NESCAC

[smoova]

Tufts schedule also has Trinty game cancelled.

No games for the Jumbos until May 8 and the NESCAC chip.

Do they get another game against a D1 or D2 opponent in the mean time?

FWIW - Trinity's schedule has Wesleyan on May 2.

[Toplucy15]

They should play Merrimack

[BallHunt]

There was a lot of talk of an * being placed on who ever won the DIII tournament when is seemed the NESCAC was out due to COVID. Not seeing a whole lot of asterisk talk now that their back and Tufts is playing well. Weird. Because there are still a lot of X factors and cancellations this year where teams got short changed or took a schedule hit.

If Tufts wins, does the asterisk crowd still want to apply it?

If Tufts is required to overnight travel for a playoff game (quarterfinal in a neutral location), which is unclear to me at the moment, and they cannot due to the school and conference rules under COVID, then yes an asterisk should appear.

[Lax3]

Let's be real here ... the whole season contains an asterisk and will forever long! Not every team is playing and the teams that are playing are playing condensed schedules. This does not mean that there will not be a worthy champion at the end of the day, but any season with these aforementioned conditions by definition includes an asterisk.

[JumboFan4]

I'd like to see Tufts play another Ivy or relevant D1/D2 team.

[BallHunt]

Wondering if Trinity v Williams will be close.

[ah23]

The Gulls are the obvious exception; they would have no chance of outgunning Tufts straight up (it's not who they are), but with an elite defense and a FOGO who might eat Tufts' FOGOs for lunch they are well-constru
cted to give the Jumbos problems. RIT is right there with Salisbury, though they'd lack the same decisive edge on faceoffs..

One more resident Gull fan here. No disrespect, but whoever said no DIII can compete with Tufts is slipping off their rocker. No doubt Tufts is putting up points, and I agree it wouldn't be in the Gulls best interest to run up and down the field with them. That being said, I find interesting how a few out there appear to dismiss SU's offense. I won't argue that they are working out some kinks, but It will not surprise me at all if the Gulls offense shines come playoff time, and any team who doesn't respect that group will likely pay dearly for it.

Just to clarify, saying that SU isn't constructed as a run and gun offensive team isn't a negative value judgment or a criticism. It's just reality. It would be like me saying "Tufts isn't built to slow the game down and play possession lacrosse". It doesn't mean they are automatically worse, it just means that each team is built and coached in its own unique way. Not every comment is a passive aggressive snipe or a self-conscious dig! I'm primarily a NESCAC watcher, but I try as best as I can to compare teams/analyze this stuff as objectively as possible.

On the subject: look at Salisbury's offensive output against ranked/quality opponents over the last two seasons:

2020: Lynchburg (W 16-10), Gettysburg (W 11-5), Stevens (W 14-8)
2021: Lynchburg (L 10-8), Cabrini (W 11-4), Colorado College (W 19-3), CNU (W 25-12, 17-5)

That's 15.1 goals per game; if you take out Colorado College and CNU (who I would generally view as non-contending appetizers for great teams) it's 12 goals per game. Obviously they won all but one of those games, so they have plenty of success doing it! The point is just that Salisbury doesn't win by blowing teams off the field with a high-powered offense. They win by suffocating teams on defense, controlling possession on offense, and obviously having plenty of talent to maximize their possessions. But they don't push like a run and gun team.

[SouthernLaxGenius]

Wondering if Trinity v Williams will be close.

Hopefully it is a close and good game.

I'm thinking Williams by 5 (no real reason other than watching their game against Hamilton a couple of weeks ago)

[ah23]

Is Colby just tapping out or are there other issues? Their campus COVID level shouldn’t be an issue.

[nehslaxfan]

Wondering if Trinity v Williams will be close.

Hopefully it is a close and good game.

I'm thinking Williams by 5 (no real reason other than watching their game against Hamilton a couple of weeks ago)

Wouldn’t be surprised at all if this game is much close than a lot of people think.

