"John" Hopkins Game Preview (3/9/25, 2pm)

[Powellfan]

Syracuse faces off against old rival Johnny Hopkins this Sunday at 2pm. It's a huge game for the Orange, as a win would boost their tournament resume in a big way, and a loss would put them behind the eight ball early in the season.

Hopkins doesn't have the deepest offense in the world, but they have some special players in their "big four" - Matt Collison, Hunter Chauvette, Brooks English and Russell Melendez. I am going to guess that SU bumps up Billy Dwan to the midfield to cover Collison. The wild card is Brooks English, who leads the team in assists with 12. Does SU end up double poling? Before last weekend I would have said absolutely, but Hopkins may have uncovered the missing piece to their attack in Charlier Iler, who scored a goal and dished out two assist against UVA last weekend. It's just a one game sample, but the Jays were getting next to nothing from the third attack spot previously. My biggest concern for the Orange however is who covers Chauvette, and how he's handled. Cuse did a terrible job last year covering Garrett Degnon, the big lefty sniper scored five times against SU. I am guessing Mike Grace covers Chauvette, with Figuerias on Melendez (if healthy, he left the UVA game), with Caccammo on Iller/English. Hopkins runs a similar motion offense that SU does, so the SU defense will have to have their heads on a swivel.

On paper, I think this is an SU offense that matches up well with Hopkins, a defense that loves to slide against an offense that loves to pass the ball. They have some very good defenders with Scott Smith and Quintin Killrain. SU has to find a way to neutralize those two. Joey Spallina had a good game last year against Hopkins (lost in all the "doesn't play well against good defenses, he had five points down in North Carolina). That said, I think the midfield needs to have a good game, led by English and Leo. They have to get going this season, and this game is as good a time as any. Loyola transfer Luke Staudt is at just 47%, and has been under 50% in his last three games. SU cannot be afraid to shoot the ball, and needs to shoot it well. I am sure the former West Genny grad will have a big cheering contingent in the Dome on Sunday.

Face-offs should be interesting, as both teams are doing quite well in this department this year. Logan Callahan is at 59% for the year and has not been under 50% the entire year, going up against Georgetown, UVA and UNC. Much like Syracuse, Hopkins has no depth here, as backup Joe Hobot has only taken 18 face-offs and won only four. Johnny Mullen will need to be at his best (he's been on fire the last two games), hopefully he keeps it going against Hopkins.

On paper I believe that SU is the better team and has more talent. That said Hopkins has had a much tougher early season schedule and has one less loss to show for it. They are more battled tested than the Orange, and don't have a "bad" loss on their schedule (I think the Harvard loss will age quite poorly for the Orange). My heart says the Orange should win this game by two or three goals. However I can't quite trust this team. Something seems off with the offense, which can't seem to play a full game. When they are on, they look like one of the best teams in the country and when they are off, simply like a JV high school squad. I don't get it. But if they can get on track this game it will go a long way. Hopefully the team we thought would get pre-season shows up this weekend.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Is this a "Dear John" post?

Sucks that I have to miss the game. My trivia team qualified for the citywide tournament on Sunday at 2:30. I can check my phone in between rounds, but I can't watch.

So blame me if we lose.

 

[Powellfan]

Is this a "Dear John" post?

Sucks that I have to miss the game. My trivia team qualified for the citywide tournament on Sunday at 2:30. I can check my phone in between rounds, but I can't watch.

So blame me if we lose.

If we win, are you forbidden from watching the rest of the season?

 

[Frozen]

I smoked pot with Johnny Hopkins.

You don't know anyone named Johnny Hopkins.

It was Johnny Hopkins and Sloan Kettering. And they were blazing that up every day.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

If we win, are you forbidden from watching the rest of the season?

I'd stay home and piss on a sparkplug if it would get us #12.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Curious if Melendez plays or not. Was in street clothes for the second half. It’s a small sample size but his replacement Iller may be better off the dodge than he is. But Melendez has given Hopkins a ton as a shooter/off ball threat and has created a lot as a passer too, despite IMO still not having the burst off the dodge he had back in 2023. Iller scored strait up 1v1 on a UVA long pole in the last game, something that Melendez and Chauvette have not done this season hardly ever. Assume we would put Figueras on either Melendez or Iller.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Syracuse faces off against old rival Johnny Hopkins this Sunday at 2pm. It's a huge game for the Orange, as a win would boost their tournament resume in a big way, and a loss would put them behind the eight ball early in the season.

