LaxPower Back-Up Stick

Can’t wait for the next lax poll—you’ll have the media and coaches looking for any traditional power they can put at the #1 slot instead of Michigan. I’m waiting for them to bump Penn to 1 now.

The polls swing too wildly and demonstrate they don’t know how to call it.

OuttaNowhereWregget wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 12:20 pm ...another team that gets overhyped. I find them dull--always have. Loyola will do this year the same thing they do every year. The perennially Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time players will get exposed as being mid-tier, always mid-tier.

SameOldDogs. Go away now until the NCAA's when you get bounced early, per usual...........woof.......

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:05 pm Can’t wait for the next lax poll—you’ll have the media and coaches looking for any traditional power they can put at the #1 slot instead of Michigan. I’m waiting for them to bump Penn to 1 now.

The polls swing too wildly and demonstrate they don’t know how to call it.

Well Michigan has to beat MD before the next poll comes out. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that won't happen and NU will be back at #1 where they belong.

1. Michigan - vs Maryland
2. Syracuse - vs Louisville
3. Northwestern - vs Rutgers
4. Virginia - at Duke
5. Pennsylvania - Resting on laurels
6. Notre Dame - vs Pitt
7. Boston College - vs Carolina
8. James Madison - at Johns Hopkins
9. Denver - at Georgetown
10. Maryland - at Michigan

With next opponent listed for this week

I won't try putting together a poll until Monday, after the games this weekend.

My impressions from yesterday afternoon's/evening's games:

Maryland is a good team; it's just that judged against their legacy, this team does not meet the historical standard.

Penn might be a whole lot better than at least I thought, and I always think Corbett teams are ready to play. Beat Hopkins narrowly , in a finding their feet sort of game, against a good team. Lost to the only undefeated team left 5-6.

Michigan must be pretty darn good. What I expect, now though, is that Michigan will lose to Maryland, because that is the road to full on clusterf*ckery.

Loyola is a very good team, and I think better than Maryland. Hounds have three legitimate scoring threats: Nos. 5, 11 and 22. OK defense, backed by a good goalie. I was impressed that they stayed with a red hot Syracuse group in the Dome for as long as they did.

If I had to lay down money now -- and I don't and never do -- I'd still lay heavy odds that Northwestern, much to my chagrin (and "chagrin" is tempered and nice), will win the big chocolate cake in May.

Great season.

Seacoaster(1) wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:14 am I won't try putting together a poll until Monday, after the games this weekend.

My impressions from yesterday afternoon's/evening's games:

Maryland is a good team; it's just that judged against their legacy, this team does not meet the historical standard.

Penn might be a whole lot better than at least I thought, and I always think Corbett teams are ready to play. Beat Hopkins narrowly , in a finding their feet sort of game, against a good team. Lost to the only undefeated team left 5-6.

Michigan must be pretty darn good. What I expect, now though, is that Michigan will lose to Maryland, because that is the road to full on clusterf*ckery.

Loyola is a very good team, and I think better than Maryland. Hounds have three legitimate scoring threats: Nos. 5, 11 and 22. OK defense, backed by a good goalie. I was impressed that they stayed with a red hot Syracuse group in the Dome for as long as they did.

If I had to lay down money now -- and I don't and never do -- I'd still lay heavy odds that Northwestern, much to my chagrin (and "chagrin" is tempered and nice), will win the big chocolate cake in May.

Great season.

The whole post, but the blue in particular:

hmmm wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:13 am

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:05 pm Can’t wait for the next lax poll—you’ll have the media and coaches looking for any traditional power they can put at the #1 slot instead of Michigan. I’m waiting for them to bump Penn to 1 now.

The polls swing too wildly and demonstrate they don’t know how to call it.

Well Michigan has to beat MD before the next poll comes out. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that won't happen and NU will be back at #1 where they belong.

