The Sunday Slide: Gritty Syracuse, Elite Boston College, More

There’s really only one way to build grit, and that’s to put your team through the wringer.

That’s what’s been done with Syracuse, which has fared decent enough with a 7-4 record through its first 11 games. The Orange have played eight ranked opponents in that stretch, and another (Cornell) is knocking on the door of the Top 20.

Virginia (March 29) and Yale (April 2) are up next, making that 10 of 13 games against ranked opponents.

Syracuse is younger than we’re accustomed to seeing, and we’ve seen the growing pains in real time. The Orange have rostered 10 freshmen and another 10 sophomores, meaning an even 50 percent of the roster is comprised of underclassmen. That’s good for long-term success, of course.

We’re used to seeing veteran-heavy rosters and starting lineups lead the charge across the country. But one of Syracuse’s leading veterans, Olivia Adamson, is out for the season. That’s one less leader to lean on while in a close game.

How this season ends for the Orange is a dart throw. They’ll make the NCAA tournament with a record above .500, and if everything trends in the upward direction, they could be one of the grittiest opponents in the bracket.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

For as much parity as there is, the NCAA’s elite are still elite. Stanford has been one of the most fun teams to watch so far in 2025, but Boston College handled the Cardinal with ease, 17-9. Emma LoPinto had six goals, Rachel Clark had five goals and Mckenna Davis had seven assists. The Eagles’ defense held the potent Cardinals to just 24 shot attempts.

The most fun conference in the country this year is the Ivy League. There, I said it. That doesn’t mean the overall best teams reside there (Boston College and North Carolina would like a word over in the ACC), but there is so much unpredictability happening with the Ancient Eight.

Until two weeks ago, I would have said Yale was the clear favorite. Now? I’m not so sure. Princeton is quite good. Brown just beat Yale. Cornell beat Brown. Harvard looked good in an 8-6 loss to Notre Dame. Penn hasn’t played since March 12 but is coming off a win over Loyola. Dartmouth doubled up Arizona State on Friday. Take your pick when it comes to this conference.