Credit Georgetown University Athletics
Back in February, if you said that the Orange would be an unseeded team in the NCAA Tournament, not many people would’ve believed you. SU was ranked in a tie for second in the preseason USILA poll, and a Final Four run felt like an expectation.
Things didn’t quite go according to plan. Syracuse started hot with a 4-1 record, but cooled off in a major way down the stretch, going 3-4 the rest of the regular season. Double digit losses to North Carolina and Notre Dame put some serious question marks on SU’s chances.
Opponent preview: What to know about No. 5-seed Georgetown
Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports
Unseeded Syracuse faces No.5-seed Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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No. 10 Syracuse renews a traditional Big East rivalry on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Orange (7-5, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) travel to a neutral venue at Maryland’s Capital One Field to take on No. 5-seed Georgetown (12-2, 9-1 Big East) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. It will be SU’s 13th-straight year in the NCAA Tournament, though it hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2017.
Syracuse to play No. 5 Georgetown in 1st round of NCAA Tournament
Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports
Syracuse men s lacrosse will face Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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A little over two weeks ago, Syracuse found itself in a must-win situation to avoid going under .500 with a two-game Atlantic Coast Conference road trip coming up. The Orange’s leading goal-scorer, Chase Scanlan, had just been suspended, and their defense was ravaged with injuries to starter Nick DiPietro and vital short-sticks Dami Oladunmoye and Brandon Aviles.
SU, which came into the season as one of the favorites to win it all, was fighting to just ensure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But a win at Virginia to sweep the season-series against the Cavaliers rid SU of its tournament doubts.
(Photo Courtesy Georgetown Athletics)
In one moment, Georgetown coach Kevin Warne was clutching his hat and anger and cursing himself. The next, his hands were in the air, praising above for his freshman Dylan Hess.
The Hoyas are back-to-back-to-back Big East Tournament champions after topping top-seeded Denver, 10-9 on Saturday at Providence’s Chapey Field.
The Kings of the East closed out the Kings of the West with a 6-2 run in the second half. Georgetown locked up an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, while Denver (12-4) is still expected to land a seeded spot as an at-large selections.
(Photos Courtesy of Villanova Athletics)
Everything was set up for a thrilling game heading into Thursday night’s Big East Semifinal between Georgetown and Villanova.
The teams had met twice prior once a blowout, once a close Hoya win.
They came in with contrasting paths as Georgetown dropped its last outing with a disappointing performance vs. Loyola. Villanova, meanwhile, was earning some well-deserved buzz after drubbing Lehigh.
The stakes were there, too. With the Big East’s AQ the ultimate goal, the semifinal game also had tremendous potential to boost an at-large resume with another quality win.
Throw in a nice night, a sizable, raucous crowd of fans inside Providence’s Chapey Field, a national TV platform and it’s hardly a surprise that Georgetown’s 14-12 win was one of the most exciting of a full slate of conference tournament games this week.