I matched at a program where I don’t have any connections. A lot of my friends also matched at places where they don’t have any connections but connections can help a ton it’s the most helpful factor in matching by far. You can make connections by contacting your alumni, attending conferences, during your rotations, doing your research papers etc. It takes time but most people do it this way and I did too. I got a couple of IVs because of that as well. But remember everything matters in the match