Who Wins it All in 2023?

[coda]

Not trying to joke, I am quite stumped from having watched them. I have only seen a few of their games but they have looked like a pretty standard team that doesn’t really excel at anything. They have won a bunch of tight games and have gotten strong goalie play so that must be it but that today sure didn’t look like one of the 4 best team in the country. Results are results however.

I have said this all year, but there is something to be said for teams that just find ways to win. I can’t see them beating Duke, especially without Posey. They may just sit in zone and put the game on Fraycon’s shoulders.

[10stone5]

Strong D

they held Cornell to 6 goals.

[coda]

Strong D

they held Cornell to 6 goals.

They are solid on defense. They aren’t dominating their match-ups though. I think Fraycon is the big reason for the turn around on that side of the ball. He is their best player and arguably the best goalie in the country. I guess I answered my own question. Goalie play is the one elite thing they have and it can keep them in any game. If he isn’t great vs Duke, I think that game can get out of control

[10stone5]

Strong D

they held Cornell to 6 goals.

They are solid on defense. They aren’t dominating their match-ups though. I think Fraycon is the big reason for the turn around on that side of the ball. He is their best player and arguably the best goalie in the country. I guess I answered my own question. Goalie play is the one elite thing they have and it can keep them in any game. If he isn’t great vs Duke, I think that game can get out of control.

Problem is,
Penn State has defied logic or simple analysis since about the 4th or 5th game on,

and the, against Duke this game can get out of control,
I heard that before the Delaware game.

[a fan]

Not trying to joke, I am quite stumped from having watched them. I have only seen a few of their games but they have looked like a pretty standard team that doesn’t really excel at anything. They have won a bunch of tight games and have gotten strong goalie play so that must be it but that today sure didn’t look like one of the 4 best team in the country. Results are results however.

That’s what everyone said about Tambronis trams at Cornell in the 2000s too.

If you're surprised by Penn State, surely you're all surprised by Duke and Notre Dame?

Both missed the playoffs entirely last year. Now they're in the Final Four. Pretty big turnaround, I'd day.

[Farfromgeneva]

Not trying to joke, I am quite stumped from having watched them. I have only seen a few of their games but they have looked like a pretty standard team that doesn’t really excel at anything. They have won a bunch of tight games and have gotten strong goalie play so that must be it but that today sure didn’t look like one of the 4 best team in the country. Results are results however.

That’s what everyone said about Tambronis trams at Cornell in the 2000s too.

If you're surprised by Penn State, surely you're all surprised by Duke and Notre Dame?

Both missed the playoffs entirely last year. Now they're in the Final Four. Pretty big turnaround, I'd day.

Keep in mind the last at large is often better than the most the AQs so when you take that into consideration the last team or two out are closer to a title team than nearly half the field most years. It’s not binary, it’s a spectrum.

[tech37]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

[wgdsr]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

you'll have to excuse me if i don't put meeshegan, they of the $200+m budget, into the scrappy lovable underdog category. especially since i read on here the b1g is about to swallow the nc$$ whole. maybe in their 1st couple years when they had some mcla holdovers that'd apply.

what i meant was... the shot clock has brandished a better version of the game. surprising for those that were circumspect how well it's gone. in the day, syracuse helped usher in an exciting brand of lacrosse, building on others. the hoos aren't alone of course, but there's a copycat mentality that goes along in sports. and lax.

as much as i enjoyed the mess that was army/psu and the defense played... if we get a zone induced win out of the lions, more may follow. maybe plodding pace.

the hoos as much or more than anyone exemplify pace, less stress on turnovers and more on making plays, yada. there are certainly other teams that play exciting, fast paced lacrosse. but to me, it'd be good for the sport to stay on its path, as the balance we're on now (d can still win games) is a good one.

