So they had to be placed in Towson (they're in Syracuse's bracket). Johns Hopkins is virtually next door so it made sense that their bracket would be the other one placed in Towson.
My wife would be pissed when i went.
There is no team out there that presents a match-up challenge. Because of the transfer rules, the extra COVID year, and a coach who is still relatively young despite coaching for 36 years, this is one of the most complete college lacrosse teams in memory. It's up there with '90 Syracuse and the Princeton teams from '96-'98. Top to bottom. No flaws. Heck, you have a guy who started at QB for Alabama as your 3rd line SSM.
But, yet, there's so much talent out there - and a hot goalie - can get in the way. We almost lost to Cornell, which was a solid team but who did not make the Tourney because of so many AQs. Nobody knows this better than Corrigan.
As far as the bracket and teams ND wants to see again, I don't think there's anything to prove against G'town. Three wins against UVA and Duke is tough. I think the team Corrigan wants to see is Denver. Tierney is no longer there but I think that's the team Corrigan would hang 30 on if he could.
And after looking at the score itself, filter to Teams Stats and scroll down to Faceoffs
I knew it was bad, but yeah, i forgot it was that bad
When Denver hired Tierney, the rivalry became very heated. Playing at DU on a Friday night - or at anytime - is not a fun experience. The move to ACC put this to bed.
DU also knocked us out for years. I've posted a couple of times about how faceoff numbers are just one element of the possession story but all bets were off during during the Trevor Baptiste years. The guy was not human. It was Audric Estime with a 90 mph shot.
In the end, I think it still bugs Corrigan that DU was the first Western team to win the National Championship. So how do you compensate? Win 2 and beat DU along the way.
My son and I were talking about those days. The Perkovic five goal comeback etc...
Even with Baptiste, I don't think Denver would have won a NC with the shot clock. They'd run 2:30 off the clock before the ref would call the shot clock. I could have dealt with the slow tempo if they were just being deliberate, but it was part of the strategy to take the air out of the ball. We wouldn't have won that 13-4 debacle, but we probably would have won that semifinal that we lost in OT.
Hopkins, Duke, UVA, Syracuse, Denver are all capable of getting their acts together and making a run. And yet....
I was in the stands to watch the Gaits pummel Loyola in 1990 (my Dad was Loyola '57) and it's hard to think about anyone competing with that team. But considering that this Irish squad faces a landscape with so much more overall talent than SU did then, it is an interesting conversation to have.
It would be poetic justice to face Denver and have Lynch control the faceoff battle.
I hope Denver embarrasses M so badly they shut the program down.