Syracuse

A second-round pick in the 2005 draft, Ravens offensive tackle Adam Terry is scheduled to take the field Sunday for the first time since spraining his left ankle against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 7. A New York native who played at Syracuse, Terry longs for the upstate area's weather. Do you miss the winters you got in your hometown of Queensbury, N.Y.? Yeah. It's not very often in Maryland that you go out and you see 3 feet of snow that accumulated overnight. But on the other hand, it's nice to walk outside and not have to shovel ever.

April Anderson Greene taught her son, Donte, much more than how to play basketball. As a federal government employee, she took him around the world and showed him the difference between a game's outcome and real loss. Today, the Towson Catholic senior is one of the nation's top high school players, with potential that has earned him a scholarship to Syracuse, but because his mother died unexpectedly six years ago and isn't alive to see it, Donte Greene twice tried to throw everything away by attempting suicide.

Gary Gait, a record-setting player who won three NCAA titles and was a four-time All-American as a Syracuse player, was named coach of the school's women's team yesterday. Gait, 40, was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2005. "Gary has proven that he is one of the best [coaches]," Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross said. "To have the greatest player to play the game who has had success at every level of coaching leading our program is extraordinary." Said Gait: "I'm looking forward to working to take the women's lacrosse program to the next level."

1. Syracuse -- The most balanced Orange team since the team won it all in 2004. 2. Virginia -- Attackman Ben Rubeor could be this year's Matt Ward. 3. Johns Hopkins -- The defense gave up at least 10 goals five times in 2006. Not this year. 4. Cornell* -- The Big Red is primed for its first final four trip since 1988. 5. Duke -- The recovery is in good hands with coach John Danowski and son Matt. 6. Princeton -- Junior goalie Alex Hewit is so good he might record a shutout. 7. Maryland -- With Joe Walters gone, the offense must find a new go-to guy. 8. Massachusetts* -- The Minutemen lost a lot, but the program has arrived.

A great afternoon's work by the 12th-ranked Loyola College men's lacrosse team almost was erased during one, final, wild minute yesterday against visiting No. 11 Syracuse. But in the end, after the Greyhounds had nearly blown a four-goal lead they built by controlling the Orange throughout the fourth quarter, Loyola sophomore goalie Alex Peaty saved the day. Peaty stepped up to stop a point-blank shot by Syracuse sophomore attackman Kenny Nims as time expired, and Loyola escaped with a huge, 11-10 victory before 3,582 at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field.

Four days before the NCAA Division I tournament's 16-team bracket is unveiled, this much seems clear. Only two of nine at-large spots appear to be open, and those selections could hinge heavily on the results of this week's America East and Colonial Athletic Association conference tournaments, plus the fates of a couple of bubble teams from the Ivy League and a Patriot League also-ran. The NCAA lacrosse committee will examine the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a system based on the record of a team's opponents and the record of the opponents' opponents.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Never mind that so many Johns Hopkins players were fighting the flu a few days earlier that coach Dave Pietramala had to call off practice. Or that yesterday's game was at the Carrier Dome, home of a Syracuse team that eliminated the Blue Jays from last season's NCAA tournament. Or that Syracuse's first shot of the game zipped into the back of the Hopkins net. Disregard all of that because No. 3 Hopkins did and dominated every aspect of the game, rolling over the No. 4 Orange, 17-9, before an announced crowd of 7,408, Pietramala's third victory in four visits to the dome.

Princeton coach Bill Tierney, whose Tigers have won the past three national championships, gives his position-by-position breakdown of the national semifinalists. This season, Princeton split with Syracuse and lost to Johns Hopkins and Virginia.No. 5 Georgetown (13-2) vs. No. 8 Syracuse (11-4)Time: NoonTV: ESPN2Attack: The Syracuse attack has an added dimension with Liam Banks. The Orangemen have two great ones in Ryan Powell and Matt Cutia, who play together well and cause problems with their picking game behind.

No. 18 Syracuse (8-3) vs. No. 7 Florida (9-2)When: Tonight, 8.Where: Orange Bowl, Miami.TV: Chs. 2, 7.Line: Florida by 7.Outlook: Syracuse is making its 19th bowl appearance and seventh of the 1990s. The Orangemen are 10-7-1. Florida is making its 26th appearance and its sixth consecutive New Year's Day bowl. The Gators are 12-13-0. This game will pit Syracuse's high-scoring offense and QB Donovan McNabb against Florida's defense, ninth nationally. This game has been moved back to the Orange Bowl (from Pro Player Stadium)

Donovan McNabb was among the last to leave the Syracuse locker room early yesterday morning. He emerged wearing an olive suit and white shoes and feeling some heartache beneath his ever-present smile.McNabb, the option quarterback who accounted for more than 10,000 yards running and passing in his career, had spent time trading hugs and handshakes with the 11 other Syracuse seniors whose last game became a nightmarish 31-10 loss to Florida in the Orange Bowl on Saturday night."We're upset about the loss," McNabb said.

