2021 Tournament Thoughts

[Cletus]

The only thing DU has to lose is their season-which is a lot. HOWEVER, NU has everything to lose-DU is going to bring all they've got against NU!!!

You trying to convince us or yourself that this is going to be a close game in the end? How much do you think Denver has left after that hard fought win over Stanford? I think they'll fight hard in the early going but eventually they'll be overwhelmed. Too much power to contend with, the likes of which they haven't seen in a long time.

[8meterPA]

Let's see if I can get some of these right!

UNC VS JMU-- JMU keeps it close initially but UNC buzzsaw wears them out - UNC by 5

SBU Vs Rutgers- Rutgers with the upset!

ND VS UVA: ND by a lot

BC Vs Temple: BC by a lot

SU VS Loyola: competitive for a half, then SYR pulls away.

Florida Vs Jacksonville: FL by a lot

NU VS Denver: Denver keeps it close until midway through 2nd half and then NU pull away and wins by 5

Duke Vs Terps: Duke is playing really good lax, win by 5+

[spartanslynx]

What was the best games of round 2?

Which games should I watch on replay?

[seacoaster]

What was the best games of round 2?

Which games should I watch on replay?

Duke v Maryland

[8meterPA]

What was the best games of round 2?

Which games should I watch on replay?

Duke v Maryland

quite the finish and a great game...congrats to Duke for moving on and congrats to MD for a heck of an effort.

[Matnum PI]

D1 WOMEN: Quarterfinals

These are next weekend’s Quarterfinal Games in order of Best Games:

https://fanlax.com/2021/05/16/d1-women-quarterfinals/

1 Boston College #3 vs #4 Notre Dame
2 North Carolina #1 vs #8 Stony Brook
3 Syracuse #2 vs #7 Florida
4 Duke #6 vs #5 Northwestern

Bottomline, there all great games...

[laxinforlife]

D1 WOMEN: Quarterfinals

These are next weekend’s Quarterfinal Games in order of Best Games:

https://fanlax.com/2021/05/16/d1-women-quarterfinals/

1 Boston College #3 vs #4 Notre Dame
2 North Carolina #1 vs #8 Stony Brook
3 Syracuse #2 vs #7 Florida
4 Duke #6 vs #5 Northwestern

Bottomline, there all great games...

Hopefully for Duke’s sake they will get different refs than the ones that officiated the NU game today NU is very dirty off ball. The game today was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever seen.

[Cletus]

Hopefully for Duke’s sake they will get different refs than the ones that officiated the NU game today NU is very dirty off ball. The game today was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever seen.

They must have been horrible judging from the breakdown of cards. I saw some of those carded plays from Denver and they were well deserved. I think the off the ball stuff goes on all the time. Here's a perfect example:

https://youtu.be/FapkGKIF0BI?t=35

At the :40 second mark you can clearly observe the Florida player placing the head of her stick near the face/neck of the High Point player. Once she feels the time is right, she does a pitchfork move and falls down with her opponent to make it look like nothing but a collision. No card was issued on the play.

I fully agree that it's awful when the refs lose control of a game. The Florida/High Point game in the clip was a disaster for the refs. But they're human, and they can only watch so many things on the field at once.

[Cletus]

D1 WOMEN: Quarterfinals

These are next weekend’s Quarterfinal Games in order of Best Games:

https://fanlax.com/2021/05/16/d1-women-quarterfinals/

1 Boston College #3 vs #4 Notre Dame
2 North Carolina #1 vs #8 Stony Brook
3 Syracuse #2 vs #7 Florida
4 Duke #6 vs #5 Northwestern

Bottomline, there all great games...

On paper, great games. I think there are a couple of blowouts lurking though:

North Carolina remembers the rough stuff last time they played the Seawolves. I think they'll be extra sharp this time around and once again Stony Brook will be seen for the 2nd tier team they are.

Northwestern over Duke. That has all the potential to be another drag show. Duke will just be happy to be there and will still be recovering from the Maryland Dethronement hangover.

Syracuse is a potential blowout over Florida. If Florida doesn't give their best effort I can see this game getting away from them.

BC and ND should be competitive but who knows. BC certainly had the Domers number this season, beating them handily by 8 and 6 goals in the two games they played. This game could go either way but I think the Eagles will prevail. They're home and they typically handle Notre Dame.

[Cletus]

Lots of great games and moments this past weekend in the first 2 rounds. Favorite moment so far, by far, was Duke knocking off Maryland. Thank goodness we get a break from listening to game announcers genuflecting at the feet of Cathy Reese and the Maryland program. No Tewaaraton, no Big 10 regular season title, no Big 10 tournament title and no NCAA title. They go home empty handed just like any other middle tier team. No way they finish in the top 10 at the end of the season. But then it's Maryland so, one never knows. It's hard to get out of the habit of kissing that tortoise shell ring.

Gummy Bears for everyone!