Hopkins doesn't have the deepest offense in the world, but they have some special players in their "big four" - Matt Collison, Hunter Chauvette, Brooks English and Russell Melendez. I am going to guess that SU bumps up Billy Dwan to the midfield to cover Collison. The wild card is Brooks English, who leads the team in assists with 12. Does SU end up double poling? Before last weekend I would have said absolutely, but Hopkins may have uncovered the missing piece to their attack in Charlier Iler, who scored a goal and dished out two assist against UVA last weekend. It's just a one game sample, but the Jays were getting next to nothing from the third attack spot previously. My biggest concern for the Orange however is who covers Chauvette, and how he's handled. Cuse did a terrible job last year covering Garrett Degnon, the big lefty sniper scored five times against SU. I am guessing Mike Grace covers Chauvette, with Figuerias on Melendez (if healthy, he left the UVA game), with Caccammo on Iller/English. Hopkins runs a similar motion offense that SU does, so the SU defense will have to have their heads on a swivel.

On paper, I think this is an SU offense that matches up well with Hopkins, a defense that loves to slide against an offense that loves to pass the ball. They have some very good defenders with Scott Smith and Quintin Killrain. SU has to find a way to neutralize those two. Joey Spallina had a good game last year against Hopkins (lost in all the "doesn't play well against good defenses, he had five points down in North Carolina). That said, I think the midfield needs to have a good game, led by English and Leo. They have to get going this season, and this game is as good a time as any. Loyola transfer Luke Staudt is at just 47%, and has been under 50% in his last three games. SU cannot be afraid to shoot the ball, and needs to shoot it well. I am sure the former West Genny grad will have a big cheering contingent in the Dome on Sunday.

Face-offs should be interesting, as both teams are doing quite well in this department this year. Logan Callahan is at 59% for the year and has not been under 50% the entire year, going up against Georgetown, UVA and UNC. Much like Syracuse, Hopkins has no depth here, as backup Joe Hobot has only taken 18 face-offs and won only four. Johnny Mullen will need to be at his best (he's been on fire the last two games), hopefully he keeps it going against Hopkins.

On paper I believe that SU is the better team and has more talent. That said Hopkins has had a much tougher early season schedule and has one less loss to show for it. They are more battled tested than the Orange, and don't have a "bad" loss on their schedule (I think the Harvard loss will age quite poorly for the Orange). My heart says the Orange should win this game by two or three goals. However I can't quite trust this team. Something seems off with the offense, which can't seem to play a full game. When they are on, they look like one of the best teams in the country and when they are off, simply like a JV high school squad. I don't get it. But if they can get on track this game it will go a long way. Hopefully the team we thought would get pre-season shows up this weekend.

Good stuff, hit most of the point I was going to make. Hopkins is a very solid team, not much in the way of noticeable weaknesses save for some spots where depth could be an issue with injury. Their attack unit is potentially in flux if Melendez can't go. He apparently wasn't 100% prior to last Saturday's game and had to pull himself out, seems unlikely that even if he does play that he will be close to 100%. Something to watch for sure.

For SU, I think they are almost a lock to double pole even if Melendez plays. Stuart Phillips has been the 3rd attackmen with Melendez and Chauvette for most ot the year. He's essentially a pure crease guy who SU will short stick with Levine if I had to guess. Iler came in for Melendez last week and did play well at his X/QB spot. Not dismissing him but I suspect UVA had zero scouting report on him as he really hasn't played since getting to Hopkins and he burned them for 3 pts. I'd like to think SU will be prepared for him seeing significant time especially if Melendez is out or limited. I share your concerns about Chauvette, though I would note as basd they struggled last year with Degnon I believe Chauvette had 1 pt.