[nehslaxfan]

Wondering if Trinity v Williams will be close.

Hopefully it is a close and good game.

I'm thinking Williams by 5 (no real reason other than watching their game against Hamilton a couple of weeks ago)

Wouldn’t be surprised at all if this game is much closer than a lot of people think.

[pcowlax]

Wondering if Trinity v Williams will be close.

Hopefully it is a close and good game.

I'm thinking Williams by 5 (no real reason other than watching their game against Hamilton a couple of weeks ago)

Wouldn’t be surprised at all if this game is much closer than a lot of people think.

Williams really had half a team this year. They have a star attack man and goalie and a bunch of apparently excellent freshmen but I don’t think any result for them would be surprising (except staying close with Tufts, would have been an epic game last year, not this year).

[ah23]

Setting the line for the NESCAC championship game at Tufts -12.5, get your bets in folks.

Edit: at Williams.

[droliver]

Eh. To paraphrase wgdsr, IMO the benefit of having tons of lacrosse games on ESPN far outweighs the minimal monthly cost. More games on TV = good. Also...there is zero chance that Ivy League lacrosse is some big moneymaker. It's not the NFL or college football or something.

My jaw was on the floor the other day when ESPN+ actually broadcast an MCLA club game (Va Tech vs. Clemson).

[BallHunt]

Setting the line for the NESCAC championship game at Tufts -12.5, get your bets in folks.

Hearing the game is at Williams.

[Unknown Participant]

Setting the line for the NESCAC championship game at Tufts -12.5, get your bets in folks.

Hearing the game is at Williams.

Yup

Sat. 8 at Williams % NESCAC Championship Game TBA

[pcowlax]

Any definitive word on whether the winner will be allowed by the league to play in the tournament? Any chance Williams gets an at-large if they lose (seems unlikely but I’m not up on all the changes to the bracket this year).

[BallHunt]

Any definitive word on whether the winner will be allowed by the league to play in the tournament? Any chance Williams gets an at-large if they lose (seems unlikely but I’m not up on all the changes to the bracket this year).

I don't see why they would not be able to participate. If Tufts is the AQ for the NESCAC, and since they have already played an OOC opponent, it would seem they could also play another, and another, etc. Depending on the NCAA game sites, which is unclear at the moment, travel may be required. If all games occur at the higher seeds, well then Tufts will have everyone coming to them. If the NCAA selects a central site that requires overnight travel, then that could wreck things. Clearly, Hartford would be an easy day trip for a D3 championship game.

Another unnecessary complication I thought up is what if exams/school end in mid-May, and school-sponsored COVID testing ends. Would the team still be able to continue?

[riptide45]

Any definitive word on whether the winner will be allowed by the league to play in the tournament? Any chance Williams gets an at-large if they lose (seems unlikely but I’m not up on all the changes to the bracket this year).

I think no chance there's an at large coming from NESCAC unfortunately. 31 teams going to the dance with 27 AQs. Hard to see an at large Williams or Tufts getting in with a 4-1 record in region.

[pcowlax]

Any definitive word on whether the winner will be allowed by the league to play in the tournament? Any chance Williams gets an at-large if they lose (seems unlikely but I’m not up on all the changes to the bracket this year).

I think no chance there's an at large coming from NESCAC unfortunately. 31 teams going to the dance with 27 AQs. Hard to see an at large Williams or Tufts getting in with a 4-1 record in region.

I agree for Williams. I have to think Tufts would get in with a loss, they are the consensus #1 or #2 team. It is true they have played a miserably truncated schedule and thus may not have many points racked up for regionl wins vs ranked teams, etc, but I don't think the usual criteria are going to apply this year. As for playing, it was the travel/overnights that I was asking about, the COVID testing post graduation/classes ending hopefully would not be a problem. If they need to just do it on their own, it if free many places.