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. -- Cody Jamieson's timing has been impeccable. A transfer who wasn't cleared by the NCAA until days before Syracuse's penultimate game of the regular season, Jamieson scored both of his goals in the last 4 minutes, 6 seconds - including the game-winner just 1:20 into overtime - to lift the Orange to a 10-9 victory over Cornell in the NCAA Division I tournament final Monday at Gillette Stadium. No. 2 seed Syracuse (16-2) won its ninth straight contest and captured its NCAA-record 11th national title thanks to the 5-foot-9, 200-pound junior attackman, who played in just six games, made one start and can shoot only with his left hand.

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. - - No. 5 Cornell had the perfect game plan to upset No. 2 Syracuse in the NCAA Division I men's title game Monday, but there were several in-game decisions that cost the Big Red. Many factors determined the outcome of this contest, but Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni didn't bring his "A" game as Syracuse won its second consecutive title with a 10-9 overtime victory before an announced 41,935 at Gillette Stadium. Entering the game, Cornell (13-4) wanted to control the tempo, and the Big Red did for nearly three quarters.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - When it comes to overall depth, few teams can match Syracuse, and that will be the major factor in today's Division I championship game between No. 2 seed Syracuse and No. 5 Cornell. Syracuse (15-2) is loaded with talent, and the Orange loves to rotate players, even on attack. Cornell's first group can match Syracuse's first group, but after that the Orange has a major advantage. If Cornell (13-3) can control Syracuse on the transition and the pace of the game, then the Big Red has a shot.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - - The NCAA tournament semifinal between Syracuse and Duke was billed as a meeting between offensive juggernauts. The Orange held up its end of the deal - convincingly. Seniors Kenny Nims and Pat Perritt each had four goals and one assist to spark No. 2 seed and reigning national champion Syracuse to a 17-7 rout of the No. 3 seed Blue Devils in a NCAA tournament semifinal at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. The Orange improved to 15-2 and earned its seventh trip to the championship final since John Desko succeeded Roy Simmons Jr. as coach before the 1999 season.

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. - The next time Duke gets an opportunity to play in the NCAA Division I men's Final Four lacrosse tournament, maybe it should borrow former first lady Nancy Reagan's line, and "just say no." Enough is enough. For the third straight year, Duke came into the final four as one of the hottest teams in the country, and for the second straight year the Blue Devils were eliminated in the semifinals, this time losing to Syracuse, 17-7, Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The first two losses were bad for morale because Duke had the two best offensive players on the planet in attackmen Matt Danowski and Zack Greer.

The schools participating in the NCAA men's lacrosse final four have offenses ranked in the top seven in the country. Only one has a defense to match: Syracuse. For a program that has produced some of the sport's most explosive offenses - this season is no exception as the unit ranks second in the country, averaging 12.88 goals - the Orange's defense has emerged as one of the best in nation. But the defense continues to fly under the radar - and that's fine with the members of that unit.

The Maryland women's lacrosse team defeated Syracuse, 12-10, on Saturday in College Park to remain unbeaten and advance to the NCAA Division I final four. Junior midfielder Caitlyn McFadden led the No. 2 Terps (21-0) with four goals, and sophomore attacker Sarah Mollison added three goals and an assist. Katie Rowan scored seven points (five goals and two assists) for the seventh-seeded Orange. Freshman goalkeeper Brittany Dipper made eight saves for Maryland, which led 7-6 at halftime.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - -The Syracuse men's lacrosse team ramped up its effort with a backup goalkeeper in the net. The same could not be said for Maryland. The Orange scored six of the first seven goals of the second half to turn a two-goal lead into a seven-goal cushion as the second-seeded reigning national champions cruised to an 11-6 win over the Terps in a NCAA tournament quarterfinal before an announced 11,259 at James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University on Saturday. Syracuse (14-2)

Dan Groot's hometown of Canandaigua, N.Y., is about a 90-minute drive from Syracuse, and as a youth lacrosse player, he traveled frequently with family and friends to watch the Orange's vaunted men's team. "That was the thing to do when you were a little kid," Groot recalled. "Go to those games and think, 'One day, I want to play for Syracuse.' " So it's a little ironic that the kid who grew up idolizing Orange players is now a senior midfielder trying to propel Maryland (10-6) to an upset of No. 2 seed and reigning national champion Syracuse (13-2)

The 16-team Division I men's lacrosse field is as balanced as ever as far as talented teams, but No. 2 seed Syracuse received the best draw and has the best chance of winning a second straight national championship. The Orange (11-2) plays Siena (12-5) in a first-round game Sunday, and Siena is the only team in the field that has absolutely no chance of winning the title. Once Syracuse eliminates the Saints, it faces the winner of Sunday's game between Notre Dame and Maryland. It doesn't make a difference which team wins.