Hopkins offensively is a lot like Syracuse, can really get rolling with great ball movement and they have multiple stretch shooters and can fill it up quickly if you let them, however, they can also struggle for extended periods as they like SU don't have an elite level dodger and they can get turnover happy as they are averaging 15.5 a game. From a matchup standpoint I assume Fig will take either Melendez or Iler, hard to see him matching up with anyone else. The question for me is Dwan. I think the matchup is Collison but if they don't double pole for some reason I assume Chauvette. Chauvette has shown some ability to dodge this year but its not his strength to say the least. What he can do is absolutely rip it with little time and room. Be it Dwan or Grace, whoever has him has to stay with him and forget being slow to slide, don't slide at all. I'd almost faceguard him, he's not gonna be able to beat you off the dodge. My best guess is that SU will double pole with Fig on Melendez/Iler, Grace on Chauvette and Levine on Phillips. From a midfield standpoint Dwan on Collison and the LSM Trio on English and Rice on Bauer. I'd be tempted if I were SU to maybe try Dwan on English. English is really the table setter, even at mid he leads the team in assists with 12. One thing to note SU defensively struggled against Hop's O last year and was saved by the dominating performance at the X and some Hop failed clears.

Offensively I think your echoing what's been my biggest concern for the last 2 years, the offense has absolutely no consistency beyond the inevitable quarter plus weach game where it can't get out of it's own way. You mentioned "trust" that's hard to have with this offense right now. Last year I noted on multiple occasions that they would inevitably have a stretch where they just looked lost and that would vary from 8-10 mins to a quarter + to entire halves - UNC and Cornell. I was hoping it would improve this year but if anything it's gotten worse. Wish I had the how and why and the solution but this seems like it will be an issue either with this personnel or staff in perpetuity. Really frustrating to watch this offense just absolutely dominate and then suddenly it feels like your watching a drunk pick up game in the middle of the summer. Baffling.

Hopkins defense is very solid as Powell noted but it can get slide happy and it really struggled in the 2nd half last year versus SU after a very good 1st half performance. SU's struggles to close games out was on full display as well as Hopkins nearly tied it late. Smith and former SU commit Kilrain are a very good 1-2 punch and the Yale SSDM transfers including our buddy Hackler are very solid. Spallina drew SMith last year though if my memory serves right and he had one of his better games. I suspect Smith will draw Spallina and Kilrain on Hiltz. Hop's 3rd pole is decent but not great. Hop has a ton of LSM depth and will rotate in 3 guys though one of the backups is out with a broken jaw and probably won't play. They are the kind of defense that has the potential to give SU fits if they don't get slide happy. Again last years game is a really good example, they played really well in the 1st half but in the 2nd started getting slide happy and SU really hurt them with great ball movement and skip passes.

I assume Thomson will be back for Saturday which will be good to see, he's on a heater. Assuming that to be correct, Anderson still needs to play you could see his potential vs Utah and even with his hesitation he was beating guys. I would at minimum rotate him on the 2nd midline, he could cause real problems running with Hottle on the 2nd line. I think I would put him in over McCarthy, he's really struggling out there right now. Like most games with this SU offense, the 1st midfield will likely tell the tale. Hop I thin will play it straight up and not double pole to start. English will almost assuredly draw a short stick, he has to win that match up. Leo and Rhoa both were letting it fly last week and I suspect both will be focal points again on Sunday. One thing all 3 need to do is protect the ball better. They had 6 TO's between the three of them last week, not gonna cut it.

FOGO should be a wash, both starters are very good. Only caveat to this is if one guy really gets ona roll the opposing team may have a major issue as both teams have little in the way of depth. We did finally see Angelo last week and it appears he has taken over the #2 job. Staudt has been better then McCool this year when you look at the comp level but he's under 50% as Powell noted. McCool bounced back nicely this past week but I still have major concerns moving forward.

I agree with Powell that Cuse overall is probably the more talented team overall but Hop is more battle tested and I think more crucially is the more buttoned up/consistent team. I worry that we will see a mini version of the Harvard game where SU perhaps gets a small lead or in a tight game just has that 10 min stretch where it looks lost offensively and Hop pulls away (game from 2 years ago essentially). Syracuse really needs this Win, that awful Harvard loss has put them in a real bad spot and much like Powell I fear it will haunt them all year long. When you look at what's ahead again SU needs this win, Get it done.

 

[nyclax]

Good stuff, hit most of the point I was going to make. Hopkins is a very solid team, not much in the way of noticeable weaknesses save for some spots where depth could be an issue with injury. Their attack unit is potentially in flux if Melendez can't go. He apparently wasn't 100% prior to last Saturday's game and had to pull himself out, seems unlikely that even if he does play that he will be close to 100%. Something to watch for sure.

