NElaxtalent wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:39 am
It takes two to Tango. Not all teams can get the opponents they want to play but the "name brand" teams certainly can.
A key point to always bear in mind is teams have no control over their in-conference SOS so the scrutiny should really be on what teams CHOOSE to do regarding their OOC schedule. If on Selection Sunday someone is complaining about their RPI rank, this is the 1st place I'd go.
Bingo, NElt.
Back in the Swami days, I likened the upper echelon of D1 lacrosse to an incestuous family, only playing within their own. And SoS benefits accordingly.
But how do non-traditional teams get a seat at the table?
I do admire teams that go out of their way to schedule potential up and coming teams. It helps grow the game.
The NC$$ should encourage that, but they are only interested in making money off the tournament.
Wheels wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:20 pm
Someone explain the logic of ranking Penn ahead of Maryland? Is Penn's win against Duke somehow better than Maryland's win over Penn? Or is it that Maryland's loss to Villanova was worse than Penn's loss to Maryland? So all of the sudden, head-to-head doesn't matter because Maryland's sloppy, road loss to Penn?
Penn Game was AT UMd...
or do you mean UMd's road loss to 'Nova? And I didn't know UMd played a "sloppy" game against 'Nova.
Human endeavors are riven by their creator’s imperfections.
We all want the odds arranged with in our favor.
Play on.
"There is nothing more difficult and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes. One makes enemies of those who prospered under the old order, and only lukewarm support from those who would prosper under the new."
OCanada wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:53 am
The better team does not always win a particular game.
And, when they lose, their ranking should reflect that loss, not that they're better than they played. (Not saying that you're saying any differently.)
Matnum PI wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:46 am
High correlation between Strength of Team and Strength of Schedule. As is to be expected. Except... UNC sticks out like a sore thumb.
Matnum PI wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:46 am
High correlation between Strength of Team and Strength of Schedule. As is to be expected. Except... UNC sticks out like a sore thumb.
Wheels wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:20 pm
Someone explain the logic of ranking Penn ahead of Maryland? Is Penn's win against Duke somehow better than Maryland's win over Penn? Or is it that Maryland's loss to Villanova was worse than Penn's loss to Maryland? So all of the sudden, head-to-head doesn't matter because Maryland's sloppy, road loss to Penn?
Penn Game was AT UMd...
or do you mean UMd's road loss to 'Nova? And I didn't know UMd played a "sloppy" game against 'Nova.
Teams may be added to a schedule or dropped based on relationships between the coaches or schools. One example is a team that is not strong may be added to the schedule of a strong team because one coach wants to do a favor and get another more exposure and experience and upgrade their SOS etc
Now I love those cowboys, I love their gold
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Just finished watching the UNC-DU stream...time to post the rankings!
1) Syracuse - The most complete team in the country right now. Skill and toughness everywhere.
2) UNC - Great offense and good face-off play = good combination. They get a bit reckless at times and take penalties. Something to watch for later.
3) Penn St - Nice rebound win against a good Penn team. Their defense is still a big question.
4) Maryland - Does anyone have 2 bigger wins so far? Complete performance against Notre Dame in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.
5) Princeton - Princeton is 4Reelz, people. They're more than Sowers, but he's enough for the price of admission alone. D and face-off play has been +.
6) Cornell - Great offense but their physicality stood out against OSU. Rare to see a team out physical OSU in the Horseshoe.
7) Yale - Is UMass a good or bad loss? I don't know. Yale's turnover issue continue to bite them.
8) UVA - Nice rebound win against AFA.
9) Georgetown - Probably too high with how weak their schedule is, but they keep winning. Won't know about them for another 2 weeks.
10) Notre Dame - Closely watched the MD-ND game. ND's offense didn't look so dynamic against MD. Got crushed at FOGO. D didn't look lock down.
11) Penn - Tough loss to PSU. Their depth is still an issue, as is their goal keeping (or maybe their D? Depends on how you look at it).
12) Loyola - Steady as she goes. Tough team. No quit but not exactly dynamic.
13) Lehigh - Nice offense for this team. Kind of a gritty bunch.
