Syracuse brings back more offensive talent than any team in the country. Yes, I’m a homer, but that is a fact. Joey Spallina headlines a healthy roster of returning talent as the only returning “numbered” All-American.

Spallina & Hiltz and whoever they put in that 3rd spot on attack will be one of the top 5 units in the country (IL has them at #5 in fact). The real strength of this team is quality depth on the offensive midfield. I’m not the only guy speaking on the strength of Syracuse’s first two midfield lines. IL has them ranked #2 in their midfield unit rankings.

Billy Dwan is the lone returning “numbered” All-American on the defensive side. Carter Rice was an honorable mention All-American and in my opinion was one of the best 10 or so SSDM’s in the nation by seasons end.

A few teams lost top level faceoff guys, including Syracuse in Mason Kohn (58%). But most teams didn’t have two guys on their roster that won 58% of their draws in 2024. Syracuse did, and John Mullen comes back looking like the guy that can give the Orange some draw stability for years to come.

The only outright question mark this Syracuse team has is in cage. Can Jimmy McCool or whoever ends up starting be “just good enough” to allow this team to get back to the final 4? Hot Take #1, if Syracuse has a goalie that stops at least 53.5% of the shots he faces going into the tournament, they’ll make it to the Final 4.

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