Reply to thread

Message

[QUOTE="OrangeXtreme, post: 1399323, member: 41"]
Now including teams 10-6.
 
[SIZE=4][B][I]No. 6 SYRACUSE (13-3 in 2015)[/I][/B][/SIZE]
[I][B]Last seen:[/B] Failing to cover up its defensive liabilities in a 16-15 loss to Johns Hopkins in the NCAA quarterfinals.

[B]Senior starts lost:[/B] 107 of 160 (66.9 percent)

[B]Senior scoring departing:[/B] 230 of 378 points (60.8 percent)

[B]150ish-word preview:[/B] Every goal the Orange gave up in the quarterfinals placed it one step closer to having a championship window close, or so it seemed. Syracuse's 2015 team had answers everywhere on offense. In 2016? That's to be determined.

There isn't an easy way to replace Kevin Rice or Randy Staats or Nicky Galasso, but few programs are as well-equipped to do so as Syracuse. The Orange almost always figures out a way to stitch together offense, and there should probably be an assumption it does so again next year. It might not happen immediately, but scoring isn't going to be a long-term question.

But defensively? That's another issue entirely. Syracuse yielded a dozen goals in five of its last nine games, and it is at that end of the field the Orange must improve if it is to harbor realistic hopes of winning its first national title since 2009. The return of faceoff ace Ben Williams will provide some wiggle room next year, and as supporting cast for attackman Dylan Donahue will probably emerge. But it will only matter so much if things aren't tightened on defense.[/I]
[/QUOTE]

Verification

What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?