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Syracuse Women's Basketball: 3 Things to Watch in UConn Scrimmage
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- Syracuse Women's Basketball: 3 Things to Watch in UConn Scrimmage
UNCASVILLE, Conn -- The Syracuse Orange women's basketball team takes the floor for the first time this season on Monday night (6:30 p.m. ET) when they take on the UConn Huskies in an exhibition contest at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
This is a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 game, which the Huskies won in dominant fashion, 98-45.
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The Orange went 24-9 last season while the Huskies were 38-1. The only loss suffered by Geno Auriemma's group was in the Final Four to South Carolina.
SyracuseRoundtable will have on-site coverage from this game and here are three things that we're looking forward to following along with:
Will Sarah Strong and Blanca Quinonez play for UConn?
Strong is the reigning National Player of the Year and Quinonez was the Big East Rookie of the Year. Both are exceptional players, and you can't really measure yourself up against UConn if they aren't playing.
Strong and Quinonez are both coming off injuries, and Quinonez had shoulder surgery in the offseason. Again, if they are there, UConn is at their best, and Syracuse can get a more accurate reading on where it stands.
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The Uche Izoje follow-up
Izoje is the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year and as a sophomore, she'll be the leader of this team. With Domonique Darius and Laila Phelia graduating and Sophie Burrows and Maddie Potts transferring, this is a different group than a year ago. More pressure will fall on Izoje's shoulders, and we want to see what jumps she's made in year two - especially if she's going against Strong and Quinonez.
She averaged 16.8 ppg and 10 rebounds a year ago.
Syracuse Orange Uche Izoje answers questions from the media at the ACC Tip-Off in Charlotte, NC. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
How about the newcomers?
There's been a lot of roster turnover in the offseason, so we just want to get a look at the new players, including Angelica Velez and Sarah Rambus. The Orange need to replace their primary ballhandlers from a year ago, their primary perimeter defenders, and they need to find an alternative scorer to Izoje.
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There's a lot for head coach Felicia Legette-Jack to uncover in this preseason, and that starts on Monday.
Also of note for the Orange
The Syracuse men will take on the UConn men on Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun with tip-off coming at 7 p.m. ET. The Orange went 15-17 a year ago, missing the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies advanced to the national title game, losing to Michigan.
