Well if you haven’t seen, Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse got a pretty big win today. The Orange tailed big but came back to defeat Harvard in overtime and advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second straight year.
While it’s been a while since SU hung a rafter in the banners of the JMA Wireless Dome, year in and year out Men’s Lacrosse is a lot close than Basketball or Football to doing it. And with packed crowds, great recruiting classes and trophy aspirations, is Syracuse officially a lacrosse school?
Now some people would argue it always has been. While not technically a revenue sport, lacrosse is huge in CNY and the Orange have for a while been the best team on campus. Then the other side is that lacrosse…well it just isn’t that big of a spot.
So without further ado…here’s where SU sports (hypoethcially) rank in terms of their claim as Syracuse’s sport
- Football
A few years ago, this would have seemed unthinkable. But in terms with the most forward momentum, combined with fan support, football easily takes the crown.
Fran Brown took SU into the Top 25 and a 10-win campaign in his first season, along with becoming a nationally known head coach. Football, as it always will, draws the most fans. It’s hard to say SU isn’t at least partially a football school right now.
- Lacrosse
SU Lacrosse, both men’s and women’s, is good. Sure, they both seem to struggle in May and the women this year weren’t great.
But there’s always a hope for a national title, and you can’t say that with many other sports. And the crowds…well they’re been pretty impressive this year.
- Basketball
Saying SU basketball is down this low is hard because Syracuse is supposed to be a basketball school. But right now, how do you rationalize that? Fan support for the coach is low. The team can’t seem to make the tournament. And attendance has dwindled for games. Major growth is needed.
