Syracuse women's basketball is dancing for the second occasion over the past three seasons, as the Orange received an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament when the 68-team field was revealed via ESPN on Sunday night.
A huge congrats to the 'Cuse and its wonderful head coach, former SU All-American player Felisha Legette-Jack. The program, on Sunday evening, has held a watch party at Apex Entertainment in Destiny USA.
The Orange didn't have to wait long to learn its NCAA Tournament future. In Regional 1, Syracuse women's basketball is the No. 9 seed, and SU will play No. 8 seed Iowa State out of the Big 12 Conference in the round of 64.
Heading to Storrs to face Iowa State in the First Round !!!!!! pic.twitter.com/SJlLqdjbrN
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) March 16, 2026
Syracuse women's basketball quickly heard its name called on Selection Sunday.
Also in the top half of this region are No. 4 seed North Carolina, which beat the 'Cuse at home in overtime in late January, and No. 5 seed Maryland, a hometown team for me! Syracuse women's basketball and the Cyclones (22-9 overall) will play on Saturday, March 21, in Storrs, Conn.
UConn is the No. 1 seed in this region and also the 2026 Big Dance's No. 1 overall seed. The Huskies (34-0 overall) are the defending national champs. In the round of 64, UConn will face No. 16 seed UTSA. Per SU Athletics, in their short all-time series together, the Orange is 2-0 against Iowa State.
Syracuse women's basketball has had a terrific 2025-26 campaign under Legette-Jack and her outstanding coaching staff. The 'Cuse was projected to be No. 13 in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, according to the league's preseason poll.
However, the Orange finished the 2025-26 regular season at 22-7 overall and 12-6 in ACC play, good for a tie for the No. 5 spot in the conference race. In the 2026 ACC Tournament earlier this month in Duluth, Ga., SU went 1-1, giving Syracuse women's basketball a 23-8 mark heading into March Madness.
The 'Cuse last went to the Big Dance in 2024. As a No. 6 seed, Syracuse women's basketball knocked off No. 11 seed Arizona in the round of 64 before bowing out to No. 3 seed UConn, 72-64, in the round of 32 (the Huskies would go on to the Final Four in that tourney). In the 2023-24 season, SU finished at 24-8 overall.
Fast-forward to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and if the Orange gets by Iowa State in the first round, Syracuse women's basketball could once again suit up against Connecticut in the round of 32. Hopefully, the outcome would be different than two years ago.