Based on how this season is going so far, you're probably right.

hmmm wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:13 am

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:05 pm Can’t wait for the next lax poll—you’ll have the media and coaches looking for any traditional power they can put at the #1 slot instead of Michigan. I’m waiting for them to bump Penn to 1 now.

The polls swing too wildly and demonstrate they don’t know how to call it.

Well Michigan has to beat MD before the next poll comes out. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that won't happen and NU will be back at #1 where they belong.

Looks like you were right. Is there an option to leave #1 blank this week?

Who do you rank #1 after this week?
Hot take - I wouldn’t mind Penn being #1, but I’m not sure they are truly the #1 team. However, I don’t really know who the #1 team is. NU in my opinion is the best team in the country but that unranked loss to PSU hurts, especially after PSU lost to OSU. MD might stay #1 after the win over Michigan, but they don’t deserve it. I also think Cuse is rapidly improving, but I can’t put a 3 loss team at this stage of the season at #1. BC and ND are hypothetical options.

PENN!!! I do believe it was inaccurate that they were #14 in the previous week, especially when they beat Johns Hopkins. Barely loss to #2/#3 Michigan. Beat Maryland by 4 goals (Should've been 5). I agree they might not be truly #1. Time will tell. Why not put them at #1 for now? I feel they earned it this past week.

Beginning to think the #1 slot is a curse this season or the picks are just atrocious. Maybe it’s both.

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:16 pm Beginning to think the #1 slot is a curse this season or the picks are just atrocious. Maybe it’s both.

The biggest thing this season is no team has separated itself from the pack. Right now I think Northwestern and Syracuse have the best chance to do so. Could see BC doing it as well if they get past Syracuse.

jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:31 pm

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:16 pm Beginning to think the #1 slot is a curse this season or the picks are just atrocious. Maybe it’s both.

The biggest thing this season is no team has separated itself from the pack. Right now I think Northwestern and Syracuse have the best chance to do so. Could see BC doing it as well if they get past Syracuse.

No one seems to want the #1 ranking. I guess NU will take it.

My top 5

1. NU
2. BC
3. Maryland
4. Syracuse
5. Michigan

NULax2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:45 pm

jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:31 pm

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:16 pm Beginning to think the #1 slot is a curse this season or the picks are just atrocious. Maybe it’s both.

The biggest thing this season is no team has separated itself from the pack. Right now I think Northwestern and Syracuse have the best chance to do so. Could see BC doing it as well if they get past Syracuse.

No one seems to want the #1 ranking. I guess NU will take it.

My top 5

1. NU
2. BC
3. Maryland
4. Syracuse
5. Michigan

Coaches probably happy Maryland beat Michigan so they can just put a traditional power at #1 again

jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:50 pm

NULax2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:45 pm

jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:31 pm

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:16 pm Beginning to think the #1 slot is a curse this season or the picks are just atrocious. Maybe it’s both.

The biggest thing this season is no team has separated itself from the pack. Right now I think Northwestern and Syracuse have the best chance to do so. Could see BC doing it as well if they get past Syracuse.

No one seems to want the #1 ranking. I guess NU will take it.

My top 5

1. NU
2. BC
3. Maryland
4. Syracuse
5. Michigan

Coaches probably happy Maryland beat Michigan so they can just put a traditional power at #1 again

Oh for sure

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 10:21 pm

jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:50 pm

NULax2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:45 pm

jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:31 pm

MolonLaxe wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:16 pm Beginning to think the #1 slot is a curse this season or the picks are just atrocious. Maybe it’s both.

The biggest thing this season is no team has separated itself from the pack. Right now I think Northwestern and Syracuse have the best chance to do so. Could see BC doing it as well if they get past Syracuse.

No one seems to want the #1 ranking. I guess NU will take it.

My top 5

1. NU
2. BC
3. Maryland
4. Syracuse
5. Michigan

Coaches probably happy Maryland beat Michigan so they can just put a traditional power at #1 again

Oh for sure

It's a little amusing to me how bent out of shape people get about the rankings when it means nothing for the NCAA Tournament.

