NCAC 2022

[WhiteCarrera]

Inside Lacrosse beat you to it:

https://twitter.com/TerenceFoy

[Can Opener]

Inside Lacrosse beat you to it:

https://twitter.com/TerenceFoy

In all seriousness, this thing has legs. It’s going to blow up.

[Nosey Ned]

Big game in the NCAC tonight! Denison at OWU - winner gets home field in the BIGGEST game in the NCAC each year - the Tournament Championship game for the AQ that goes with it!

Coach Caravana sighting at Big Red practice yesterday! Hope he gave the boys the winning formula he seemed to hold more often then not!

My prediction is Denison wins the FO battle my wide margin (again) and bring home a 12-10 victory.

[OldWU]

Ned -- You may be right....I am worried about face-offs too and hope the freshman goalie is up to the task. He seems pretty unflappable but he's had a couple game where he's had some problems picking up outside shots. Frankly I didn't think OWU would hang with Denison last year and they split two 9-8 nail-biters. I think both teams are better because they have played more and I think there will be a far better atmosphere with more students on hand. Let's hope for another classic!

[Seacoaster(1)]

Looks like Denison ran off a bunch in the Fourth Quarter, in an otherwise tight game. Anyone who can report?

[MarionBarry]

Watched the stream lastnight. Outside of the first few minutes of the first quarter, Denison was taking it to OWU, except on the scoreboard. Stats all heavily favored denison, but the big red struggled to score on good scoring opportunities in the first half, and OWU scored on theirs. Denison outlasted the bishops for 60 mins.

[Nosey Ned]

Watched the stream lastnight. Outside of the first few minutes of the first quarter, Denison was taking it to OWU, except on the scoreboard. Stats all heavily favored denison, but the big red struggled to score on good scoring opportunities in the first half, and OWU scored on theirs. Denison outlasted the bishops for 60 mins.

Hey Marion - I would agree with this assessment. Denison was the better team both on paper and via the “eye test”. However I’m less forgiving then you when you say “struggled to score on good opportunities” - as I’ve said here before, this team needs to improve their shooting if they want to make a run in May. The Big Red could have/should have doubled the Bishops up if not for the team shooting at 27% - again! But hey, any win over OWU is a good win so let’s enjoy what looks like will be the #1 seed in the Conference Tournament - again

Go Big Red

[WhiteCarrera]

Does anyone know what the environment is like at Kenyon, and also at Hiram, if someone wanted to bring their dog to a game? Thanks.

[Switzerland]

Does anyone know what the environment is like at Kenyon

Designer dogs only. Shelter dogs get pay per view from the parking lot.

[MrLax2U]

I noticed Big Red squashed Allegheny 28 - 0.

Is that necessary at this point in the season or is there another story beyond the score?

[OldWU]

I did a quick scan of today's scores.....B-W put up 32 vs. Brevard, Stevenson 29 vs. Albright, SUNY Maritime 26 vs. Purchase, Kean 26 vs. Bryn Athyn, W&L 27 vs, Guilford, Kenyon 27 vs. Wabash, CNU 24 vs. Mary Washington, DeSales 24 vs. King's.....and so on....

What's your point?

[Nosey Ned]

I noticed Big Red squashed Allegheny 28 - 0.

Is that necessary at this point in the season or is there another story beyond the score?

Hey MrLax. Never a good look for the sport to have a final score line like this one today in Granville. I didn’t see the game but a quick review of the box score indicates that Coach Koch made wholesale changes half way through the 3rd at 18-0 so the back end of the bench put up 10. There were 16 different goal scorers so everyone got a crack at it on Senior Day. Allegheny is a new program. In fact, due to Covid, this is the 1st time ever the Big Red have faced the Gators though they have been “in conference” for 3 years already. So everyone should have expected an uneven matchup. And it was that and more! I can’t tell you the last shutout Denison has had. The stats weren’t even as close as the score line - if that’s even possible.

We have this debate every year at some point during the Conference only portion of the season. What’s more humiliating for the overmatched opponent- very publicly have your 3rd and 4th string “spin it around” for 80 seconds and roll it to the corner or letting your young guys play the game and run the risk of the score continuing to balloon? At least the latter let’s everyone on the field have a chance to grow? I don’t know the right answer. But apparently these 2 teams shouldn’t have been on the same field and I’m not sure who’s fault that is.

[InsiderRoll]

We all hate games like this. They’re terrible for the sport. The kids on both teams hate it, it’s makes good teams play bad lacrosse and bad teams hate playing the game. I hope more more leagues will consider weighted schedules in conference. I believe the ODAC is moving to that in a year or two.

[grelch]

I noticed Big Red squashed Allegheny 28 - 0.

Is that necessary at this point in the season or is there another story beyond the score?

I was surprised to see that final score. Turned it on for a second and it was 13-0, and I could have sworn it was in the 3rd qtr. That's a lot of goals to pile on in the last stretch of the game. No judgement from me. More than anything I think it just points to a very weak league.

[MrLax2U]

NCAC fans, Thanks for the responses.

Maybe the conference could implement rules like some rec teams use including the refs declaring a winner then finishing as a scrimmage with some players switching jerseys.

[InsiderRoll]

NCAC fans, Thanks for the responses.

Maybe the conference could implement rules like some rec teams use including the refs declaring a winner then finishing as a scrimmage with some players switching jerseys.

God I hope this is sarcasm.

[Nosey Ned]

NCAC fans, Thanks for the responses.

Maybe the conference could implement rules like some rec teams use including the refs declaring a winner then finishing as a scrimmage with some players switching jerseys.

All kidding aside, this issue is not exclusively a NCAC issue as evidenced by OldWU’s post showing a slew of scores from yesterday alone that reflect this dynamic playing out across the entire D3 landscape. Perhaps the answer for all conferences is making historically weak teams demonstrate enough on field competency before they get scheduled against the better teams in conference. Insider mentions “weighted scheduling” which I assume is along these lines.

[OldWU]

Ned -- Like you stated, this topic has been beaten to death over the years, and I don't wish to revive the debate.

I think most coaches have adopted the view that if you are playing another college team that is trying to score, then your players on the field should be allowed to try and score too. That's not to say a coach should also use tactics like playing your full roster, passing the ball until the last 20 seconds of the shot clock or not employing a full ride, etc. But you also can't expect a back-up goalie not to try and stop every ball shot at him. So if the score is 28-zip, so be it.

[droliver]

Maybe institute a running clock when the difference is 10+ goals

[ergit]

Ned -- Like you stated, this topic has been beaten to death over the years, and I don't wish to revive the debate.

I think most coaches have adopted the view that if you are playing another college team that is trying to score, then your players on the field should be allowed to try and score too. That's not to say a coach should also use tactics like playing your full roster, passing the ball until the last 20 seconds of the shot clock or not employing a full ride, etc. But you also can't expect a back-up goalie not to try and stop every ball shot at him. So if the score is 28-zip, so be it.

100% agree. Substitute early through the entire bench (which is really the coach’s only effective response). Don’t try to intentionally run up the score but at that point, the score ‘is what it is’.