Georgetown Game Preview (3/22/26)

[Powellfan]

Wanted to kick things off here, it's a big game for the Orange. Back in the Dome after six straight road games, and the last big out of conference matchup before ACC play starts (sorry Colgate). I'll keep things short, I didn't watch the Denver game so I am not the best person to be prognosticating, but hopefully this will get others to chime in.

Georgetown hasn't had the season we all probably thought they would, they are 3-3 but those three losses are to Notre Dame, Ohio State and Richmond. They are coming off big wins against Albany and Loyola, but hard to know how impressive those wins are.

Scoring wise, it's the Connor brothers show for the Hoyas, as Rory and Liam lead the team with 33 and 25 points respectively. After that though it seems the rest of the offense isn't clicking much. The next leading scorer is Jack Schubert, at 13 points. The Orange obviously have history with the Connor brothers, so knowing that will probably help the defense. Have to think this matchup favors the Orange, but we'll see.

Georgetown defense has of course some big names in Anderson Moore (53%) and Ty Banks. Should be interesting to see how they adapt to the Dome. The big question is Georgetown's face-off group. Their main FOGO Ross Prince has been hurt this year, but even in the games he has played he's been under 50%. Last year though he was an impressive 63%. Which version shows up?

Alright, again, trying to keep things short. Look forward to hear what others have to add.

 

[FloridaCuse]

LACROSSE REFERENCE
via Free Expected Goals Email March 20, 2026

Weekend Preview

#3: Syracuse vs Georgetown
Sun, Mar 22 @ 1pm ET
Record: 7 - 2
LaxElo Rank: 6th
LaxElo Movement (this season): +35 rating points
Offense: 36.6% efficiency (8th nationally)
Defense: 22.7% efficiency (10th nationally)
Faceoffs: 57.9% win rate (13th nationally)
Highest Usage: Joey Spallina (13.2% play share)
Most Efficient: Payton Anderson (1.99 usage adjusted EGA; 4.7% play share)
Quarterback: Joey Spallina (34% of the team's assists)
Finisher: Joey Spallina (17% of the team's shots)
Most Productive: Joey Spallina (25 devittes)
Vacuum: Riley Figueiras (10% of the team's ground balls)
Disruptor: Riley Figueiras (10 total caused turnovers)
FOGO: John Mullen (57% faceoff win rate)
Goalie: Jimmy McCool (56% save percentage)

Georgetown Summary
Record: 3 - 3
LaxElo Rank: 12th
LaxElo Movement (this season): -17 rating points
Offense: 36.3% efficiency (9th nationally)
Defense: 23.1% efficiency (11th nationally)
Faceoffs: 50.9% win rate (39th nationally)
Highest Usage: Liam Connor (10.8% play share)
Most Efficient: Rory Connor (2.08 usage adjusted EGA; 10.8% play share)
Quarterback: Liam Connor (37% of the team's assists)
Finisher: Rory Connor (26% of the team's shots)
Most Productive: Rory Connor (26 devittes)
Vacuum: Charlie McGurrin (13% of the team's ground balls)
Disruptor: Evan MacFarland (11 total caused turnovers)
FOGO: Hayden Cody (46% faceoff win rate)
Goalie: Anderson Moore (53% save percentage)

 

[ColdAnger]

My $0.02:

Syracuse’s nonconference gauntlet continues when it welcomes a deep, balanced Georgetown team to the Dome in a matchup that feels like a May game dropped into late March. The Hoyas arrive 3–3 but battle‑tested, with all three losses to ranked teams (Notre Dame, Richmond, and Ohio State and an offense that is finally starting to click after an up‑and‑down February.
How the matchups break down