For SU, I think they are almost a lock to double pole even if Melendez plays. Stuart Phillips has been the 3rd attackmen with Melendez and Chauvette for most ot the year. He's essentially a pure crease guy who SU will short stick with Levine if I had to guess. Iler came in for Melendez last week and did play well at his X/QB spot. Not dismissing him but I suspect UVA had zero scouting report on him as he really hasn't played since getting to Hopkins and he burned them for 3 pts. I'd like to think SU will be prepared for him seeing significant time especially if Melendez is out or limited. I share your concerns about Chauvette, though I would note as basd they struggled last year with Degnon I believe Chauvette had 1 pt.

Hopkins offensively is a lot like Syracuse, can really get rolling with great ball movement and they have multiple stretch shooters and can fill it up quickly if you let them, however, they can also struggle for extended periods as they like SU don't have an elite level dodger and they can get turnover happy as they are averaging 15.5 a game. From a matchup standpoint I assume Fig will take either Melendez or Iler, hard to see him matching up with anyone else. The question for me is Dwan. I think the matchup is Collison but if they don't double pole for some reason I assume Chauvette. Chauvette has shown some ability to dodge this year but its not his strength to say the least. What he can do is absolutely rip it with little time and room. Be it Dwan or Grace, whoever has him has to stay with him and forget being slow to slide, don't slide at all. I'd almost faceguard him, he's not gonna be able to beat you off the dodge. My best guess is that SU will double pole with Fig on Melendez/Iler, Grace on Chauvette and Levine on Phillips. From a midfield standpoint Dwan on Collison and the LSM Trio on English and Rice on Bauer. I'd be tempted if I were SU to maybe try Dwan on English. English is really the table setter, even at mid he leads the team in assists with 12. One thing to note SU defensively struggled against Hop's O last year and was saved by the dominating performance at the X and some Hop failed clears.

Offensively I think your echoing what's been my biggest concern for the last 2 years, the offense has absolutely no consistency beyond the inevitable quarter plus weach game where it can't get out of it's own way. You mentioned "trust" that's hard to have with this offense right now. Last year I noted on multiple occasions that they would inevitably have a stretch where they just looked lost and that would vary from 8-10 mins to a quarter + to entire halves - UNC and Cornell. I was hoping it would improve this year but if anything it's gotten worse. Wish I had the how and why and the solution but this seems like it will be an issue either with this personnel or staff in perpetuity. Really frustrating to watch this offense just absolutely dominate and then suddenly it feels like your watching a drunk pick up game in the middle of the summer. Baffling.

Hopkins defense is very solid as Powell noted but it can get slide happy and it really struggled in the 2nd half last year versus SU after a very good 1st half performance. SU's struggles to close games out was on full display as well as Hopkins nearly tied it late. Smith and former SU commit Kilrain are a very good 1-2 punch and the Yale SSDM transfers including our buddy Hackler are very solid. Spallina drew SMith last year though if my memory serves right and he had one of his better games. I suspect Smith will draw Spallina and Kilrain on Hiltz. Hop's 3rd pole is decent but not great. Hop has a ton of LSM depth and will rotate in 3 guys though one of the backups is out with a broken jaw and probably won't play. They are the kind of defense that has the potential to give SU fits if they don't get slide happy. Again last years game is a really good example, they played really well in the 1st half but in the 2nd started getting slide happy and SU really hurt them with great ball movement and skip passes.

I assume Thomson will be back for Saturday which will be good to see, he's on a heater. Assuming that to be correct, Anderson still needs to play you could see his potential vs Utah and even with his hesitation he was beating guys. I would at minimum rotate him on the 2nd midline, he could cause real problems running with Hottle on the 2nd line. I think I would put him in over McCarthy, he's really struggling out there right now. Like most games with this SU offense, the 1st midfield will likely tell the tale. Hop I thin will play it straight up and not double pole to start. English will almost assuredly draw a short stick, he has to win that match up. Leo and Rhoa both were letting it fly last week and I suspect both will be focal points again on Sunday. One thing all 3 need to do is protect the ball better. They had 6 TO's between the three of them last week, not gonna cut it.

FOGO should be a wash, both starters are very good. Only caveat to this is if one guy really gets ona roll the opposing team may have a major issue as both teams have little in the way of depth. We did finally see Angelo last week and it appears he has taken over the #2 job. Staudt has been better then McCool this year when you look at the comp level but he's under 50% as Powell noted. McCool bounced back nicely this past week but I still have major concerns moving forward.

