Postseason success hasn’t come easy for the Iowa State women’s basketball team over the past four years.

Senior Seanna Johnson, a four-year starter who ranks in the top-10 in Iowa State history in both points and rebounds, has yet to win a postseason game.

The current senior class is 0-4 in Big 12 Tournament games and 0-2 in NCAA Tournament games.

It’s been a tough run lately for one of college basketball’s most successful women’s basketball programs, and that road isn’t any easier this year.

9-seed Iowa State (18-12, 9-9 Big 12) will take on 8-seed Syracuse (21-10, 11-5 ACC) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Storrs, Connecticut, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

It’s the 17th all-time NCAA Tournament berth for Iowa State, and the 10th berth in the last 11 years. Only 12 other teams in women’s basketball have made 10 of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments.

While eight versus nine games are usually toss-ups, Saturday’s game may not fit that mold. Syracuse is ranked in the top 25 by both the AP and coaches polls, and the Orange finished last year as the national runner-up.

“They were in the national championship game last year,” coach Bill Fennelly said. “They shoot the three like crazy and they play a lot of zone. We haven’t seen them — I haven’t seen them one time all year — but they’re a very senior-dominated team.”

Defending the 3-point line will be an important factor for Iowa State. Syracuse has three players who hit 50 or more 3-pointers this season, including two who have hit at least 70. In contrast, Bridget Carleton leads Iowa State with 61 made 3-pointers on the season.

Looming in the second round, if Iowa State is able to win against Syracuse, is likely to be No. 1 Connecticut. UConn would have won 108 straight games by Monday, which is when Iowa State and UConn would play if both teams win in the first round.

One of the interesting parts about playing in the tournament is the teams aren’t familiar with each other. After playing nearly 20-straight games against conference opponents, the NCAA Tournament provides a change of pace and fresh faces.

“They don’t know us and we don’t know them,” Johnson said. “So you go out there and you just gotta play. I’ve watched Syracuse play but you never know what their tendencies are because you don’t normally play them.”

For some Cyclones, this will be their first taste of March Madness. Bridget Carleton led the Cyclones in scoring during Big 12 play and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, but this will be her first trip to the Big Dance.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Carleton said. “To be able to play in it is huge for me, it’s been our goal obviously since the start of the season and I think it just shows our resiliency. Obviously we didn’t start the Big 12 season how we wanted to.

“Being able to finish and go on that little run at the end is really exciting and gives us a lot of confidence and I think that’s huge for us.”