NCAA Lacrosse Final 4
Tim and the mgo blog lacrosse community: I just wanted to hear everyone's opinions on this weekend's matchups in the NCAA Championships.
The Saturday matchups are: UVA vs. Duke and Cornell vs. Notre Dame. The winners play on Monday.
Also I would like to know what everyone has to say about a possible ND victory and the impact, if any, it would have on a potential UM varsity program. Discuss.
I'm not a huge lacrosse fan, but I enjoy watching the finals every year on memorial weekend. It's a shame Michigan can't be a part of it, but it's fun to watch regardless. I would be shocked if Notre Dame won at all this weekend.
From the perspective of seeing a never-before champion win, we're stuck with ND and Duke, both programs that I just can't root for. Cornell hasn't won it all since the 70s, so I'm rooting for them. I think they will take ND on Saturday, but I don't think they have the depth to take either UVa or Duke. Tambroni runs a very short bench, and two games in three days is likely too much for them. I expect Cornell to make the finals, but fade toward the end of the game just like last year, leaving Duke (ugh - they still have some of those 5th year guys on the roster) and UVa, who I just can't root for (sorry 'hoo) Cornell broke my heart in last year's final, and I think its going to happen again.
Interesting. It's pretty much a hate-fest all around for me too. I can't stand UVA and Duke. Cornell finds amazing ways to lose games they should win. And of course Notre Dame is contemptible because they are Notre Dame.
However, a strong showing by ND would be a great victory for lacrosse in the midwest. And I think that in the long run that could be good for U of M. I hope Dave Brandon tunes in this weekend and becomes a lacrosse fan!
... it's going to be close, it's the best of the best out there this weekend. ND hands down has the best goalie, guy is a monster between the pipes, i havent followed cornell so i don't know about their offensive in that match up, but i do know that they lost seibald so it can't be as good as last year. same goes for virginia's defensive unit with ken clausen and underrated ryan nizolek, that being said their going up against dukes attack who could be one of the best grops ever. Im going to have to say cornell wins, ND can only make so many save in the net, and their attack are having a miserable season. notre dames biggest strength is transition offense, if cornell can slow it down they win. for UVA Duke i think that's tougher to predict. it's going to be offensive with the duke attack, and the branton brothers for UVA, but duke has had inconsistant play in the net so i go with UVA
You'll hardly find anyone who doesn't think UVA/Duke is the "real" final. Cornell had the semis gift-wrapped for them when Syracuse got upset, and Notre Dame (which I don't know a lot about, really) is an unseeded team. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Irish pull it off against Cornell, Cornell is unbelievably hot and cold. Their attack has a way of totally disappearing.
UVA/Duke: high-scoring affair, most likely. Whoever has the ball will score. "Inconsistent play" in net is being kind: Duke's goalies suck ass. Faceoffs will be HUGE; Duke and UVA split the season series and the winner in each game thrashed the loser at the X. Get the ball and you will score. Ned Crotty can't be covered by one man and UVA has a pick-your-poison offense. Whoever you put the short stick on will burn you.
I'm hoping UVA can win at least 45% of the faceoffs. We got thoroughly embarrassed by Stony Brook last week in that area. I mean it was basically automatic. Win enough faceoffs and there's no reason we can't get enough balls past Duke's horrendous goalies. We juuust squeezed it out last week despite the faceoffs, but Duke is a totally different caliber team.
I think Duke-UVa is a tossup, but considering the beatdowns that Duke has administered the last two weeks, I would be afraid, very afraid. (the UNC game made the Hopkins implosion not look nearly as bad....still can't watch it however) Cornell is solid all around, but if they end up matched up against UVa, I see them collapsing in the 4th as they play that first midfield almost 75% of the game, and UVa will just thrown their hordes of middies out there in waves.
Well, I'm not as worried about those beatdowns. Last year UVA won 18-6 and 19-8 and still got absolutely housed in the semis. I'm more afraid of faceoffs. It's the old UVA bugaboo come back to try and bite us again.
Honestly, I only follow NCAA lacrosse very little, so I can't really speak to the relative strengths of the teams. The overwhelming consensus is that the winner of the UVA-Duke game will in the whole damn thing.
Also I would like to know what everyone has to say about a possible ND victory and the impact, if any, it would have on a potential UM varsity program. Discuss.
This, on the other hand, I can speak to. I think Notre Dame coming as far as they have at all, as an unseeded, midwestern team, speaks to the growth of the sport of lacrosse, though it's still a far stretch to say that it's not just the East Coast dominating anymore. They show that it's possible for schools that aren't traditional powers to at least make a bit of noise.
As it directly relates to Michigan, Notre Dame's run shows why there's a sense of urgency for something to get done on the varsity standpoint ASAP. The Wolverines would already be playing catch-up to even come within the same stratosphere as the UVas, Cuses, et al, of the lacrosse world, and having to play from seriously behind against non-eastern teams would be a serious hindrance.
If Notre Dame were to win the whole thing (unlikely), it also marks the first non-Eastern Champion, and break up a stranglehold that a select few teams (Cornell, Syracuse, UVa, North Carolina, Princeton, Hopkins, and Maryland) have had on the National Championship since it's been officially sanctioned over the past 29 years. That carries the "blessing and curse" implications I outlined above.
Either way, I'm not going to cheer for Notre Dame (even as sticking up for the midwestern guy) because I fucking hate them.
My feeling is that anyone who wants Michigan to start a D-I lacrosse program and be successful in it should be rooting hard against Notre Dame this weekend. ND has already given evidence - at least, enough evidence for recruiting purposes - that it's possible for a midwestern team to compete with the big boys out East. They beat Princeton and Maryland - fine. Job complete.
But big picture wise, Michigan and Notre Dame would offer the exact same thing to recruits: top-notch academics, big-name recognizable school with tradition, alternative to same-ol' same-ol' east coast powers, chance to Make A Name for an up-and-coming program, etc. The last thing Michigan needs is to try and compete for the same recruits with Notre Dame that are looking for that kind of stuff, except that Notre Dame can pitch a championship too. No way.
Well put. I would love to see a midwestern team break up that Olde Boys Club of champions. It's just a shame that I would have to pull for ND to see it.
It would also be refreshing to see two teams who have never won it face each other. But, alas those teams would be ND and Duke. Ugh. And ESPN coverage of a Notre Dame-Duke championship would be thoroughly nauseating.
Notre Dame putting the finishing touches on a win over Cornell. I didn't think they should have been in the tournament over Georgetown but they've certainly earned their way to the championship with wins over the 6, 3, and 7 seeds. UVA game should be starting in about 20 minutes. GO HOOS!