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Following a shocking 15-14 loss to No. 15 Harvard, head coach Gary Gait couldn’t ignore the consequences a defeat like Saturday’s could have on Syracuse’s season.

“It’s only February, (we’ve) got a lot of season left, but you can’t really look at it that way,” Gait said. “You gotta look at the next game as a championship opportunity. Every single game we play this year is incredibly important. We kind of put ourselves in a situation where we need to be successful in the future.”

Gait’s comments might as well have been, “We need to get our act together.” He’s right. While a loss to then-No. 6 Maryland was respectable, the Orange’s loss to Harvard was unacceptable. As a result of two straight defeats and a daunting schedule moving forward, Syracuse — which seemed like a sure-fire upper-echelon team in the country through three games — is now at risk of missing the NCAA Tournament.

Gait typically isn’t one to hit the panic button. It’s not uncommon to see Gait even smile when answering questions after defeats.

That’s why it’s noteworthy following SU’s loss to Harvard that Gait wasn’t his normal jolly self. Instead, Gait sat stoic at the podium.

This is a near-unimaginable situation for SU five games into the season. Coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 and victory since 2017, the next step for Syracuse was to make the Final Four. Considering the amount of talent SU retained, it was logical.

Now, it’s far-fetched. It’s not that Syracuse isn’t one of the most talented teams in the country. It still is. The reality is that the Orange have put themselves under pressure not even a month into the season.

“The Maryland loss was kind of like, ‘OK, Maryland’s good, they’re a Final Four team … they’re one of the best teams in the country, year in, year out,” Gait said. “Today is a little different. (Harvard) is a team that’s been building and improving over the last couple years under coach Byrne.”

Gait likes to challenge his team by scheduling the top competition in the country. The Orange did that last year — playing eight ranked opponents — and they did it again this year. There’s no shame in that.

Problems arise if Syracuse loses a game it’s not supposed to, like it did Saturday. The margin for error grows thinner. In lacrosse, only eight teams receive at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Typically, the most games a team can lose and still receive an at-large bid is five.

Syracuse has dropped back-to-back games against then-No. 6 Maryland and No. 15 Harvard after starting the season 3-0. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

In the past five NCAA Tournaments, there have been at least two at-large teams with five losses each year. Syracuse was one of three last season. During that period, the only team with at least six defeats to make the postseason was Johns Hopkins in 2019, when it went 8-7.

In that case, Syracuse can only lose three games the rest of the way. The Orange’s remaining opponents include: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 3 Johns Hopkins, No. 4 Cornell, No. 7 Duke and No. 9 North Carolina. That’s not to mention a tricky trip to Utah next week and a matchup with Colgate, which defeated Harvard 19-15 earlier this week.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that’s a gauntlet.

When factoring in SU’s performances in big games the past three seasons, alarm bells for potentially missing the NCAA Tournament start beginning to ring even louder. When games are tight down the stretch, Syracuse has consistently crumbled under pressure. In games decided by three goals or less against ranked opponents from 2023-24, Syracuse was 4-9.

Those problems relapsed on Saturday. Tied 12-12 heading into the fourth quarter, the Orange had a stretch where they went nine minutes without a goal. That doesn’t happen to shoo-in NCAA Tournament teams.

Whether it’s Joey Spallina, Owen Hiltz or Michael Leo, Syracuse needs someone to grab the game by the throat and take control. That consistently hasn’t happened.

“We got to find ways to make plays, big plays, (on) both ends of the field,” Gait said.

Some blemishes were understandable in the past couple of years when Syracuse was still a young team. Now, with the majority of the roster as upperclassmen, how many times does Gait have to say his team needs to be tougher and smarter, before accepting that his teams aren’t those things?

Since Gait’s hiring in 2021, people have wondered whether Syracuse is “back.” What exactly being “back” entails is up for debate. What’s certain is that success for SU entails the Final Four.

That was never going to happen in Gait’s first season (2022) or when his team was mostly freshmen the next season. Last year ended with a loss to Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinal, but the finish was seen as a positive.

Now, Syracuse has taken a step back.

After SU’s loss against Maryland, Gait’s message was “We have to learn how to win.” At this point, Syracuse should know how to win. But the Orange don’t. And, despite being just five games into the season, their NCAA Tournament hopes are in serious trouble.

Zak Wolf is a Senior Staff Writer at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at zakwolf784254@gmail.com or on X @ZakWolf22.

Published on February 23, 2025 at 1:45 pm