Syracuse men’s lacrosse drops 2 spots to No. 8 in Inside Lacrosse Poll
After an ACC Tournament Semifinals exit Friday, Syracuse fell to No. 8 in Inside Lacrosse’s Poll before playing Yale in the NCAA Tournament First Round Sunday. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse tumbled two spots in Inside Lacrosse’s weekly poll to No. 8 in the rankings released Monday. It’s the lowest the Orange have been ranked since earlier this season when they were also No. 8 and No. 10 at one point.
However, the ranking doesn’t hold much importance for SU, because it earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament Sunday, where it’ll play Yale next Sunday.
Although, the slip in the poll for the second successive week is indicative of Syracuse’s recent form. SU has lost three of its last five games and its last two matchups entering the do-or-die NCAA Tournament.
The most recent defeat was in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Semifinals Friday. The Orange held a lead entering the fourth quarter having not lost from that position in 24 straight games. However, a recent trend of Syracuse not playing complete contests resurfaced in a 12-10 loss to the Tar Heels.
The week before that, in SU’s regular-season finale, it played a strong first half in South Bend versus then-No. 1 Notre Dame before running out of gas in the second half en route to a 16-11 loss.
The Orange do have a fresh slate in the NCAA Tournament. If it gets the better of the Bulldogs, Syracuse will play the winner between No. 3 seed North Carolina — potentially clashing with UNC for the third time this season after falling in the first two meetings — in Hempstead, New York.
The promised land lies in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the Final Four will take place during Memorial Day weekend. SU hasn’t won a national championship since 2009. The vaunted 2022 recruiting class, who’ve repeatedly stated a championship is their sole priority, have one last chance to claim the title.
