Find out the Orange's path to a potential national championship after they were eliminated in the ACC semifinals.
The Syracuse men's lacrosse team will play Yale in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA tournament. The Orange ended the regular season with an 11-5 record, and a 2-2 record in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play.
They were eliminated in the semifinal of the ACC Tournament on Friday by North Carolina.
Faceoff between the Bulldogs and Orange is set for Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale will enter the field representing the Ivy League, arguably the most impressive conference in the country this season. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 9-5 record and a 4-2 record in conference play. This year's tournament appearance is the first for the school since 2023. Yale won the school's lone national championship in 2018 and finished as the runner-up in 2019.
Orange's history against Yale
Syracuse and Yale have only played twice but both were in the NCAA Tournament. In 2013, Syracuse defeated Yale 7-6 in the quarterfinals. The most recent matchup took place in 2017 when the Orange defeated the Bulldogs 11-10 in the first round of the tournament.
Looking at the rest of the field
Yale's fellow Ivy League member, Princeton, enters the field as the No. 1 overall seed. The Tigers will face the winner of Marist and Stony Brook in their opening round game. Princeton is looking to win its first NCAA title since 2001.
Syracuse's fellow ACC member Notre Dame enters the field as the No. 2 overall seed. The Fighting Irish defeated Syracuse 16-11 in April. Notre Dame will open its NCAA tournament when they face the winner of Jacksonville and Robert Morris.
If the Orange are able to defeat Yale, they will have an intriguing second round opponent in either North Carolina or UAlbany. The Tar Heels defeated Syracuse in both the regular season and the league tournament. The Great Danes have been consistently one of the best programs in New York State over the past decade. UAlbany has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons.
Eighteen teams will compete in this year's tournament. The national championship is scheduled for May 25. That is Memorial Day Monday.
Syracuse's NCAA Tournament history
Syracuse enters this year's tournament hoping to win the program first national championship since 2009. The Orange's lacrosse history is arguably the most impressive in the history of the sport at the Division I level. Since 1983, Syracuse has won 10 national titles, the most of any school in the country during that time period. The Orange reached the national semifinals last season, which marked the first time for the program since 2013. The 12-year gap between semifinal appearances was the longest in school history.
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