Syracuse earned the right to be UConn's opponent in Sunday's Big East quarterfinals with a 76-71 win over Providence.

Erica Morrow led four players in double figures with 24 points and the Orange had 24 offensive rebounds. Syracuse (22-9) was buoyed by the return of Nicole Michael. Michael, who missed the first-round win over Seton Hall with an injured right foot, had 12 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.

If Syracuse is viewing tomorrow's game as a chance to shock the world and end UConn's winning streak at 69 games - one shy of the NCAA Division I record set by the 2001-03 UConn squads - they did a good job of concealing it.

"I wasn't aware of that but I just want to come out and compete," Morrow said. "It is a great opportunity. We are going to come out and try to play a good basketball game."

Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman said he didn't think UConn being on the cusp of history would be addressed in his pre-game remarks.

"I don't think it is motivation," Hillsman said. "We have to go play a basketball game, I think it adds pressure. They are a good basketball team, Geno is a great coach and he gets his players to play really hard. it is going to be a great atmosphere for a women's college basketball game. We are going to come out there as hard as we can, we are going to compete.

"You have to give them a lot of credit, when you have an undefeated team in your conference, it is a great honor to have them in our conference. We are going to come out and play. Somebody has to play them so I guess it has to be us and we have to be ready to play tomorrow."

ELLIOTT PROUD OF CHARLES
Although she is no longer on the UConn staff, first-year Cincinnati coach Jamelle Elliott was quite thrilled to see Tina Charles recognized for her brilliant senior season by being named the Big East's Player of the Year.

"Tina, she really came out and played this year like she was the best player in the
country on a consistent basis," said Elliott, Charles' position coach for her first three seasons. "Last year she did that in spurts, two or three games here, two or three games there but this year she has been that player all year long and she deserved that Big East Player of the Year award and I couldn't be happier for her."

Elliott's Bearcats received plenty of support from the UConn fans at Friday's final first-round game, not surprising since she was a four-year standout at UConn and spent 12 years as an assistant on Geno Auriemma's UConn staff.

Elliott was on the losing side 11 times in her last four seasons at UConn but has already lost 17 games in her first season at Cincinnati.

"I knew going in it wasn't going to be UConn, I knew I wasn't going to win every game," Elliott said after Cincinnati defeated South Florida. "I kind of knew what I was going into although when you win for a long time, losing doesn't come easy. I am the head coach now, I have to stay positive, stay focused and continue to try to give them the confidence that when we do lose a game, next time out it is a brand new ball game and we have to play like it."