Syracuse (9-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) faces No. 8 seed Loyola (11-4, 7-1 Patriot) at noon Saturday at the Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Greyhounds enter the tournament on a loss after getting eliminated from the Patriot League tournament by Army. The Orange, likewise, lost in the ACC tournament, dropping a play-in game to North Carolina.

Here are the beat writers’ picks for Saturday’s game.

Michael McCleary (9-4)
Greyhound isn’t even that great a bus
Syracuse 15, Loyola 11

If the Greyhounds are anything like the bus, I can’t be comfortable picking them. The Orange are coming off a bad ACC tournament loss to a North Carolina team that it had beaten handily in the regular season. But Loyola is in a similar situation. Pat Spencer, the Greyhounds’ star attack, is an intimidating matchup for Syracuse and the Greyhounds’ offense is strong because of him. But they were held to a season-low five goals last week against a strong defensive unit in Army. SU doesn’t have quite the defensive power the Black Knights have, but its defense should be enough to cause the Greyhounds problems beyond Spencer’s play. As it has done most of the season, expect the offense to do enough to complete the first-round win.

Andrew Graham (8-5)
Pat the Dog
Loyola 15, Syracuse 12

The Greyhounds have one of the most dynamic players in the country in Pat Spencer, and the Tewaaraton finalist has paired with teammates Kevin Lindley and Chase Scanlan to form one of the best attacking trios in the country. For a Syracuse team that last played two weeks ago and hasn’t faced an NCAA tournament team since March, stopping, or even slowing, the Loyola offense is a big ask. Nick Mellen, SU’s No. 1 cover defender, will try to lock down Spencer. And though he’s been successful in stopping other attacks, Spencer is arguably the best in the country. One too many chances get away from the Orange, and the title drought lengthens.

Nick Alvarez (7-6)
Dog days
Loyola 15, Syracuse 12

Syracuse has a shot at reaching Philadelphia and the national semifinals. That much needs to be said. In fact, since I’m taking Loyola in the first round, SU might go on a run. That’s how my predictions have gone this year. But, an old sports adage is that the best player on the field can win you the game. And the best player on Saturday won’t be wearing blue and orange. It’ll be Pat Spencer guiding the Greyhounds into the second round. Even if Nick Mellen can dominate his one-on-one battle against Spencer, Chase Scanlan and Kevin Lindley will prove the difference and exploit a few too many short-stick matchups and bounce the Orange in the first round for the second-straight year.

 

Published on May 10, 2019 at 8:45 pm