14) Villanova - Starting to roll. That top 6 on offense is really good. Vitton in goal takes up so much room. Baits shooters into shots he wants to save.
15) Duke - Lucky to escape with a win against Richmond. Don't think they have the horses this year to contend in ACC.
16) Hobart - Fun game on Friday in the Dome. Offense is great but really loved their grit. Score didn't reflect how close the game felt.
17) St. Joes - Taking care of business against bad teams. Have 2 good games coming up in that Battle 4 Philly thing.
18) Army - Starting to get momentum again. Easy win against Holy Cross who had been playing well.
19) Bucknell - Surprisingly easy win against a decent Marist team. Only loss is to Ohio St. See how they hold up next 2 weeks on the road.
20) Denver - The score against UNC looked closer than it was. Never really in the game. @ND, @OSU next. Yikes. @Nova, @Georgetown, @PC...AQ or bust for Denver. Their offense, like Hopkins, isn't built for the shot clock era.
21) OSU - Battled back against Cornell but got picked apart by Teat and Co...even though they dominated the face-off.
22) Stony Brook - ALL OF LONG ISLAND IS THEIRS! (And New Jersey, too)
23) Providence - Back to winning. The Ocean State Cup is theirs. That means something. In Rhode Island. Trust me.
24) Dartmouth - Still undefeated this late in the season. It's like we're in the 1990s or something.
25) Fairfield - The only team to beat the Might Stony Brook Seawolves. Might be a while until they're tested.
1. Syracuse - Pulled away from a tough Hobart squad.
2. Penn St - Another week, another tough game; OT win vs. strong Penn.
3. North Carolina - Finally get a signature win over Denver.
4. Princeton - Sowers and company light up JHU.
5. Maryland - Convincing win against previously Top-5 ND.
6. Cornell - Tried to give it away against OSU. FO issue rears its ugly head again, and it only gets tougher from here.
7. Virginia - Struggled against HP, convincingly thumped Air Force.
8. Yale - Dug too big a hole in 1st half against a good UMass team.
9. Loyola - Except for that first half of their first game (against Virginia), have been great.
10. Duke - Survived scare from surprising Richmond team.
11. UMass - Stuns #1 Yale. Oddly up-and-down team; looked unbeatable in the first half Saturday.
12. U Penn - Brutal schedule so far and it doesn't get much easier. Villanova/Princeton/Cornell on the horizon.
13. Villanova - Convincing win over a good(?) Delaware team.
14. Notre Dame - Beatdown by Maryland in first real test.
15. Army - No trouble with Holy Cross team that's been giving others fits.
16. Ohio St - Tough loss at home to Cornell. Showed grit, but turned the ball over way too much.
17. Georgetown - Ho-hum win against Bellarmine. Drop on the basis of pedestrain schedule.
18. Lehigh - Surprisingly easy against Navy.
19. Denver - Soundly beaten by UNC.
20. Bucknell - Crushed a Marist team coming off of huge win against Army. Putting together a good resume...
Dropped out:
Harvard: Two close losses to Holy Cross/Albany.
Hobart: Played Syracuse tough.
Sleeper: With another lopsided loss to a ranked team, JHU is quietly putting together their strongest tournament resume in years. If they get blown out by Syracuse this week, we can all but pencil them in as an at-large.
ICGrad wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 6:48 pm
Sleeper: With another lopsided loss to a ranked team, JHU is quietly putting together their strongest tournament resume in years. If they get blown out by Syracuse this week, we can all but pencil them in as an at-large.
[quote=Sleeper: With another lopsided loss to a ranked team, JHU is quietly putting together their strongest tournament resume in years. If they get blown out by Syracuse this week, we can all but pencil them in as an at-large.
[/quote]
LRoggy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 7:48 pm
[quote=Sleeper: With another lopsided loss to a ranked team, JHU is quietly putting together their strongest tournament resume in years. If they get blown out by Syracuse this week, we can all but pencil them in as an at-large.
Sleeper: With another lopsided loss to a ranked team, JHU is quietly putting together their strongest tournament resume in years. If they get blown out by Syracuse this week, we can all but pencil them in as an at-large.