[tech37]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

you'll have to excuse me if i don't put meeshegan, they of the $200+m budget, into the scrappy lovable underdog category. especially since i read on here the b1g is about to swallow the nc$$ whole. maybe in their 1st couple years when they had some mcla holdovers that'd apply.

what i meant was... the shot clock has brandished a better version of the game. surprising for those that were circumspect how well it's gone. in the day, syracuse helped usher in an exciting brand of lacrosse, building on others. the hoos aren't alone of course, but there's a copycat mentality that goes along in sports. and lax.

as much as i enjoyed the mess that was army/psu and the defense played... if we get a zone induced win out of the lions, more may follow. maybe plodding pace.

the hoos as much or more than anyone exemplify pace, less stress on turnovers and more on making plays, yada. there are certainly other teams that play exciting, fast paced lacrosse. but to me, it'd be good for the sport to stay on its path, as the balance we're on now (d can still win games) is a good one.

Thanks! And I enjoyed that "mess" yesterday too...

So do the Hoos beat ND a third time this year? (no easy feat). At this point I'd love to see a PSU vs UVA final but that most likely ain't happening.

[wgdsr]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

you'll have to excuse me if i don't put meeshegan, they of the $200+m budget, into the scrappy lovable underdog category. especially since i read on here the b1g is about to swallow the nc$$ whole. maybe in their 1st couple years when they had some mcla holdovers that'd apply.

what i meant was... the shot clock has brandished a better version of the game. surprising for those that were circumspect how well it's gone. in the day, syracuse helped usher in an exciting brand of lacrosse, building on others. the hoos aren't alone of course, but there's a copycat mentality that goes along in sports. and lax.

as much as i enjoyed the mess that was army/psu and the defense played... if we get a zone induced win out of the lions, more may follow. maybe plodding pace.

the hoos as much or more than anyone exemplify pace, less stress on turnovers and more on making plays, yada. there are certainly other teams that play exciting, fast paced lacrosse. but to me, it'd be good for the sport to stay on its path, as the balance we're on now (d can still win games) is a good one.

Thanks! And I enjoyed that "mess" yesterday too...

So do the Hoos beat ND a third time this year? (no easy feat). At this point I'd love to see a PSU vs UVA final but that most likely ain't happening.

let's hope so. more than anything, their ability to shut down nd's offense stood out. plan or personnel, if they have that down, they win. don't believe in the 3x thingy.

nunes has outplayed entenmann 3x and thats a tough string to keep going. he cracked a little saturday from how he's been playing, but goalie is about bouncing back. nd probably has to win that battle, too.

[Finster]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

you'll have to excuse me if i don't put meeshegan, they of the $200+m budget, into the scrappy lovable underdog category. especially since i read on here the b1g is about to swallow the nc$$ whole. maybe in their 1st couple years when they had some mcla holdovers that'd apply.

what i meant was... the shot clock has brandished a better version of the game. surprising for those that were circumspect how well it's gone. in the day, syracuse helped usher in an exciting brand of lacrosse, building on others. the hoos aren't alone of course, but there's a copycat mentality that goes along in sports. and lax.

as much as i enjoyed the mess that was army/psu and the defense played... if we get a zone induced win out of the lions, more may follow. maybe plodding pace.

the hoos as much or more than anyone exemplify pace, less stress on turnovers and more on making plays, yada. there are certainly other teams that play exciting, fast paced lacrosse. but to me, it'd be good for the sport to stay on its path, as the balance we're on now (d can still win games) is a good one.

Thanks! And I enjoyed that "mess" yesterday too...

So do the Hoos beat ND a third time this year? (no easy feat). At this point I'd love to see a PSU vs UVA final but that most likely ain't happening.

let's hope so. more than anything, their ability to shut down nd's offense stood out. plan or personnel, if they have that down, they win. don't believe in the 3x thingy.

nunes has outplayed entenmann 3x and thats a tough string to keep going. he cracked a little saturday from how he's been playing, but goalie is about bouncing back. nd probably has to win that battle, too.

The secret (or not really that secret) key to UVA’s domination of ND is UVA has Entenmann’s kryptonite in the form of Xander Dickson. The kid knows where to shoot on Entenmann and Entenmann knows it.

If Dickson gets in Entenmann’s head early, that allows other UVA shooters to get better looks and really, game over.