• Syracuse attack vs. Banks/Plath plus Moore – Georgetown is one of the few teams that can credibly throw two true No. 1 defenders at an offense built around multiple stars. Expect Banks to take the primary physical matchup and Plath to handle the quicker, change‑of‑direction dodger, forcing Syracuse to win through its third and fourth options or through off‑ball movement.
• Hoyas’ depth midfield vs. Syracuse’s short sticks – Georgetown wants this game in the middle of the field, rolling three lines and constantly attacking short sticks and soft spots with Miller, Cesare, Wray, Dudemaine, Bickel and Crogan. If Syracuse can’t win enough of those 1‑on‑1s, it will be forced into early sliding, which opens step‑downs for Ransom and backside cuts for Rory Connor.
• The Connor brothers vs. Syracuse slide discipline – Every Georgetown possession runs through the brothers: Liam as the feeder and two‑man orchestrator, Rory as the volume shooter. Syracuse will have to decide whether to shut off one with a lock and live with the other, or play them straight up and trust its help; either way, mis‑timed second slides will turn into easy dunks on the crease.
• Faceoff X and transition – Through six games, Georgetown is slightly underwater at the X, but its wing play and ground‑ball work (184 GBs to 205 allowed) have been good enough to keep possession close. If Syracuse can push that weakness—winning clamps clean and turning them into early offense before Banks/Plath are set—this could tilt heavily toward the Orange; if not, Georgetown’s settled six‑on‑six defense becomes a real problem.
• Goalies and “first save” factor – Moore has put together big halves even when the defense in front of him leaked shots, particularly in the Loyola and UAlbany wins. If the Georgetown staff is comfortable leaving him one‑on‑one on the island and he stacks early saves, Syracuse could find itself in a punch‑for‑punch, low‑margin game instead of the up‑tempo track meet we’ve all known and loved.
  

 

[JeremyCuse]

My $0.02:

Syracuse’s nonconference gauntlet continues when it welcomes a deep, balanced Georgetown team to the Dome in a matchup that feels like a May game dropped into late March. The Hoyas arrive 3–3 but battle‑tested, with all three losses to ranked teams (Notre Dame, Richmond, and Ohio State and an offense that is finally starting to click after an up‑and‑down February.
How the matchups break down

• Syracuse attack vs. Banks/Plath plus Moore – Georgetown is one of the few teams that can credibly throw two true No. 1 defenders at an offense built around multiple stars. Expect Banks to take the primary physical matchup and Plath to handle the quicker, change‑of‑direction dodger, forcing Syracuse to win through its third and fourth options or through off‑ball movement.
• Hoyas’ depth midfield vs. Syracuse’s short sticks – Georgetown wants this game in the middle of the field, rolling three lines and constantly attacking short sticks and soft spots with Miller, Cesare, Wray, Dudemaine, Bickel and Crogan. If Syracuse can’t win enough of those 1‑on‑1s, it will be forced into early sliding, which opens step‑downs for Ransom and backside cuts for Rory Connor.
• The Connor brothers vs. Syracuse slide discipline – Every Georgetown possession runs through the brothers: Liam as the feeder and two‑man orchestrator, Rory as the volume shooter. Syracuse will have to decide whether to shut off one with a lock and live with the other, or play them straight up and trust its help; either way, mis‑timed second slides will turn into easy dunks on the crease.
• Faceoff X and transition – Through six games, Georgetown is slightly underwater at the X, but its wing play and ground‑ball work (184 GBs to 205 allowed) have been good enough to keep possession close. If Syracuse can push that weakness—winning clamps clean and turning them into early offense before Banks/Plath are set—this could tilt heavily toward the Orange; if not, Georgetown’s settled six‑on‑six defense becomes a real problem.
• Goalies and “first save” factor – Moore has put together big halves even when the defense in front of him leaked shots, particularly in the Loyola and UAlbany wins. If the Georgetown staff is comfortable leaving him one‑on‑one on the island and he stacks early saves, Syracuse could find itself in a punch‑for‑punch, low‑margin game instead of the up‑tempo track meet we’ve all known and loved.
  

Good stuff.

Just to note Dudemaine has been hurt since game 1 and hasn't played since. Doesn't sound like he's likely to play this weekend either.

G-town has had major issues with playing time for the 2nd line mids and their has been some odd substitution patterns per some fans over at fanlax. Crogan didn't play at all vs Loyola nad Wray barely did. Looks like they played the 1st line most of the game. Seems like Warne is shifting things around from game to game so hard to say who will play on Sunday but it appears they are very unsettled there.

