UConn women unbeatable after throttling Syracuse in Round of 32

How is anyone going to beat the Connecticut Huskies?

On Monday, the No. 1 overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament was absolutely dominant in a 98-45 win over the Regional 1 - Fort Worth No. 9 seed Syracuse Orange. Connecticut led by 25, 33-8, at the end of the first quarter, then held Syracuse to four points in the second quarter as it extended the lead by 28.

Over their first two games, the Huskies have outscored their opponents 113-26 in the first half, looking every bit like a future national champion.

UConn blowout a demoralizing sign for remainder of women's NCAAT field

The rest of the field can only throw its hands up in exasperation with the Huskies operating like a T-3000. UConn hasn't lost a game since February 2025 and has blown through the competition of the past two NCAA Tournaments.

Including last year's run to the program's 12th national title and first since 2016, the Huskies have won eight consecutive tournament games by an average of 36 points. Only one was decided by fewer than 20 points.

Led by senior guard Azzi Fudd and sophomore forward Sarah Strong, both 2025-26 Associated Press first-team All-Americans, Connecticut doesn't have an easily identifiable weakness. It's the top shooting team in the country, ranking first on two-pointers (60.7 percent) and second on threes (38.9 percent) entering Monday, while holding opponents to the country's second-worst field-goal percentage (33.5 percent).

Against Syracuse, UConn shot 13-of-26 from deep while limiting the Orange to 1-of-18.

The Huskies also lead D-I in assists and steals while forcing the second-most turnovers, making them tougher to crack than Kevlar.

In her final game at Gampel Pavilion, Fudd led all players with 34 points, shooting 13-of-18, including 8-of-11 from long range, while adding five assists, four steals and three rebounds. Strong chipped in with 18 points and nine rebounds, shooting 7-of-11 (2-of-5 on three-point attempts).

Plenty of teams are off to incredible starts to March Madness, including the Regional 4 - Sacramento No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks, who defeated the Southern Jaguars by 69, 103-34, in their opener. Regional 3 - Fort Worth No. 1 Texas Longhorns and Regional 2 - Sacramento No. 2 LSU Tigers have also blown by the competition in the early rounds, but it's hard to see how any can match up with Connecticut, which is looking to cap its first perfect season in 10 years and seventh in program history.

Nothing seems capable of getting in the Huskies' way after laying waste to the competition over the first two rounds. It's a warning sign to the rest of the bracket. The top is filled. Everyone else is playing for second place.