Polls for Feb 23: Media #6 / Coaches TBA | Syracusefan.com

Polls for Feb 23: Media #6 / Coaches TBA

OrangeXtreme

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1. North Carolina 413 (9)
2. Notre Dame 385 (3)
3. Richmond 378 (3)
4. Harvard 359 (4)
5. Cornell 358 (2)
6. Syracuse 350 (1)
 
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4. Syracuse

Handling success was the requirement this week for the Orange after beating Maryland. Coach Gary Gait is trying to teach the championship mindset to his squad. That’s a theme in 2026. Remain dissatisfied. Stay present in the moment.

The Orange lost at Harvard — you could see this one coming a mile away. A trip to Boston was their first outside game of 2026. And initial road game. Last year in the NCAA first round, the No. 6 seeded Orange defeated Harvard 13-12 in overtime in the Dome. Syracuse overcame a six-goal halftime deficit. FOGO John Mullen dominated the face-off circle (24-of-28). The signs were clear to see. You knew this would be competitive. SU had to be ready.

Harvard topped ’Cuse 13-12 in Cambridge. SSDM Jake Spallina didn’t play, so Harvard picked on other shorties with success. More depth is needed to share shifts as a 12-10 lead with 5:00 to play disappeared.

HHH regressed to what we saw often in 2025. The hustle was inconsistent. Shot selection was poor (12-of-47). Tied at 12-12, a clearing blunder (going offsides) gave Harvard the ball. That’s not winning lacrosse. That’s not championship-level game management.

Ivy doubleheader weekend is on deck for SU: Otto plays at Princeton on Saturday and at Penn on Sunday.
 
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Five spots after losing to a ranked team on the road?
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1. Notre Dame
2. Cornell
3. Richmond
4. Harvard
5. Syracuse

Interesting thought process. Not sure I agree with it, but I think it makes more sense than dropping them to nine like Terry did. I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, and five or six makes the most sense.



I think both of these are reasonable. Ultimately, we destroyed two second tier teams at home, beat a top tier team at home, and lost to a really good squad on the road under challenging conditions. I would be ok being behind Army too. Duke and OSU have both played far to soft of schedules to be ranked higher and OSU lost their best defender for the year.
 
I'm more than aware, I'm more surprised he put Harvard 1 for beating us, though I also think there is an argument for Harvard at 1.
There's just such a hypocrisy in dropping Cuse to #9 and pushing Harvard to #1. And to clarify, I do think Harvard could certainly be ranked #1.

His rankings inflate the value of Cuse for Harvard and deflate the value of Harvard for Cuse.
 

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