In reply to: Conference tourney info for other conference tourneys posted by tf86
That was mid-week game sandwiched between UVA and OSU. Both programs are certainly more on the map in the lax world. ND didn't respect them and they are building a program. They just beat PSU on the road for their 1st B1G win ever and they have had some close losses at home. They were only down 7-5 to MD late in the 3rd before MD turned it up to win 13-5. They lost to Hopkins 10-9 with Hopkins scoring the game winning goal with less than 30 second.
It looked like a bad loss earlier this year but it looks better given an entire season's perspective.
Unfortunately, they will be a team to watch in the coming years. Have a number of young players and pouring money into their program with a new facility (though they only have 2 fulltime coaches and a volunteer).
that was our weirdest result in any sport since the Hurricane Game. Either one of them.
Of what happened.
I do know that we went through a series of injuries during the middle of the season that were devastating to our offense. Garnsey, Gleason and Costabile all missed considerable playing time, which in turn required certain players better suited to be role players or complimentary pieces to step up to a higher role.
Worth noting that we also lost to North Carolina. Other than history, there was very little difference this year between Michigan and North Carolina in terms of a bad loss. Of course, in the North Carolina game, the players might have been influenced by the knowledge that under the ACC tiebreaker rules, once we scored our sixth goal against North Carolina we were all but guaranteed a bid in the ACC tournament barring a complete collapse.
ND gave up 13 goals in that game. ND defense rarely gives up 13 goals to anyone. They had a bad day on that end of the field.
Win that and the UNC game and ND would have been a top 4 seed. Although maybe they wouldn't have played with the same sense of urgency in the ACC tourney....
That I will be rooting wholeheartedly for John Hopkins in the Big Ten tournament. Go whatever their mascot is!
If Ohio State makes the tourney (not a guarantee with a win over Hopkins, but certainly it would put them in good shape), I would be willing to bet money that they will be our first-round opponent, due to geographic considerations. If Ohio State is out, our first-round game becomes an air travel game, and your guess as to an opponent is as good as mine. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't.
game. The committee will do a lot to prevent 2 travel games if they can. Doesn't mean OSU is in because they want to limit air travel but it doesn't mean ND is likely getting a travel opponent.
And sometimes goes to three.
Denver is definitely locked into an air travel game this year, as Air Force won't be in the field and no other Division I lacrosse program is close enough to Denver for a bus travel game. But other schools are at risk for involvement in an air travel game as well:
Jacksonville: If they make the tourney, they will have to play in an air travel game, as no other team in the field will be within 400 miles of Jacksonville. Could be sent to Denver if they qualify for that reason.
Duke: Figures to be a seeded team, and among programs close enough to Duke for a bus travel game, Maryland, Hopkins and Loyola all figure to be seeded teams as well. Virginia figures to qualify as an unseeded team, but I think the ACC would complain mightily if Duke-Virginia was a first round matchup. Towson and Richmond are the only remaining programs close enough to Duke for a bus travel game with a chance to qualify as an unseeded team. If both win, I think one will face Duke in the first round. Possibility that if one wins, that would be Duke's first round opponent as well.
Notre Dame: Both Detroit and Robert Morris can qualify for the tournament, but I don't think either one would face ND in the first round. Both, but especially the former, are strong candidates for the play-in game. If Ohio State makes the field (possibility, but not a lock by any stretch of the imagination), I believe they will be ND's first round opponent. Otherwise, ND likely gets an air travel game.
Yale/Maryland: I think these are likely the top two seeds in the field, and the 1 seed, who will get the play-in winner, is at significant risk for an air travel game. If Detroit wins the MAAC, they will likely be put in the play-in game and would be an air travel matchup for either team. If Canisius wins, they could travel by bus to Maryland, but not to Yale. So I think there is a decent risk for the #1 seed to be involved in an air travel game, although there are plenty of options to keep the #2 seed out of an air travel game.