (lost 75-47 to Vanderbilt in Nashville). Meanwhile, this is the Orange’s third appearance in the second round within the last four tournaments.

The only time Syracuse has advanced to the Sweet 16 was in 2016 — the same year it lost to UConn in the national championship game, 82-51, in Indianapolis.

First-(round) impressions: The Huskies made quick work of No. 14 Jackson State in Saturday’s first round, thanks to double-doubles from Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards. Freshman Ashlynn Shade also contributed 26 points to make Auriemma’s 70th birthday that much sweeter.

Syracuse had a more difficult first round matchup against No. 11 Arizona. The Wildcats led 37-32 at halftime and held the lead for about 33 and-a-half minutes. But the Orange didn’t back down and outscored Arizona 42-32 in the second half to advance.

Third Team All-American guard Dyaisha Fair scored 13 of Syracuse’s 23 fourth quarter points, despite leaving the court briefly with a leg injury. She led all players with 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting along with four assists and six steals.

Fair leads the Orange with 22.3 points per game, 108 assists and 73 steals. Alyssa Latham leads with 7.0 rebounds per contest.

Connections: Outside of their history on the court, Syracuse and UConn have a couple small-world connections. Kia Nurse and Syracuse sophomore guard Lexi McNabb are first cousins and sophomore Kennedi Perkins went to the same high school (Bolingbrook High School) as Morgan Tuck.

A little history: UConn is 40-12 all-time against Syracuse — and that’s not including the two teams secret scrimmage this fall.

The last time the Huskies and Orange met was in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, which UConn won 83-47. Bueckers and Edwards are the only two active players returning from that roster. Bueckers, in her National Player of the Year freshman season, led all players with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Edwards had 19 points and also five rebounds and four assists.

Back then, the Orange were led by Emily Engstler (who later transferred to Louisville) and Kamilia Cardoso (who also transferred and is now South Carolina’s star big). Syracuse is now coached by Felisha Legette-Jack.

Monday will be the two former Big East opponents’ fourth meeting in March Madness and third time meeting in the second round.

Syracuse’s last win over UConn was on Jan. 2, 1996, in New York. The unranked Orange upset then-ranked No. 2 UConn 62-59.