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The Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse team was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament last week, as you well know.
Rationally, many of us think they should probably just cancel the damn thing now. But for some reason, the powers that be still want to play out the rest of this bracket. So, we end up with eight teams that SU fans probably dislike for one reason or another left to populate the field.
We may dislike some of them more than others, sure. But which ones? The internet’s a place for lists, so we take a crack at ordering the eight teams left by the disdain being directed at them by Syracuse fans. You can also take this as a list of which teams we want to see fail the most.
1. Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
It’s obvious, of course. Arch rival Johns Hopkins has spent much of the last decade or so declining in relevance — so much so that they had to go and join the Big Ten just to keep it together. If you think Syracuse’s recent stretch without a Final Four is tough, JHU’s won just two titles in my lifetime (since 1988). Ask any Blue Jays fan how many championships they’ve won overall, and they’ll tell you a lot. They would be incorrect.
The CNY rivalry that really gets the people going in lacrosse alone. Cornell knocked off Syracuse by one last weekend, finally avenging the Orange’s 2009 comeback championship. I do not want anything good to happen to Big Red... and neither do they, apparently, since they haven’t won a title since 1977.
I don’t have as much animosity for Duke lacrosse as I do for say, Duke basketball. But anything related to the Blue Devils should probably be opposed in some way, shape or form. Duke beat us in the 2013 championship game -- a brutal match-up I’d like to never relive. They’ve also sort of replaced us as the notable private school that’s just in the Final Four most years (though they’ve been absent since 2014). Did I mention this is Duke?
Just thinking about Maryland fans should be enough. The Terps finally got themselves a third championship last spring, beating Ohio State and confusing long-time lacrosse fans. It was their first since 1975. You’d think they were the Cubs or something...
We might dislike Albany, if only because their rise to prominence has coincided with our recent struggles. Plus, they smoked us this year and also play an appealing style of play that could harm our ability to get the same dynamic New York state offensive players in the long-term. They also feel like an underdog, though. I’m torn.
6. Loyola Greyhounds
Loyola’s cool, I suppose, having added their name to the short list of schools that have won an NCAA Tournament championship back in 2012. They also beat Virginia in the first round this year, which is always worthy of applause. Greyhounds is also a cool mascot.
If there’s an Ivy I’m rooting for in any sport, it’s probably Yale, though I’m not sure why. The Bulldogs haven’t made the Final Four since 1990, and have never won it all. Of the teams in the field, they’re probably “due” most (maybe even more than fellow non-power Albany).
“West Coast” bias at its peak. Denver’s been to five of the last seven finals fours, and won a title in 2015. I appreciate the Pioneers because they’re largely alone out west, and yet stomp on the Big East anyway. Also, the more success DU has, the more likely other western teams (like Utah!) start programs. Why couldn’t they be facing a team we dislike, instead of Yale?
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Have a completely different order of things? Share your own ranked list below.