In an interesting turn of events, two NCAA tournament teams will be facing off a week before the round of 16 begins. Syracuse is coming off an ACC tournament championship while Colgate just won the Patriot League. Those two wins lock up the first two automatic qualifiers available while the rest of the country plays this weekend to figure things out. What this means is that you are going to see what is essentially a tournament game, but without the win or go home mentality. So what are these teams playing for? As it turns out, quite a bit.
Syracuse winning the ACC all but assures an overall number one seed in the NCAA tournament. If they drop this game to Colgate, that is no guarantee. The stakes are not incredibly high for the Orange as they are going to host a first round game regardless, but the higher they can be, the better. Last year, they had the two seed and lost at home to Bryant in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. Anything they can do to not replicate those events this year will be key. There is more on the line for Syracuse than seeding though. This will be just their third true road game all season. The other two were at Notre Dame and at North Carolina, both of which they lost. They also won all three of their neutral site games, but getting comfortable playing lacrosse outside of the Carrier Dome is important to this team in May.
Another big point for the Orange is recovering from the brutal ACC tournament. With so much on the line, neither Duke or North Carolina held anything back in terms of physical play. Syracuse didn’t lose any players to injury, but they were definitely happy when they heard the final whistle so they could go nurse the bruises under their pads. Colgate should play Syracuse tough though as the Patriot League was no cake walk. They had to survive the schedule consisting of teams like Loyola, Army, and Navy, so they certainly know how to play tough teams.
What this means for Syracuse is that they will want to do what they did in the early part of the season to other ranked teams. Score early, dictate play, build a lead, and get the starters off the field. Coming out flat and playing a full game of lacrosse is not to Syracuse’s advantage. This game is to keep their team fresh, stop the rust from building up, and lock up the top seed in the tournament.
Colgate on the other hand has everything to gain and nothing to lose. They already have a tournament spot and carry a number 12 ranking in the polls. History is not on their side though. In the all-time series, Colgate is 11-44-1 against the Orange. In recent history, things look a little big better. While they lost their last two meetings in 2014 and 2009, they also won in 2007 and 2008. 2008 happened to be one of the years Syracuse would eventually be crowned a national champion. The other thing going to the Raiders’ favor? 2008 was the last time they won their league championship too. (Side note: does this mean that superstitious Syracuse fans want Syracuse to lose?).
According to Laxpower, Colgate has the twelfth best RPI in the country. A win over Syracuse and some help in other games might be enough to push them up a little bit in that regard. A big enough push could mean hosting a first round game in Hamilton. The difference between being a seeded team playing host and going on the road to visit someone in this tournament is huge. There are no longer just two or three dominant teams in the tournament. Being seeded well will determine not just your first round game, but where and who you might play in the second round. There are not many easy paths to championship weekend, but the more that is working in your favor, the better of a chance you have.
Working in Colgate’s favor is they happen to be playing their best lacrosse right now. At one point in the season, they sat at 4-4. Since then, they have reeled off six straight wins including a seven point win over Loyola, a pair of three point wins over Army, and a 13 point win over Bucknell to start their Patriot League tournament run. This team is not one that can be overlooked and they are ready to make some noise in May.
Expect Colgate to play fast and loose while they throw everything they have at the Orange. If Syracuse plays their lacrosse and don’t come out flat, they should win this game. Their key is to come out of this game with a win, healthy, and ready to go next week. Colgate wants to keep their winning momentum going into the tournament and keep building off their Patriot League title. This should be a fantastic game to watch.
Time: 3:30PM EDT
Television: CBS Sports Network