[tech37]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

you'll have to excuse me if i don't put meeshegan, they of the $200+m budget, into the scrappy lovable underdog category. especially since i read on here the b1g is about to swallow the nc$$ whole. maybe in their 1st couple years when they had some mcla holdovers that'd apply.

what i meant was... the shot clock has brandished a better version of the game. surprising for those that were circumspect how well it's gone. in the day, syracuse helped usher in an exciting brand of lacrosse, building on others. the hoos aren't alone of course, but there's a copycat mentality that goes along in sports. and lax.

as much as i enjoyed the mess that was army/psu and the defense played... if we get a zone induced win out of the lions, more may follow. maybe plodding pace.

the hoos as much or more than anyone exemplify pace, less stress on turnovers and more on making plays, yada. there are certainly other teams that play exciting, fast paced lacrosse. but to me, it'd be good for the sport to stay on its path, as the balance we're on now (d can still win games) is a good one.

Thanks! And I enjoyed that "mess" yesterday too...

So do the Hoos beat ND a third time this year? (no easy feat). At this point I'd love to see a PSU vs UVA final but that most likely ain't happening.

let's hope so. more than anything, their ability to shut down nd's offense stood out. plan or personnel, if they have that down, they win. don't believe in the 3x thingy.

Right...always good but indifferent to intangibles...

Good luck...will be rooting for the Hoos in this one.

[wgdsr]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

you'll have to excuse me if i don't put meeshegan, they of the $200+m budget, into the scrappy lovable underdog category. especially since i read on here the b1g is about to swallow the nc$$ whole. maybe in their 1st couple years when they had some mcla holdovers that'd apply.

what i meant was... the shot clock has brandished a better version of the game. surprising for those that were circumspect how well it's gone. in the day, syracuse helped usher in an exciting brand of lacrosse, building on others. the hoos aren't alone of course, but there's a copycat mentality that goes along in sports. and lax.

as much as i enjoyed the mess that was army/psu and the defense played... if we get a zone induced win out of the lions, more may follow. maybe plodding pace.

the hoos as much or more than anyone exemplify pace, less stress on turnovers and more on making plays, yada. there are certainly other teams that play exciting, fast paced lacrosse. but to me, it'd be good for the sport to stay on its path, as the balance we're on now (d can still win games) is a good one.

Thanks! And I enjoyed that "mess" yesterday too...

So do the Hoos beat ND a third time this year? (no easy feat). At this point I'd love to see a PSU vs UVA final but that most likely ain't happening.

let's hope so. more than anything, their ability to shut down nd's offense stood out. plan or personnel, if they have that down, they win. don't believe in the 3x thingy.

nunes has outplayed entenmann 3x and thats a tough string to keep going. he cracked a little saturday from how he's been playing, but goalie is about bouncing back. nd probably has to win that battle, too.

The secret (or not really that secret) key to UVA’s domination of ND is UVA has Entenmann’s kryptonite in the form of Xander Dickson. The kid knows where to shoot on Entenmann and Entenmann knows it.

If Dickson gets in Entenmann’s head early, that allows other UVA shooters to get better looks and really, game over.

i don't really claim to know what's in every player's head pre, during and postgame like you do, so i just try to evaluate what i see.

[coda]

Oof...the blue blood programs spoke loud and clear yesterday...parity takes step backward...pretty boring

hahaha. tech is reveling in the parity down the thruway!

virginia getting a championship would be great for the sport.

Haha. I see wgdsr only likes underdogs in golf

you'll have to excuse me if i don't put meeshegan, they of the $200+m budget, into the scrappy lovable underdog category. especially since i read on here the b1g is about to swallow the nc$$ whole. maybe in their 1st couple years when they had some mcla holdovers that'd apply.

what i meant was... the shot clock has brandished a better version of the game. surprising for those that were circumspect how well it's gone. in the day, syracuse helped usher in an exciting brand of lacrosse, building on others. the hoos aren't alone of course, but there's a copycat mentality that goes along in sports. and lax.

as much as i enjoyed the mess that was army/psu and the defense played... if we get a zone induced win out of the lions, more may follow. maybe plodding pace.

the hoos as much or more than anyone exemplify pace, less stress on turnovers and more on making plays, yada. there are certainly other teams that play exciting, fast paced lacrosse. but to me, it'd be good for the sport to stay on its path, as the balance we're on now (d can still win games) is a good one.

