Game of the week

[Matnum PI]

It cracks me up that you actually list rankings on this. York, as the 80th team in your poll?

Or, said differently, Why is York ranked so seemingly low?
The rankings are based on each teams 3 Best Wins and 3 Worst Losses. York currently has a win vs. #17 Ursinus and 3 losses. The losses are to #2, #3, and #4 so their losses don't hurt them so much. York's current ranking problems are as a direct result of their only having 1 win. Once they have 3 wins, they'll be in a much better place. With this said, FWIW, the FanLax Computer Rankings are not a predictive ranking system. Of course York is better than #80. But, based on their performances, their resume in 2023, #80 is what they deserve. The FanLax Computer Rankings are a pure meritocracy ranking. *Every* team earns their ranking. And #80 is what York has earned. Thus far. Yes, one could say that York is losing to the tippy-top teams by 1 goal and should credit for that and... I just have a difference in philosophy. In a *pure meritocracy system*, I don't subscribe to the philosophy that close losses should be treated differently than blow-outs. Losses are losses. Again, in a pure meritocracy system. Anyway, yes, York, for now, is #80.

[AbeFroeman]

So basically, you’re ranking teams based on the number of wins. So a 5-1 Hood team should be top 10. No doubt

And if you were forced to bet your money on a game between a 5-1 hood, vs 4-2 Lynchburg, or a 1-3 York, you would be picking hood 10 out of 10 times.

[Laxrealist]

In fairness, it’s more refined than that. For instance 5-0 Kean is listed at #55 presumably because Kean beat weak teams.
However, it proves the irrelevance of such a system, at least early in the season.
I think a lot will shake out this weekend given the number of quality (or seemingly quality) matchups.

[Matnum PI]

So basically, you’re ranking teams based on the number of wins. So a 5-1 Hood team should be top 10. No doubt

No. Wins and who those wins were against and losses and who those losses were against. For example, Hood is 5-1 and they're ranked #79. The teams they beat (and lost to) are not such strong teams. As a consequence, they're ranked accordingly. An even more extreme example, Franciscan is 4-0, undefeated, and they're ranked #109. The FanLax Computer is more nuanced than you're giving it credit for.

And if you were forced to bet your money on a game between a 5-1 hood, vs 4-2 Lynchburg, or a 1-3 York, you would be picking hood 10 out of 10 times.

Betting my money on Hood vs. York would be, as stated above, a predictive model. The FanLax Computer Rankings is not predictive. It is a merit-based system, a system built to reward/punish *past* performances.

[Matnum PI]

However, it proves the irrelevance of such a system, at least early in the season.

Predictively, for some teams, I agree. But in terms of evaluating each team's resume thus far this season, I do not. I think York will move up in the rankings and soon. But, for now, ignoring their brand, ignoring their performances in previous seasons, I think they're ranked correctly.

I think a lot will shake out this weekend given the number of quality (or seemingly quality) matchups.

Maybe. Though, if York loses to F&M, even in OT, they'll continue to drop in the Rankings. Teams, even York, need to garner Ws in order to earn a top ranking.

[BallHunt]

Meant to post this here, not the MAC thread...

Very interested in the Salisbury vs Cortland and Coast Guard vs Babson games today.

Also, can RPI get straight against Vassar?

Denison vs Gettysburg should go one way but is there an upset there maybe?

Will Roanoke take care of Ohio N, similar to what Hampden Sydney did?

Williams vs Bowdoin looks like it should be tight.

Clarkson should be solid over Geneseo.

Need a D3 lacrosse sports pub to watch all these. Of course March madness is front and center.

[ah23]

I really don’t see the logic behind treating a 15-goal blowout loss and an overtime loss as identical results for the purpose of ranking teams.

I agree that ‘good losses’ shouldn’t be valued too highly and teams should actually have to win games in order to be near the top (glares at Stevenson being ranked in the USILA Top 20 this week at 1-4 with their sole win over a bad Catholic team), but there’s a middle ground.

[SouthieLax]

Maybe. But based on their Ws thus far, they haven't proven this. Thus far, Gettysburg and a couple of other teams have done more.

That’s a mix of denial and your own bias. Does Gettysburg have a stronger resume than Tufts at this point? Maybe, but it’s closer than you suggest. Lynchburg/Salisbury proved to be near equals on the field. W&L is okay but Tufts won at Amherst who I suspect is the strongest of all these teams. Springfield and Stevenson are pretty similar. Discard Colby or DeSales, though Colby wins that game going away.

At this point, who cares but it’s not as you say. And if your house depended on it, who are you taking on a neutral field, Tufts or Gettysburg? I think I know.