[watcherinthewoods]

D1 WOMEN: Quarterfinals

These are next weekend’s Quarterfinal Games in order of Best Games:

https://fanlax.com/2021/05/16/d1-women-quarterfinals/

1 Boston College #3 vs #4 Notre Dame
2 North Carolina #1 vs #8 Stony Brook
3 Syracuse #2 vs #7 Florida
4 Duke #6 vs #5 Northwestern

Bottomline, there all great games...

Hopefully for Duke’s sake they will get different refs than the ones that officiated the NU game today NU is very dirty off ball. The game today was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever seen.

NU is pretty well-known for being a tough place to play. This kind of home cooking is one of the reasons why.

[seacoaster]

D1 WOMEN: Quarterfinals

These are next weekend’s Quarterfinal Games in order of Best Games:

https://fanlax.com/2021/05/16/d1-women-quarterfinals/

1 Boston College #3 vs #4 Notre Dame
2 North Carolina #1 vs #8 Stony Brook
3 Syracuse #2 vs #7 Florida
4 Duke #6 vs #5 Northwestern

Bottomline, there all great games...

Hopefully for Duke’s sake they will get different refs than the ones that officiated the NU game today NU is very dirty off ball. The game today was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever seen.

NU is pretty well-known for being a tough place to play. This kind of home cooking is one of the reasons why.

Scott, glowering at the officials.

[laxinforlife]

D1 WOMEN: Quarterfinals

These are next weekend’s Quarterfinal Games in order of Best Games:

https://fanlax.com/2021/05/16/d1-women-quarterfinals/

1 Boston College #3 vs #4 Notre Dame
2 North Carolina #1 vs #8 Stony Brook
3 Syracuse #2 vs #7 Florida
4 Duke #6 vs #5 Northwestern

Bottomline, there all great games...

Hopefully for Duke’s sake they will get different refs than the ones that officiated the NU game today NU is very dirty off ball. The game today was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever seen.

NU is pretty well-known for being a tough place to play. This kind of home cooking is one of the reasons why.

It was flat out ugly. I only had to rewatch three minutes of the game and all the no calls against NU. 21 FP to 3 and 8 cards to 1. Those numbers speak for themselves.

[njbill]

OK, we get it. You have two daughters on the Denver team, and you are unhappy they lost. That’s pretty much the story, right?

The card disparity, however, speaks volumes.

[TNLAX]

Picking Florida over 'Cuse, they are strong, and are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They have something to prove.

[Dr. Tact]

Picking Florida over 'Cuse, they are strong, and are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They have something to prove.

Cuse would have to be half the team I saw yesterday for FLA to win. Just dont see an upset. Now, if FLA comes out with a zone from the beginning, they can compete for a while....something the Loyola team didnt figure out.

[Can Opener]

Picking Florida over 'Cuse, they are strong, and are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They have something to prove.

Cuse would have to be half the team I saw yesterday for FLA to win. Just dont see an upset. Now, if FLA comes out with a zone from the beginning, they can compete for a while....something the Loyola team didnt figure out.

Cuse by 6+

[8meterPA]

Picking Florida over 'Cuse, they are strong, and are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They have something to prove.

Cuse would have to be half the team I saw yesterday for FLA to win. Just dont see an upset. Now, if FLA comes out with a zone from the beginning, they can compete for a while....something the Loyola team didnt figure out.

Dr - I am curious as to what your thought of this Syracuse team compared to the one early in the season when Loyola played them - better/worse? offensively? defensively? I am really amazed how well they pulled together after they lost their 2nd star to an injury. It's hard not to root for them at this point.

[watcherinthewoods]

The X factor for 'Cuse remains the unexplainable lapses in their attack. From what I recall several times this season, the attack just went dry. Florida is a very physical team, but 'Cuse can answer that call. Gators have not seen an effective pressure out defense since UNC (no where near the ball pressure that 'Cuse unleased against Loyola) and look how that game turned out. Add to the mix that 'Cuse has really improved their consistency on the DC. I think the Orange take this one comfortably.

[Dr. Tact]

Dr - I am curious as to what your thought of this Syracuse team compared to the one early in the season when Loyola played them - better/worse? offensively? defensively? I am really amazed how well they pulled together after they lost their 2nd star to an injury. It's hard not to root for them at this point.

I think that to beat Cuse, you have to play zone. Yes, I know they can score against a zone, but if you come out like Loyola did yesterday and try to miss picks, switch players, it is a losing defense. Cuse just backs you into the 8 until they have a point blank shot. Not much you can do. Get picked or fall and it happens even faster....I cant really recall the first game, to answer your question. I think that they play better (or at least not worse) as a team without the studs...so many weapons....

The X factor for 'Cuse remains the unexplainable lapses in their attack. From what I recall several times this season, the attack just went dry. Florida is a very physical team, but 'Cuse can answer that call. Gators have not seen an effective pressure out defense since UNC (no where near the ball pressure that 'Cuse unleased against Loyola) and look how that game turned out. Add to the mix that 'Cuse has really improved their consistency on the DC. I think the Orange take this one comfortably.

Pressure was more evident against Loyola in the first game of the season. Pressure zone was very limited in the game yesterday (from my memory).