Best Single Teams Since The Tournament Started In 1971 Who Didn't Win It All?

[keno in reno]

This is recency bias but 2019 Penn State...an absolute offensive juggernaut, scored at will and beat the tar out of pretty much everybody, just couldn't overcome TD Ierlan in the Final Four. Beat Maryland, Ohio State, put up 21 on Loyola in the quarters, beat Hopkins twice, Rutgers twice, Penn, Cornell, Villanova. But Ierlan was the kryptonite.

Good one too

[jrn19]

That 08 Duke team was pretty nuts. Danowski and Greer at their peaks; Crotty was like the 4th attackmen. They beat the p*** out of everybody till Hopkins tripped em up again in the Final Four.

[jrn19]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

09 Cornell team was def a good team that just peaked at the right time....right up until the last 30 secs of the championship game.

Always thought '13 Cornell - Pannell's Tewaaraton year - was the best team in the country that year. They got royally hosed by the committee being unseeded....and absolutely destroyed two seeded teams in UMD and OSU anyway. Duke just scored one goal more in that wild F4 game.

[gymman1031]

This is recency bias but 2019 Penn State...an absolute offensive juggernaut, scored at will and beat the tar out of pretty much everybody, just couldn't overcome TD Ierlan in the Final Four. Beat Maryland, Ohio State, put up 21 on Loyola in the quarters, beat Hopkins twice, Rutgers twice, Penn, Cornell, Villanova. But Ierlan was the kryptonite.

This is recent. But definitely a classic example! Good call!

[gymman1031]

That 08 Duke team was pretty nuts. Danowski and Greer at their peaks; Crotty was like the 4th attackmen. They beat the p*** out of everybody till Hopkins tripped em up again in the Final Four.

Yes, they were. And, after that game, combined with their results in the 2007 title game, I was thinking Coach John Danowski might well be in over his head at a top program that gets top talent. Boy, did he prove me wrong or what!?

[old salt]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

Possibly the deepest team to ever make it to championship weekend.

[gymman1031]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

Possibly the deepest team to ever make it to championship weekend.

And what was the biggest reason for that. The amazing recruiting of then top assistant John Tillman. It is fair to say that he is one of the best and most hard-working recruiters the game has ever had.

[Farfromgeneva]

While in a one and done tournament can mean that anyone can lose and be out, I would think that one would look to years with stronger relative champions. That might be a consideration with respect to the 2016 Terps. That’s what makes the 04 Midshipmen and 09 Big Red so compelling (Cornell has the Tewaarton winner and best Midfielder, with all due respect to Rabil, Harrison and maybe a couple of others, that I’ve seen play over my time acknowledging I never saw Jon Reese play)

[Farfromgeneva]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

09 Cornell team was def a good team that just peaked at the right time....right up until the last 30 secs of the championship game.

Always thought '13 Cornell - Pannell's Tewaaraton year - was the best team in the country that year. They got royally hosed by the committee being unseeded....and absolutely destroyed two seeded teams in UMD and OSU anyway. Duke just scored one goal more in that wild F4 game.

Many Cornell fans think 2007 was the year and will still tell you how they got boned (kind of did) in the seeding leading to an easy path for Hop where Cornell had to play Albany and Duke before a theoretical title game where Hop got a average ND team in OT and then GTown and Urick way down and a surprise Del team who rode Alex Smith there.

But I wouldn’t want to pick at old wounds and draw out some of those folks thoughts on this or anything like that...

[jrn19]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

09 Cornell team was def a good team that just peaked at the right time....right up until the last 30 secs of the championship game.

Always thought '13 Cornell - Pannell's Tewaaraton year - was the best team in the country that year. They got royally hosed by the committee being unseeded....and absolutely destroyed two seeded teams in UMD and OSU anyway. Duke just scored one goal more in that wild F4 game.

Many Cornell fans think 2007 was the year and will still tell you how they got boned (kind of did) in the seeding leading to an easy path for Hop where Cornell had to play Albany and Duke before a theoretical title game where Hop got a average ND team in OT and then GTown and Urick way down and a surprise Del team who rode Alex Smith there.

But I wouldn’t want to pick at old wounds and draw out some of those folks thoughts on this or anything like that...

Cornell fans can be kinda crazy with that stuff, but they weren't wrong. Undefeated team in the Ivy getting seeded 4th was criminal. They have a lot of stuff to hold grudges over with the NCAA.

[DMac]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

This needs a little addressing. Russell went out with eight minutes to go in the fourth, more like mid-fourth than mid-game. Don't think it much matters who is in the cage on the goals scored by Cuse from there on out as there are no gimmie cheap shots, every one of them would have required one heck of a save by any GK. Different result is highly debatable. Whether Navy was talented or not is not, this was an unbelievably hard fought and intense game played by two excellent teams.

[Farfromgeneva]

Oh I agree they got boned on the seeding but man, you think the woman’s march after Trump was elected had some energy just get a few of them fired up over a couple of slights and compare.