I agree with Powell that Cuse overall is probably the more talented team overall but Hop is more battle tested and I think more crucially is the more buttoned up/consistent team. I worry that we will see a mini version of the Harvard game where SU perhaps gets a small lead or in a tight game just has that 10 min stretch where it looks lost offensively and Hop pulls away (game from 2 years ago essentially). Syracuse really needs this Win, that awful Harvard loss has put them in a real bad spot and much like Powell I fear it will haunt them all year long. When you look at what's ahead again SU needs this win, Get it done.

who broke their jaw? deans? that would be a big loss for them..

there is a chance both melendez and iler play and if thats the case they should not double pole the midfield...but if it's just one or the other then id def pole english and collison and put an ssdm on philips.

mullen prob has the narrow advantage over hop's fogo...he wont win 90% like he did against harvard but i could see a 60-40 split in the orange's favor.

 

[JeremyCuse]

who broke their jaw? deans? that would be a big loss for them..

there is a chance both melendez and iler play and if thats the case they should not double pole the midfield...but if it's just one or the other then id def pole english and collison and put an ssdm on philips.

mullen prob has the narrow advantage over hop's fogo...he wont win 90% like he did against harvard but i could see a 60-40 split in the orange's favor.

Heard Deans broke his jaw. Can't say that 100% but his absence leads me to believe it's accurate.

Ya if Melendez and Iler both play at attack it will stop SU from double polling and lead to some shifts in who covers who. Probably Fig on Melendez and Dwan on Iler though again I could see Dwan on Chauvette. Midfield becomes much tougher, probably pole Collison but I don't love English on a short stick.

Mullen's on a roll right now for sure bu Callahan has held up against some pretty decent Fogo's including Wambach. Will be a very intriguing battle at the X.

 

[nyclax]

Heard Deans broke his jaw. Can't say that 100% but his absence leads me to believe it's accurate.

Ya if Melendez and Iler both play at attack it will stop SU from double polling and lead to some shifts in who covers who. Probably Fig on Melendez and Dwan on Iler though again I could see Dwan on Chauvette. Midfield becomes much tougher, probably pole Collison but I don't love English on a short stick.

Mullen's on a roll right now for sure bu Callahan has held up against some pretty decent Fogo's including Wambach. Will be a very intriguing battle at the X.

deans played last week...must have happened late if it happened...would be a big loss.. if i recall he had a big game in the dome last time out including a goal?

picking between collison and english for who gets the pole is tough but i think ur right...cannot let collison dodge on a ssdm unless the slide is coming early and when thats the case they will hurt you with ball movement. english is quick enough to run by a pole anyway so u might as well kinda just let him run by your shortie and funnel him down the alley where he cant hurt you much

 

[JeremyCuse]

deans played last week...must have happened late if it happened...would be a big loss.. if i recall he had a big game in the dome last time out including a goal?

picking between collison and english for who gets the pole is tough but i think ur right...cannot let collison dodge on a ssdm unless the slide is coming early and when thats the case they will hurt you with ball movement. english is quick enough to run by a pole anyway so u might as well kinda just let him run by your shortie and funnel him down the alley where he cant hurt you much

Yes this last game, believe he left and never came back in. Again could be wrong but it was oddly specific which I though gave it more credence. I believe he did have a good game a few years ago and there was a long pole goal in that game so your probably right.

English adds a dynamic Hop didn't have last year with his injury, that quickness and passing ability is a huge help with Angelus gone and Melendez banged up. He's the guy that concerns me the most on Saturday. Collison on a SSDM just isn't realistic though unless its an elite SSDM with size and those are pretty much non-existent. A lot will hinge on whether Melendez plays and if they can double pole. Obviously a zone is a horrific idea against Hop and I can't see SU doing that.

 

[cuselaxss26]

I smoked pot with Johnny Hopkins.

You don't know anyone named Johnny Hopkins.

It was Johnny Hopkins and Sloan Kettering. And they were blazing that up every day.

dammit was scrolling to see if anyone said this as came into my mind once saw “johnny “

 

[cuselaxss26]

Right off the batt gonna say don’t feel great about this game. Not at all.

