Beat writers split on Syracuse s chances in opening round
Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA TODAY Sports A win over the Hoyas leads to a likely matchup with No. 4 seed Virginia, which Syracuse defeated twice already this season.
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Coming off an underwhelming regular season, Syracuse found itself just inside the bubble on Selection Sunday, getting an unseeded bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Orange’s first round opponent is none other than longtime basketball rival Georgetown, the Big East champion and No. 5 seed in the tournament.
Head coach John Desko and several players said that the postseason is a brand new season nothing from the regular season matters, including a 2-5 record against ranked teams. A win over the Hoyas leads to a likely matchup with No. 4 seed Virginia, which Syracuse defeated twice already this season.
Beat writers unanimously choose Notre Dame over Syracuse
Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA TODAY Sports
The Orange face Notre Dame for a rematch after losing their first meeting 18-11 in the Carrier Dome.
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Syracuse upset Virginia last weekend for the second time this season behind a career-best performance from the Orange’s faceoff specialist Jakob Phaup.
SU enters Saturday’s matchup against Notre Dame without attack Chase Scanlan, who was suspended from the team last week after he was involved in what the Department of Public Safety classified as a domestic incident. Scanlan was reinstated by head coach John Desko on Monday, but he will not travel with the team to Notre Dame.
Beat writers expect SU to fall against No. 5 Virginia for its 2nd straight loss
Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports
Our beat writers expect No. 11 Syracuse to lose against No. 5 Virginia on Saturday.
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No. 11 Syracuse (5-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) will visit No. 5 Virginia (10-3, 2-3) on Saturday, facing the only ACC program it has defeated this year. The Orange’s 20-10 victory against the Cavaliers in late February was the largest margin of victory between the two squads.
Syracuse has lost three of its last four games, and its struggles in ACC play were highlighted in a 21-9 thrashing at the hands of North Carolina this weekend. To compound problems, the Orange suspended No. 22 Chase Scanlan this week and will likely miss starting defender Nick DiPietro and short-stick defensive midfielder Brandon Aviles.