 

[cuselaxss26]

guessing banks will be on joey. So think joey should play more inside as picker n finisher. Don’t think he should push that matchup much 1v1. But moving offball or making banks part of slide package think be his best bet. Also assume their #2 guy be on leo. they have two solid poles so joey n leo may be slowed down meaning everyone else will have to step it up big time.

really need bear , hottle , hohn n mcintee course tucker to be threats in this game. Rhoa hopefully continues being solid. Also once again pretty solid goalie with moore so need to change levels bounce ball n get goalie moving, along with hiding ur stick as much as can on shots. Think every game will come down to how the offense looks n produces. Our D has been solid for most of year. Grant when playing tons of D cause O isn’t valuing ball or getting solid possessions. The d will get tired n things start to go awry then.

Once again mullen will have to be stellar n continue getting into a groove. The denver game he had a solid run but in 4th denver was winning few in row which helped the comeback along with refs n undisciplined players. Need to play a full 60mins win the gb battle n score the good open looks everytime. If get emo we have to make them pay.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[4evaOrange]

Gtown play zone? Lol

 

[orangeman410]

I see it’s kids/youth day. Do kids get in free/discounted ?

 

[FloridaCuse]

LACROSSE REFERENCE
via Free Expected Goals Email March 22, 2026

Preview: Syracuse vs Georgetown​

[td]Syracuse heads into Sunday's trip to Georgetown as a clear favorite in the LaxElo model, but not an overwhelming one. Based on their current ratings (Syracuse 5th, Georgetown 12th), if these teams played 100 times, we would expect Syracuse to win about 67 of those games. A Hoyas win would be a genuine upset, but not the kind of result that would break the model.

From there, the story quickly becomes less about one-sided dominance and more about narrow edges in specific areas.

On the Syracuse offense vs. Georgetown defense side, the numbers point to a fairly balanced matchup. Syracuse's opponent‑adjusted offensive efficiency sits 6th nationally, while Georgetown's defense, after adjusting for schedule, is 11th. That gap suggests a slight tilt toward the Orange, but not a mismatch. Syracuse has been one of the more consistent scoring units in the country; Georgetown has been good enough defensively that they should be able to force some empty trips and keep this from turning into a track meet.

Flip the field, and the pattern is similar. Georgetown's offense ranks 8th in adjusted efficiency, and Syracuse's defense is 9th. Again, two top‑10 units, separated by a hair. Statistically, that points to a game where both teams can generate quality looks and where neither side is likely to completely shut off the other's primary options. Any edge here is more about execution on the day than structural advantage.

Where the matchup starts to open up is in the possession game. After adjusting for opponent strength, Syracuse is averaging +2.4 more offensive possessions per game than its opponents, good for 27th nationally. Georgetown, by contrast, sits at -2.8 and 64th. Over 60 minutes, that kind of gap can quietly decide things; even if efficiencies are comparable, a team that can consistently generate a few extra chances has more margin for error.

The faceoff matchup is the main driver of that possession edge. Georgetown has leaned most heavily on Hayden Cody for draws, but the Faceoff Elo model actually rates Ross Prince as their stronger option: Prince comes in 28th nationally, while Cody is 141st. How the Hoyas allocate those reps matters, because whoever they send out will see a lot of John Mullen. Mullen has been Syracuse's primary specialist, winning 57.4% of his draws and ranking 36th in Faceoff Elo. On paper, that sets up as a spot where Syracuse can continue to gain more possessions than its opponents, unless Georgetown either gets a standout performance or finds the right mix between Cody and Prince.

Riding and clearing will layer onto that story. Syracuse's overall possession margin suggests they've been effective not just at the X but also in turning opponents over in transition and limiting giveaways that hand back possessions. Georgetown's negative margin, even after schedule adjustment, indicates they've been on the wrong side of those small battles more often than not. If that pattern holds, the Hoyas will be under pressure to outperform their season‑long trends just to keep the possession count close.

Taken together, the numbers back up LaxElo's read: two teams with similar offensive and defensive efficiency, with Syracuse holding a real—but not overwhelming—edge in the possession game. Over time, that points to the Orange winning about two-thirds of the time. In a one-off, if Georgetown can slow Mullen at the X and avoid giving away extra transition chances, the gap closes fast. That's the path to turning an expected Syracuse win into one of those 33 out of 100 that go the other way.[/td]