Syracuse coach criticizes NCAA tournament bracket placement against UConn

Felisha Legette-Jack says facing powerhouse UConn in the early rounds is "unacceptable" for her program.

Mar. 24, 2026 at 4:51am

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Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack criticized the NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket for consistently placing her team in the same region as powerhouse UConn. For the third time in as many NCAA tournament appearances, Syracuse was bracketed into UConn's pod for the first- and second-round games, resulting in a lopsided loss to the top-seeded Huskies. Legette-Jack argued that her team deserved more respect for its body of work and should not have to face UConn so early in the tournament.

Why it matters

Legette-Jack's comments highlight an ongoing issue with the NCAA women's tournament format, where the top 16 teams are awarded the right to host the first weekend of games. This gives those squads a significant home-court advantage, making it difficult for mid-major programs to pull off upsets against powerhouses like UConn. Legette-Jack believes her team was unfairly disadvantaged by being placed in UConn's region for the third time.

The details

Syracuse was seeded No. 36 overall and slotted into the same region as No. 1 overall seed UConn, which is located in Storrs, Connecticut. The Orange have now faced the Huskies in the NCAA tournament in 2017, 2021, 2024, and 2026, with UConn winning each time by double-digit margins. Legette-Jack argued that her team had earned the right to be placed in a different region, rather than constantly facing the dominant Huskies program in the early rounds.

  • Syracuse lost to UConn 72-64 in the 2024 NCAA tournament.
  • Syracuse lost to UConn 83-47 in the 2021 NCAA tournament, which was held entirely in San Antonio due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Syracuse lost to UConn 94-64 in the 2017 NCAA tournament second round.

The players

Felisha Legette-Jack

The head coach of the Syracuse women's basketball team, who has been critical of the NCAA tournament bracket placement that has consistently pitted her team against powerhouse UConn in the early rounds.

Geno Auriemma

The head coach of the UConn women's basketball team, which has won 12 national championships and reached 16 Final Fours in the last 17 years.

Uche Izoje

The freshman center for Syracuse who was named the ACC Rookie of the Year.

Dyaisha Fair

A guard who transferred to Syracuse from Buffalo and nearly led the Orange to an upset of UConn in the 2024 NCAA tournament.

Azzi Fudd

One of two UConn players shortlisted for national player of the year, who had 26 points at halftime against Syracuse in the 2026 tournament.

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What they’re saying

“After being in this business for 37 years, and to have to come and be in this particular bracket every fricking year is unacceptable. It's wrong.”

— Felisha Legette-Jack, Head Coach, Syracuse

“What we've done and our body of work, to have to come and play the best team in the country, I mean, Geno [Auriemma] has this thing going, and I love what he's done. But we, I thought, deserved a little more respect.”

— Felisha Legette-Jack, Head Coach, Syracuse

“I just know that this team right here had a strong chance of getting beyond this particular level.”

— Felisha Legette-Jack, Head Coach, Syracuse

What’s next

The NCAA women's basketball committee will need to address the concerns raised by coaches like Legette-Jack about the tournament format and bracket placement, especially as the financial incentives for conferences increase with the new 'units' system.

The takeaway

Legette-Jack's comments highlight the growing frustration among mid-major programs that are consistently placed in the same region as dominant powerhouses like UConn in the NCAA women's tournament. The current format, which awards the top 16 teams the right to host the first weekend of games, creates a significant home-court advantage that makes it extremely difficult for underdogs to pull off upsets. This issue will likely continue to be a point of contention as the women's game seeks more parity and opportunities for Cinderella runs.