Like in a road race, at the starting line, the runners are packed together and, as a group, they are very short and wide. Even after the starter’s pistol, the group of runners is packed together, the group is short and wide. And as the race progresses, some runners race ahead, some fall behind. The shape of the group of runners changes dramatically. Until, at the end of the race, the runners as a group are very long and thin. This is what’s happening right now with D1 Mens Lacrosse. Currently, we have 12 undefeateds at the front of the pack and 9 winlesses at the back. Our group of runners are getting longer, but with 12 runners, shoulder to shoulder, leading the pack, the field is still very wide. We need the leaders to become narrower and… This is going to happen this weekend. Several undefeateds play each other: OSU vs. Marquette, Delaware vs. Villanova, and Maryland vs. Notre Dame. Unquestionably, 12 undefeateds will become 9. Plus UVA plays Syracuse, Siena plays Michigan, UVM plays Jacksonville, Georgetown plays Hofstra, Duke plays Richmond, and, on Monday, North Carolina plays Denver. The number of undefeateds could easily be cut in half this weekend. Soon, our group of runners will become substantially narrower.
