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It’s NCAA Tournament time for Syracuse. The long-stated, single-minded objective of winning the national title is four wins away from the Orange. However, the end of the season — and an era for the acclaimed 2022 recruiting class — is only one loss away.

No. 6 seed SU’s first tournament hurdle is Yale, the last at-large to make the field. The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven games, narrowly losing in the Ivy League Tournament Semifinals to No. 1 seed Princeton. The Orange stagger into the NCAA Tournament on the heels of two straight losses and a worrying trend of not playing complete games.

Syracuse’s final game at the JMA Wireless Dome is Sunday. The ascendant, youthful Bulldogs against the lurching, experienced Orange. If SU moves on, it faces the winner of No. 3 seed North Carolina — which it’s lost to twice this season — and UAlbany in Hempstead, New York.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 6 seed SU (11-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) will fare against Yale (9-5, 4-2 Ivy) in the NCAA Tournament First Round Sunday:

Zak Wolf (14-2)
Not done yet
Syracuse 14, Yale 12

When this game starts, I’ll officially be a Syracuse alumnus. It won’t change the outcome of this contest, but it’s a weird feeling. After watching this program for three seasons, I think I have my finger on the pulse of this team (hence the beat writers’ prediction record), so here’s my analysis:

Syracuse only has itself to blame for this predicament. The Orange were in prime position for a top-three seed — and an easier path to the Final Four — with a couple more wins, but they faltered at each stage. So that begs the question: Can this team string together four consecutive strong performances? If this season tells us anything, they can’t. SU’s been too up and down for a team of its talent. However, at this point in the season, the last three months don’t matter. It’s all about getting over the line, no matter the cost.

Yale isn’t going to be a pushover. The Bulldogs have been one of the hottest teams in the country in the second half of the season and are a young, feisty bunch. But that’s the thing. The Bulldogs’ youth will come back to bite them in this contest.

Syracuse hasn’t lost in the Dome all season, and inexperienced teams get caught up in the atmosphere. There’s not much more analysis I can give. The Orange are the more dangerous group, and they will prove that.

It won’t be easy, but Syracuse’s seniors’ careers aren’t going to end at home. I can assure you that.

Nicholas Alumkal (12-4)
Not dead yet
Syracuse 14, Yale 8

The narrative and mood around Syracuse lacrosse have worsened in recent weeks. There’s the aforementioned failure to put together a complete game. It’s lost three of its last five games. There’s the Orange’s concerning 0-4 record against the top-three seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Good news for SU: It doesn’t have to play any of those strongest teams — yet. Only a Yale team that’s inexperienced yet plucky stands across the field in the Orange’s NCAA Tournament opener.

Syracuse should have what it takes to stay alive for another game and defeat the Bulldogs. The Orange looked good enough to beat North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Semifinals, but capitulated in the fourth quarter. I expect SU — especially its seniors — to have a chip on its shoulder to keep the season going. It’ll be too much for the Bulldogs.

Let’s run down the venerable list. Fans might want to bring an inhaler to Sunday’s game — if Dome policies allow — because Joey Spallina will take the breath away of those in attendance one last time with his Promethean ability. Finn Thomson can produce a terabyte of skill in a nanosecond with his finishing ability. Luke Rhoa has his shooting angles down better than Pythagoras. Michael Leo has the intimidating directness of a torpedo dodging downhill. Billy Dwan III marauds forward for pole goals, locking his focus on the net like a hungry hawk looking for dinner.

Why not chuck in fellow seniors who still have eligibility remaining? Riley Figueiras is like a piece of Velcro covered in glue, marking the opposing team’s top attack. Jimmy McCool, with his honed memory solely focused on the play at hand, can make saves like an octopus.

That sounds daunting, doesn’t it? That’s the version I expect of Syracuse now that the high-stakes NCAA Tournament has begun. Bulldogs, your cuteness won’t afford any mercy.

Mauricio Palmar (11-5)
Don’t stop believing
Syracuse 15, Yale 10

Or maybe I should stop believing. It hasn’t paid off for me yet. Just two weeks ago, I was one game away from tying Zak for the best prediction record of these three scribes. Now, after incorrectly predicting wins over Notre Dame and North Carolina in consecutive weeks, I have fallen to last on our prediction leaderboard, staring down a practically insurmountable three-game deficit from the top. Woe is me.

Perhaps this setback would’ve made me jaded, disillusioned with this whole exercise. Perhaps it would’ve devolved my unceasing optimism to a cancerous pessimism, scorned and destined to pick against Syracuse at every possible turn that I can. Would that be better?

But these losses on the leaderboard haven’t taught me anything. I still believe in SU’s potential to make it to Championship Weekend, and I don’t think Yale will prevent that.

Had the Orange been forced to host a team like Army — featuring All-American goalie Sean Byrne and star midfielder Evan Plunkett — I might be inclined to lean against them in the opening round. But the Bulldogs aren’t nearly as convincing.

Where is Yale going to find the scoring production to match Spallina, Leo and Thomson, especially in the Dome? Where is it going to find the stout defender to match Figueiras and Dwan? Yale certainly finished its regular season off strong, and it should be commended for even making it to this stage.

But Syracuse is on a different level. This time, I don’t think I’ll regret taking SU to win.

Published on May 8, 2026 at 12:32 pm