1. Northwestern
2. Syracuse
3. Pennsylvania
4. Maryland
5. Notre Dame

6. Boston College
7. Johns Hopkins
8. Michigan
9. Yale
10. Denver

11. Loyola
12. Florida
13. Virginia
14. James Madison
15. Stony Brook

16. Princeton
17. Stanford
18. Duke
19. North Carolina
20. Clemson

The Poll that Doesn't Matter:

1. Northwestern -- sorry, got to put them here, and it is like sticking an icepick in my foot. Sammy White is back.

2. Syracuse -- losses to NU, Maryland and Stony Brook. As a certified homer (TM), I am discounting the Terp and SBU losses as stuff that happened almost to someone else, on another planet, in a fictional universe. I am convinced that Syracuse would beat them both now.

3. Notre Dame -- don't know what to say; when they are good, they are good. Put them here just because everyone else is brainfarting (yes, Virginia, I am looking at you).

4. Boston College -- they are here for now, but the fact is there is something I can't put my finger on that is missing here. I don't think Smith is "regressing," as someone said. She just isn't in the rhythm of this offense the way she was with previous teams. The win against UNC yesterday was OK, sort of workmanlike, nothing like the Syracuse pasting of UNC.

5. Penn -- impressive and disciplined effort and result in Terptown mid-week.

6. Maryland -- good bounce-back win in Ann Arbor yesterday, and Reese and Phipps outcoached Nielsen and staff. Maryland's offense will be the thing that keeps them from the Final Four this year.

7. Michigan -- lost to Terps at home, in the first game (as usual, and I mean it: no offense to any other team) that actually mattered. This idiot observer thought that the immense tension on Nielsen's face the entire second half trickled down to her players and tightened them up for at least the entire 4th quarter. Reese, on the other hand, was smiling and making the players laugh and loose. It matters when the chips are down. Michigan's offense is, actually, pretty anemic.

8. Loyola -- played Colgate and -- surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!! -- won easily.

9. JHU -- very convincing win over a good -- not great -- JMU team. Twenty-one goals against a pretty able defense.

10. Florida -- just cruising along now. But realistically, since the relatively narrow win over Princeton (16-13), they haven't played anyone who could really be expected to give them a game. Let's see if JMU gives them a game in a couple of weeks.

Yale, Denver, and Virginia (losing to Duke is very nearly a felony; surprised these kids aren't in jail this morning) hovering just below.

OK, tell me how badly I f*cked up here.

I think people are not seeing BC for what they are which is a team loaded with talent. I think they are starting to find their identity the last 2 games beating UNC and Duke by a combined 21 goals. Perhaps the best and most talented 4 attackers they have ever had. UNC locks off Clark and crushes BC on the draw and BC still comes close to scoring 20 goals. BC coaches have played 2 even middie lines all year and are running offense mostly through 4 AA attackers. They will start shortening middie lines as they get deeper into the season. I see this year playing out like last year. BC will win the remainder of their games and beat Cuse to once again be #1 seed in ACC tournament.

Lax101 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 31, 2024 12:37 pm I think people are not seeing BC for what they are which is a team loaded with talent. I think they are starting to find their identity the last 2 games beating UNC and Duke by a combined 21 goals. Perhaps the best and most talented 4 attackers they have ever had. UNC locks off Clark and crushes BC on the draw and BC still comes close to scoring 20 goals. BC coaches have played 2 even middie lines all year and are running offense mostly through 4 AA attackers. They will start shortening middie lines as they get deeper into the season. I see this year playing out like last year. BC will win the remainder of their games and beat Cuse to once again be #1 seed in ACC tournament.

Kind of disagree. I see the same team you do: loaded with talent, for sure. But a team still working on finding its mojo or whatever you want to call it. I have them at No. 4 now; if they beat Syracuse on April 18, they'll be placed above Cuse in my [stupid] poll. But I don't think anyone -- coaches, players or observers -- are not seeing them for what they are.