[DeepPocket]

.

[Matnum PI]

25 Best Games in the Next Three Days, in order:
1 Washington and Lee vs Christopher Newport 3/22/2023
2 Union vs Middlebury 3/21/2023
3 Cabrini vs Tufts 3/21/2023
4 John Carroll vs Denison 3/22/2023
5 Montclair State vs Salisbury 3/21/2023
6 Williams vs RPI 3/22/2023
7 Bowdoin vs Endicott 3/22/2023
8 MIT vs Hamilton 3/22/2023
9 Wesleyan vs Coast Guard 3/22/2023
10 Amherst vs Springfield 3/22/2023
11 Washington vs Oberlin 3/22/2023
12 Farmingdale vs Western Connecticut 3/22/2023
13 Gettysburg vs Catholic 3/22/2023
14 Stockton vs Eastern 3/22/2023
15 Geneseo vs Alfred 3/22/2023
16 St. Lawrence vs Western New England 3/22/2023
17 SUNY Maritime vs Kean 3/22/2023
18 Denison vs Grove City 3/22/2023
19 Southwestern vs Elmhurst 3/22/2023
20 RIT vs Saint John Fisher 3/22/2023
21 Wittenberg vs Capital 3/22/2023
22 Ohio Northern vs Trine 3/22/2023
23 Salve Regina vs Massachusetts Maritime 3/22/2023
24 Illinois Wesleyan vs Hope 3/22/2023
25 Arcadia vs Scranton 3/22/2023

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

W&L takes on the 2 biggest games of the year this week. I’m interested in seeing how well the Generals compete with CNU. Can the Generals D step up in this game and hold them close into the 4th qtr. Need a tremendous effort all around. Can Boyd step up his game along with all the other D components. The ssdm’s will be tested early. I think the Gennies O will put points on the board, let’s make sure the right guys are w the ball going to the cage. Not everyone gets the keys to the car in this one

[Matnum PI]

Best Upcoming Games (Vast Majority Today) with FanLax Computer Rankings:
1 Washington and Lee #6 vs #2 Christopher Newport 03/22/2023
2 John Carroll #30 vs #9 Denison 03/22/2023
3 Williams #28 vs #33 RPI 03/22/2023
4 MIT #27 vs #41 Hamilton 03/22/2023
5 Bowdoin #29 vs #49 Endicott 03/22/2023
6 Washington #20 vs #62 Oberlin 03/22/2023
7 Wesleyan #36 vs #53 Coast Guard 03/22/2023
8 Amherst #21 vs #75 Springfield 03/22/2023
9 Farmingdale #56 vs #42 Western Connecticut 03/22/2023
10 Gettysburg #4 vs #96 Catholic 03/22/2023
11 Stockton #39 vs #69 Eastern 03/22/2023
12 Pfeiffer #59 vs #52 Centre 03/23/2023
13 Denison #9 vs #108 Grove City 03/22/2023
14 Ohio Northern #38 vs #81 Trine 03/22/2023
15 Southwestern #89 vs #35 Elmhurst 03/22/2023
16 SUNY Maritime #86 vs #40 Kean 03/22/2023
17 Geneseo #47 vs #82 Alfred 03/22/2023
18 St. Lawrence #12 vs #126 Western New England 03/22/2023
19 RIT #7 vs #141 Saint John Fisher 03/22/2023
20 Shenandoah #98 vs #51 Randolph-Macon 03/22/2023
21 Salve Regina #65 vs #93 Massachusetts Maritime 03/22/2023
22 Mount Union #143 vs #19 Wooster 03/22/2023
23 Arcadia #144 vs #24 Scranton 03/22/2023
24 Sewanee #71 vs #102 Birmingham-Southern 03/24/2023
25 Wittenberg #107 vs #66 Capital 03/22/2023

[SKUD]

Curious to see Pfeiffer and Centre play tonight. I know nothing about Pfeiffer (8-0 with no close games) and only a little more than that about Centre (5-1) Anyone have any color on this?