Think what really is gonna make difference or tell how it goes will be the SU offense. Yes defense has been solid except for time at harvard game, but i think with how offense was playing the defense was trying to hard to make up for it n got burned. Think if the offense is clicking all game defense will stay focused n solid. Will give up goals no doubt but think will be good. But if offense starts going to poppy for period of time. Think defense will bend eventually breaking.

The offense really has to come out set the tone like have early in game. Then come out second half even better then first half. They have to value the ball ,move their feet on throws n passes. Bury every single open look giving or created. Really the offense n mcCool are only concerns have that really have me worried. The way offense has looked in second half just no words to explain. McCool has been ok for most of season in my mind. Don’t think there has been time or save where was like “WOW”. But he will def need to have few of those this weekend. A lost think mentally will have this team in tough state n second guessing everything. A win clearly would be huge.

Last thing the dam coaches better not only have solid game plan. But also solid back up plan n back up to back up plan. Or least decent amount of ideas or adjustments can or will make specially in second half if things go how they have been. Can’t wait to last min to make change either. I also agree anderson needs to be in this game. Even if early, but he has to be involved within reason. He has body n size to power thru n draw slide to dump it to our feeders or shooters. Man hope we win n this awful feeling have goes away. Prove me wrong orange please !

 

[cuselaxss26]

Last years game vs hopkins was beyond just game in my house. The win last year was something at time needed in house hold. Mother in law was on her death bed n had no reason to smile or joy at time. But watching cuse pull out the win was least embracing to me n mrs. As mother in law passed the next day after the game (late march 10). So we both will be watching and when march 10 comes (1 year anniversary of mother in laws passing) n it hits my wife could def use a dub this sunday as comfort.

 

[cuselaxss26]

No intentions to bring mood down or sympathy. Was more hoping for angle to grant a wish !

 

[cuselaxss26]

Angel

 

[Lax Mouse]

As a fan of both teams (we don’t have to talk about that) I find this to be a really intriguing matchup. As noted, there are a lot of base similarities between these teams. For me, the key difference between them is talent and discipline. Syracuse is unquestionably the more talented team on paper, but Hopkins plays a style that is more restrained and deliberate. So while both teams on offense like to move the ball and do play a relatively unselfish brand of lacrosse, the Syracuse offense focuses on volume of shots and seems confident that eventually their talent level will lead them to prevail. Hopkins, on the other hand, waits for the best opportunity for scoring chances and aims to be as efficient as possible. Both of these approaches come with their benefits and their faults, but the Blue Jays have benefitted from their style more so far this year.

Both fanbases likewise have some fairly loud criticisms of their respective coaching staffs, but I think Hopkins finds itself in a much better position. You can criticize coach Milliman’s in-game decisions with timeouts or strategy, but there’s no doubt he’s been able to maximize or even exceed the talent level of his players. It’s not like the cupboard is bare at Homewood, but Milliman has his team playing at at least a quarterfinal level without the same number of 5 stars (albeit not a perfect metric) of other top teams. Gait, meanwhile, has arguably one of the most talented rosters in college lacrosse and, as of yet, has failed to coach that group to its potential.

Hopkins is vulnerable at the 3rd close defense spot, and it’s clear there’s some concern about injuries and their LSM depth, but I think they’ll be fine there. I think Syracuse is quite vulnerable at d-mid. Both teams have the players to take advantage of the other team’s weakness. FOs are coming in relatively even as is goaltending (and not in a good way for either team). Callahan has gotten better later in games, which has been a trend for Hopkins as a whole.

I think Hopkins has the edge in this matchup over the course of a full game, but Syracuse’s talent level will always mean they’re capable of putting things together at the right moment. Syracuse has had fast starts and Hopkins has been just the opposite, but finishing games strong has led to greater success for the Blue Jays thus far.

If Syracuse starts fast and continues to apply the pressure (which they haven’t done much of this season), I do think this could be a blowout – Hopkins just isn’t built to win a shootout unless the opposing team’s defense takes a day off. But with the evidence so far this season, I have more confidence that the Blue Jays will be able to dictate their style and pace of play. This game could be very reminiscent of the Orange’s trip down to College Park (minus the weather).

