Syracuse coach calls NCAA bracket placement a 'personal attack' after third straight tournament loss to UConn

The UConn women’s hoops Huskies continued their cleanable play pinch a blowout victory, 98-45, complete nan Syracuse Orange successful nan 2nd information of nan NCAA Tournament connected Monday nighttime astatine nan Gampel Pavilion. 

This marked nan 3rd consecutive NCAA Tournament wherever nan Orange’s play ended astatine nan hands of nan Huskies, and Syracuse caput coach Felisha Legette-Jack fto retired her vexation pinch that truth during her post-game property conference. 

The Orange made nan tourney successful 2021, earlier Legette-Jack took complete nan programme from Quentin Hillsman, wherever they mislaid successful akin blowout manner to nan Huskies, 83-47. When Legette-Jack took complete and yet led nan Orange to nan tourney successful 2024, it was a overmuch person defeat, 72-64, though astatine nan hands of UConn again. 

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Felisha Legette-Jack of nan Syracuse Orange reacts during a 2nd information crippled against nan UConn Huskies successful nan 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held astatine Harry A. Gampel Pavilion connected March 23, 2026 successful Storrs, Connecticut. (Sean Elliot/NCAA Photos)

Now, successful 2026 aft going 24-8 during nan season, Legette-Jack felt her squad deserved a changeable elsewhere. But nan action committee that puts together nan bracket for nan NCAA Tournament had a imaginable matchup pinch nan Huskies slated astatine their location tribunal if they some made it retired of nan first round. 

After doing so, nan gathering was set, and nan consequence was disfigured arsenic UConn put together a grounds 31-0 tally successful nan first half, which yet put nan crippled retired of scope earlier nan 3rd 4th begun. It was a 65-12 halftime score, and Huskies legendary caput coach Geno Auriemma eased disconnected nan state pedal pinch his starters successful nan 2nd half. 

So, Legette-Jack voiced her frustrations successful a beardown opening statement.

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"For america and what we’ve done, our assemblage of work, to person to travel to play nan champion squad successful nan country. Geno has this point going, and I emotion what he’s done. But we, I thought, deserved much respect aft being successful this business for 37 years. To person to travel and beryllium successful this peculiar bracket each freaking twelvemonth is unacceptable. It’s wrong," she said. 

Legette-Jack moreover wondered if personification wrong nan action committee has a gripe pinch her considering 1 of her erstwhile caput coaching stops astatine Buffalo saw a nonaccomplishment to UConn successful nan Sweet 16 of nan 2019 tournament. 

"If you’re connected nan committee, and you’ve been astir for much than a twelvemonth aliases 2 – 5 to 10, 15 years – you understand what that looks like," she continued. "I’ve been connected those committees to spot really it’s done, really you tin put group connected different lines. Put america connected nan 10 line. But for america to proceed to travel to Connecticut, twelvemonth aft twelvemonth aft twelvemonth is, to me,  a individual attack. Because I conscionable deliberation we’re measurement amended than what we performed today. But I deliberation what you’re going to announcement pinch everybody that comes done Geno and UConn is going to get nan wrath of what they tin bring. 

Felisha Legette-Jack of nan Syracuse Orange looks connected during nan UConn Huskies versus Syracuse Orange NCAA Women's Championship 2nd information connected March 23, 2026, astatine Gampel Pavilion successful Storrs, CT. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire)

"I conscionable cognize this squad correct present had a beardown chance of getting beyond this peculiar level."

Legette-Jack said she hopes she is "not disrespecting anyone," aliases "bringing shame to Syracuse for illustration crying [over] spilled milk."

"But, aft a while, I’ve ne'er said thing successful this benignant of ray before. … I conscionable want my group that’s successful my locker room to person a fighting chance. I’m grateful to beryllium successful nan NCAA Tournament from wherever we’ve travel from, but I deliberation we’ve earned nan correct to spell anyplace extracurricular of a four-hour radius. That’s each I have," she ended. 

The NCAA Tournament brackets are made by selecting 68 teams, seeding them from numbers 1 done 16 per region, and past placing them pinch a reasonable competitory equilibrium successful mind for nan 4 regions. 

As nan action committee goes done nan steps, surface science plays a captious domiciled successful wherever teams extremity up connected nan bracket if selected. The committee looks to spot teams successful proximity of their first-round matchups. And dissimilar nan men’s tournament, nan apical 16 seeds big nan first- and second-round games, which intends either their location arena aliases a adjacent site. 

Legette-Jack suggests her Orange squad could’ve been placed elsewhere, but they made nan acquainted thrust to Storrs, Connecticut to look this NCAA Tournament favorite, and nan consequence wasn’t what they had hoped. 

Felisha Legette-Jack of nan Syracuse Orange reacts arsenic nan UConn Huskies lead grows during nan 3rd 4th successful a 2nd information crippled of nan 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held astatine Harry A. Gampel Pavilion connected March 23, 2026 successful Storrs, Connecticut. (Sean Elliot/NCAA Photos)

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Azzi Fudd, playing successful her last location game, matched a career-high 34 points, tallying 8 three-pointers made successful nan triumph that sent nan Huskies to nan Sweet 16 for nan 32nd consecutive time. 

The Huskies are group to look nan UNC Tar Heels successful nan Sweet 16, marking only nan 2nd clip they’ve faced each different successful history successful this tournament. 

The location finals for this year’s women’s tourney will beryllium held astatine Dickies Arena successful Fort Worth, Texas and Golden 1 Center successful Sacramento, California. 

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