The Great Rivalry Renewed

It was back in 2002 when TigerBlog entered the men's lacrosse schedule before the season started, like always. 

This time, though, he did something a little different. He entered a game for Memorial Day: Princeton vs. Syracuse, NCAA championship game. 

He thought it was funny. Then someone pointed out that he had actually made that public. Then he had to change it.

Then it came true. 

And why wouldn't it? Princeton and Syracuse had met in the 2000 NCAA final (Syracuse win) and the 2001 NCAA final (Princeton win). They were preseason No. 1 and No. 2. Why wouldn't they meet again in the final? 

The answer is that they did (Syracuse won). They also played in the 1992 final (Princeton won). 

In fact, between 1992 and 2003, Princeton was 21-0 against anyone else and 4-6 against Syracuse in NCAA tournament games. That streak ended when Princeton lost to Navy in the 2004 NCAA semifinals. 

A week ago, in the opening round, it was the Tigers (Princeton) vs. the Tigers (Towson). Tomorrow in the NCAA quarterfinals, it'll be Orange (Syracuse) vs. Orange and Black (Princeton). 

Princeton, the No. 3 seed, and Syracuse, the No. 6 seed, meet at approximately 2:30, after the first game of the doubleheader at noon between top-seed Cornell and unseeded Richmond. The venue is Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University, out on Long Island; both games are on ESPNU.

Princeton and Syracuse have not met in an NCAA tournament game since 2003, an Orange win in the quarterfinals at the Carrier Dome. 

For TigerBlog, he was rooting for this last weekend. Princeton easily lived up to its end, topping Towson 22-12. Syracuse? It was hardly easy.

The Orange trailed Harvard by as many as six goals. It was a five-goal deficit in the fourth quarter. Then Syracuse scored five goals in less than two minutes, tying it, and then took the lead before Harvard tied it with six seconds to go. 

Final score: Syracuse 13, Harvard 12 in overtime. 

That's no offense to the Crimson, who always seem to play hard and, as Pete Carril would have said, gave a good account of themselves. 

It's just an NCAA game between Princeton and Syracuse? Oh yeah. Sign TB up. 

There have been so many great moments in the postseason in this series. Princeton's first of six NCAA championships was that 1992 game, which was somewhat similar to the Syracuse-Harvard game: Princeton went out quickly, Syracuse came back to tie on a late goal, Princeton won in OT — when Andy Moe cashed it in off the second OT face-off.

Syracuse has had so many great players through the years who have had huge moments against Princeton. Those guys from the Orange remain some of TB's favorite ever to watch — players like Ric Beardsley, the Powell brothers, face-off man Chris Cercy, Dom Fin and so many others. 

There have been some heartbreaks at the hands of Syracuse, especially the 2002 final, where a big Princeton comeback fell one goal short at 13-12. The 2003 quarterfinal was a dominant performance by the Orange in the Dome, after Princeton had won there in midseason. 

Syracuse's game against Harvard was its 100th NCAA game in program history. Princeton's game last week against Towson was its 50th. The Orange are 70-30. Princeton is 33-17.

Once the game starts, history will mean nothing. Princeton is hoping to return to Championship Weekend for the second time in four years and the 12th time overall. 

It's been a great season so far for the Tigers, who are 13-3, with two losses to No. 1 Cornell and one to No. 2 Maryland. The other quarterfinal games will be Sunday at the Naval Academy, with Maryland against Georgetown and then No. 5 Penn State against unseeded Notre Dame. 

The Irish are the two-time defending champion. The last team to win three straight was Princeton, from 1996-98.

The Final Four will be next weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, the home of the New England Patriots.  

Before that, it's Princeton-Cuse. Again. In May. 

Something about that makes TigerBlog smile.