Thanks! And I enjoyed that "mess" yesterday too...

So do the Hoos beat ND a third time this year? (no easy feat). At this point I'd love to see a PSU vs UVA final but that most likely ain't happening.

let's hope so. more than anything, their ability to shut down nd's offense stood out. plan or personnel, if they have that down, they win. don't believe in the 3x thingy.

nunes has outplayed entenmann 3x and thats a tough string to keep going. he cracked a little saturday from how he's been playing, but goalie is about bouncing back. nd probably has to win that battle, too.

The secret (or not really that secret) key to UVA’s domination of ND is UVA has Entenmann’s kryptonite in the form of Xander Dickson. The kid knows where to shoot on Entenmann and Entenmann knows it.

If Dickson gets in Entenmann’s head early, that allows other UVA shooters to get better looks and really, game over.

Dickson mostly shoots inside of 10 yards. There is a reason he is shooting 56% on the season. He is at 52.6% vs Entenmann, so I dont see an out-performance vs Entenmann. ND defense has always been excellent vs middie dodgers. They have also been vulnerable inside. Not a lot of teams have the ability to consistently to make those tight passes and convert them to goals. UVA is a tough match-up, because they have two of the best inside finishers in the game and Dickson is the best off-ball player (IMO). They also have Shelly, who is one of the best passers in the game. I also think this completely misses the reason that UVA is 2-0 vs ND.. ND is averaging 9 goals a game vs UVA, which is 7 goals lower than their season average. UVA is averaging 13.5 goals, which is 4 goals lower than their average.

[10stone5]

Seeds #1, 2, 3, 5 — in the semis,
only the Terps at #4 were a miss

pretty good job by the selection committee.

[Matnum PI]

Seeds #1, 2, 3, 5 — in the semis,
only the Terps at #4 were a miss
... pretty good job by the selection committee.

Or... The better choices for #4 and #5 were beaten by the #1, #2 and #3 teams prematurely. e.g. Georgetown, Michigan, and JHU.

[a fan]

Seeds #1, 2, 3, 5 — in the semis,
only the Terps at #4 were a miss

pretty good job by the selection committee.

The committee looks backward----"how'd you do in the regular season".

Not forward, which would be "we're giving bids and seeds based on how we think you'll do in the tournament".

If it were forward, thinking, I think most fans would lose their minds in terms of who gets bids, and who is seeded where.

In other words, they're telling you about the past, not the future.

[Matnum PI]

In other words, they're telling you about the past, not the future.

Agree and... I don't think they did a great job re: evaluating the past. I don't think they evaluated the Terps based on their 2023 season. I think they thought about previous seasons and, based on this information, projected into the future. (Yes, I'm aware of RPIs etc. And... MD was given a gift based on their brand.) I mean, they do make the Final Four over and over. Except they didn't and, based on their 2023 regular season, when they lost to Army, it wasn't shocking.

[coda]

Seeds #1, 2, 3, 5 — in the semis,
only the Terps at #4 were a miss

pretty good job by the selection committee.

1-3 was pretty obvious. Maryland was a swing and miss by the committee. Not sure how they were a 4 seed and the top Big 10 team. They didnt win the regular season or tournament and they lost 3 of their last 5. I would have probably put a 4th ACC team in the field, given how dominant the top 3 ACC teams were. I thought the ACC was clearly the best conference and deserved a 4th..

[wgdsr]

Seeds #1, 2, 3, 5 — in the semis,
only the Terps at #4 were a miss

pretty good job by the selection committee.

1-3 was pretty obvious. Maryland was a swing and miss by the committee. Not sure how they were a 4 seed and the top Big 10 team. They didnt win the regular season or tournament and they lost 3 of their last 5. I would have probably put a 4th ACC team in the field, given how dominant the top 3 ACC teams were. I thought the ACC was clearly the best conference and deserved a 4th..

teams go into the tournament, not conferences.