[gymman1031]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

This needs a little addressing. Russell went out with eight minutes to go in the fourth, more like mid-fourth than mid-game. Don't think it much matters who is in the cage on the goals scored by Cuse from there on out as there are no gimmie cheap shots, every one of them would have required one heck of a save by any GK. Different result is highly debatable. Whether Navy was talented or not is not, this was an unbelievably hard fought and intense game played by two excellent teams.

Let's hope we see another service academy in the title game someday! I believe that may be the only team since the 1971 start of the NCAA Tournament in which that has been the case.

[Farfromgeneva]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

This needs a little addressing. Russell went out with eight minutes to go in the fourth, more like mid-fourth than mid-game. Don't think it much matters who is in the cage on the goals scored by Cuse from there on out as there are no gimmie cheap shots, every one of them would have required one heck of a save by any GK. Different result is highly debatable. Whether Navy was talented or not is not, this was an unbelievably hard fought and intense game played by two excellent teams.

Yeah, that game was a classic track meet. Especially after the Navy QF 6-5 barnburner over Cornell before the electric 8-7 win over Princeton in the SF. Just running and gunning. Intensity. I was starting a summer associate internship and for whatever reason (girlfriend visiting with me so did tourist stuff) ended up at the ESPNZone in TImes Sq and some naval ship and dropped guys off for that weekend (a week maybe?) and there was a bunch there so a lot of energy in the joint.

That year was pretty competitive too. 3/4 QF games were 1 goal outcomes (Navy-Cornell, Princeton-UMD & Cuse-GTown), 1/2 SF games were 1 goal in the aforementioned Navy-Princeton game and the Final was obviously 14-13.

[jrn19]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

This needs a little addressing. Russell went out with eight minutes to go in the fourth, more like mid-fourth than mid-game. Don't think it much matters who is in the cage on the goals scored by Cuse from there on out as there are no gimmie cheap shots, every one of them would have required one heck of a save by any GK. Different result is highly debatable. Whether Navy was talented or not is not, this was an unbelievably hard fought and intense game played by two excellent teams.

Yeah, that game was a classic track meet. Especially after the Navy QF 6-5 barnburner over Cornell before the electric 8-7 win over Princeton in the SF. Just running and gunning. Intensity. I was starting a summer associate internship and for whatever reason (girlfriend visiting with me so did tourist stuff) ended up at the ESPNZone in TImes Sq and some naval ship and dropped guys off for that weekend (a week maybe?) and there was a bunch there so a lot of energy in the joint.

That year was pretty competitive too. 3/4 QF games were 1 goal outcomes (Navy-Cornell, Princeton-UMD & Cuse-GTown), 1/2 SF games were 1 goal in the aforementioned Navy-Princeton game and the Final was obviously 14-13.

That Princeton comeback on UMD was just brutal. One of many big games that Cottle wishes he could have back from his time as Terps HC.

[DocBarrister]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

09 Cornell team was def a good team that just peaked at the right time....right up until the last 30 secs of the championship game.

Always thought '13 Cornell - Pannell's Tewaaraton year - was the best team in the country that year. They got royally hosed by the committee being unseeded....and absolutely destroyed two seeded teams in UMD and OSU anyway. Duke just scored one goal more in that wild F4 game.

Many Cornell fans think 2007 was the year and will still tell you how they got boned (kind of did) in the seeding leading to an easy path for Hop where Cornell had to play Albany and Duke before a theoretical title game where Hop got a average ND team in OT and then GTown and Urick way down and a surprise Del team who rode Alex Smith there.

But I wouldn’t want to pick at old wounds and draw out some of those folks thoughts on this or anything like that...

This is the lacrosse version of election denial.

Look, Cornell wasn’t going to beat Hopkins in the tournament in 2007. I have posted this multiple times, but here we go again ...

... the 2007 Johns Hopkins team beat four league champions to win the title:

(1) Notre Dame (GWLL Champs)
(2) Georgetown (ECAC Champs)
(3) Delaware (CAA Champs, and maybe the best Delaware team ever)
(4) DUKE (ACC Champs, and maybe Matt Danowski’s best team)

Four league champs ... and Hopkins mowed them all down one at a time.

The Blue Jays were the best team in the nation that May. No one was going to beat the Band of Brothers in that tournament.

DocBarrister

[JoeMauer89]

2011 Terps,

Young, Reed, Catalino, Niko Amato and crew. Got outplayed by UVA in the "ship.

Joe

[DMac]

The only team to beat Cuse during their Gait era (Tommy too) 88-89-90 run should be on the list too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Z4d0jg8Ms

[JoeMauer89]

The only team to beat Cuse during their Gait era (Tommy too) 88-89-90 run should be on the list too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Z4d0jg8Ms

If you ask Gary who's better him or Paul, he will tell you "to ask Paul" and if you ask Paul the same thing, he will say "ask Gary" Epitome of selflessness, and I know because my sister played for Gary until 2016 and is much better of as a result of it!

Joe

[keno in reno]

2011 Terps,

Young, Reed, Catalino, Niko Amato and crew. Got outplayed by UVA in the "ship.

Joe

I'd put that more in the category of the UNC 2016 team that got hot at the right time. As far as Maryland goes, yes they were better than UVA during the season, but losing convincingly to Colgate right before the tournament disqualifies them from this "award".