 

[cuselaxss26]

was the thurs gait presser released yet or posted? Always worries me he keeps saying execution is our problem n yes in way he is right. But i wonder what he is doing to help improve that. As grant doesn’t give a lot in his pressers but feel he’s assuming they will start falling into goals so isn’t doing much bout it, which think is mistake. I don’t know would love to know what he has been doing to help improve the execution but guess will never know

 

[DoctahLexus]

As a fan of both teams (we don’t have to talk about that) I find this to be a really intriguing matchup. As noted, there are a lot of base similarities between these teams. For me, the key difference between them is talent and discipline. Syracuse is unquestionably the more talented team on paper, but Hopkins plays a style that is more restrained and deliberate. So while both teams on offense like to move the ball and do play a relatively unselfish brand of lacrosse, the Syracuse offense focuses on volume of shots and seems confident that eventually their talent level will lead them to prevail. Hopkins, on the other hand, waits for the best opportunity for scoring chances and aims to be as efficient as possible. Both of these approaches come with their benefits and their faults, but the Blue Jays have benefitted from their style more so far this year.

Both fanbases likewise have some fairly loud criticisms of their respective coaching staffs, but I think Hopkins finds itself in a much better position. You can criticize coach Milliman’s in-game decisions with timeouts or strategy, but there’s no doubt he’s been able to maximize or even exceed the talent level of his players. It’s not like the cupboard is bare at Homewood, but Milliman has his team playing at at least a quarterfinal level without the same number of 5 stars (albeit not a perfect metric) of other top teams. Gait, meanwhile, has arguably one of the most talented rosters in college lacrosse and, as of yet, has failed to coach that group to its potential.

Hopkins is vulnerable at the 3rd close defense spot, and it’s clear there’s some concern about injuries and their LSM depth, but I think they’ll be fine there. I think Syracuse is quite vulnerable at d-mid. Both teams have the players to take advantage of the other team’s weakness. FOs are coming in relatively even as is goaltending (and not in a good way for either team). Callahan has gotten better later in games, which has been a trend for Hopkins as a whole.

I think Hopkins has the edge in this matchup over the course of a full game, but Syracuse’s talent level will always mean they’re capable of putting things together at the right moment. Syracuse has had fast starts and Hopkins has been just the opposite, but finishing games strong has led to greater success for the Blue Jays thus far.

If Syracuse starts fast and continues to apply the pressure (which they haven’t done much of this season), I do think this could be a blowout – Hopkins just isn’t built to win a shootout unless the opposing team’s defense takes a day off. But with the evidence so far this season, I have more confidence that the Blue Jays will be able to dictate their style and pace of play. This game could be very reminiscent of the Orange’s trip down to College Park (minus the weather).

Not sure it is so clear between Milliman and Gait. Hackler, Chauvette, Kilrain, English, Scott Smith, Collison, Staudt...the list of well regarded players at Hop, both currently and how they were rated as recruits, is not too different from the list at Cuse. I do not think it is so obvious that Milliman is doing more with less. Cuse has the 2022 recruiting class, but outside of that has felt the effects of minimal high end talent recruited in the 2020, 21, 23, and 24 classes. Aside from 2022, our recruiting ratings have been similar to Hop. Getting to the quarters last year felt like a missed opportunity for us with the transfers we brought in, but many Hop fans felt the same way falling short with all the senior talent they had.

Not excusing Gait's in game coaching, as we have talked to death about his coaching shortcomings recently, but it is still not a bench filled to the brim with 5 star players. Replacing our losses from last season with our own depth, even though we had less losses than a lot of teams, has not looked successful to start the season. 2nd line mids, LSMs, 2nd fogo, new ssdms, 3rd close defender, and goalie have all looked shaky at times. It reflects our recruiting being a tier below the other ACC teams, same tier as a team like Hop.

I think Cuse can win if we perform consistently in the area you could argue we have the superior talent on paper, which is offense. I worry that a defense that gave up 15 to Harvard on nearly 50% efficiency is going to give up a lot to Hop too. But Hop has some ssdm issues themselves and like to support those matchups with quick slides, if Cuse can victimize that consistently I think they win in a high scoring game.

 

[DoctahLexus]

On the up and down recruiting subject, how depressing is it that both Carter Parlette and Marquez White are playing ssdm in the PLL next season?? Feels like two high quality senior ssdms would have been enough for us to take a step further last season. 2020 flipocalypse still haunts us.

 

[PhatOrange]

What's the estimate on crowd size tomorrow?

 

[JeremyCuse]

What's the estimate on crowd size tomorrow?

I'm guessing 7-8k

 

[OrangeXtreme]