4:00 PM https://www.youtube.com/c/PfeifferAthletics

[Matnum PI]

Weekend's Best Games:

1 Washington and Lee vs Lynchburg 3/25/2023
2 Gettysburg vs Ursinus 3/25/2023
3 Union vs St. Lawrence 3/25/2023
4 Muhlenberg vs Dickinson 3/25/2023
5 Christopher Newport vs Hampden-Sydney 3/25/2023
6 Bowdoin vs Wesleyan 3/25/2023
7 Geneseo vs Cortland 3/25/2023
8 Vassar vs RIT 3/25/2023
9 Stevenson vs Salisbury 3/25/2023
10 Ithaca vs Clarkson 3/25/2023
11 RPI vs Skidmore 3/25/2023
12 Washington vs McDaniel 3/25/2023
13 Tufts vs Trinity 3/25/2023
14 Kenyon vs Ohio Wesleyan 3/25/2023
15 Oberlin vs Wooster 3/25/2023
16 MIT vs Springfield 3/25/2023
17 Eastern vs Cabrini 3/25/2023
18 Misericordia vs Stockton 3/25/2023
19 Salve Regina vs Kean 3/25/2023
20 Franklin & Marshall vs Haverford 3/25/2023
21 SUNY Maritime vs Montclair State 3/25/2023
22 Denison vs Wittenberg 3/25/2023
23 Connecticut College vs Williams 3/25/2023
24 Saint Mary's (Md) vs Bridgewater 3/25/2023
25 Carthage vs Albion 3/25/2023

[DeepPocket]

..

[Matnum PI]

Best Games in the Upcoming Three Days, in order:
1 Union #6 vs #2 Tufts 03/28/2023
2 Cortland #20 vs #7 RIT 03/29/2023
3 Swarthmore #18 vs #15 Muhlenberg 03/29/2023
4 Christopher Newport #1 vs #36 Williams 03/29/2023
5 Bowdoin #12 vs #25 Babson 03/28/2023
6 Dickinson #13 vs #28 Franklin & Marshall 03/29/2023
7 Hampden-Sydney #35 vs #9 Washington and Lee 03/29/2023
8 Middlebury #5 vs #44 Springfield 03/28/2023
9 McDaniel #61 vs #3 Gettysburg 03/29/2023
10 Baldwin Wallace #50 vs #31 John Carroll 03/29/2023
11 Ithaca #17 vs #75 Misericordia 03/29/2023
12 Stevenson #63 vs #41 Kean 03/29/2023
13 Amherst #10 vs #95 Western New England 03/29/2023
14 Washington #23 vs #89 Haverford 03/29/2023
15 Potsdam #79 vs #39 Clarkson 03/28/2023
16 US Merchant Marine #88 vs #33 MIT 03/29/2023
17 Denison #11 vs #111 Grove City 03/29/2023
18 Western Connecticut #58 vs #66 Connecticut College 03/28/2023
19 Guilford #102 vs #32 Roanoke 03/29/2023
20 York #24 vs #116 Hood 03/29/2023
21 Coast Guard #78 vs #70 Trinity 03/29/2023
22 Elmhurst #40 vs #113 Calvin 03/29/2023
23 FDU-Florham #133 vs #21 Stevens 03/29/2023
24 Bridgewater #73 vs #84 Mary Washington 03/29/2023
25 Saint John Fisher #137 vs #30 Geneseo 03/29/2023

Yes, I'm aware that SJF is ranked #137. And FanLax Computer will continue to rank them (and others) this low until they prove otherwise *in 2023*..

[Matnum PI]

Today's Best Games:
1 Cortland #20 vs #7 RIT 03/29/2023
2 Swarthmore #18 vs #15 Muhlenberg 03/29/2023
3 Christopher Newport #2 vs #38 Williams 03/29/2023
4 Dickinson #13 vs #28 Franklin & Marshall 03/29/2023
5 Hampden-Sydney #37 vs #9 Washington and Lee 03/29/2023
6 McDaniel #61 vs #4 Gettysburg 03/29/2023
7 Baldwin Wallace #51 vs #33 John Carroll 03/29/2023
8 Ithaca #17 vs #76 Misericordia 03/29/2023
9 Amherst #10 vs #94 Western New England 03/29/2023
10 Stevenson #63 vs #42 Kean 03/29/2023
11 Washington #23 vs #89 Haverford 03/29/2023
12 Denison #11 vs #110 Grove City 03/29/2023
13 US Merchant Marine #88 vs #35 MIT 03/29/2023
14 Guilford #101 vs #34 Roanoke 03/29/2023
15 York #24 vs #115 Hood 03/29/2023
16 Coast Guard #79 vs #71 Trinity 03/29/2023
17 FDU-Florham #133 vs #21 Stevens 03/29/2023
18 Elmhurst #41 vs #113 Calvin 03/29/2023
19 Bridgewater #74 vs #83 Mary Washington 03/29/2023
20 Saint John Fisher #137 vs #32 Geneseo 03/29/2023
21 Saint Vincent #69 vs #110 Grove City 03/29/2023
22 Widener #80 vs #100 Lebanon Valley 03/29/2023
23 Nazareth #64 vs #123 Keuka 03/29/2023
24 Endicott #57 vs #132 Wentworth 03/29/2023
25 Aurora #98 vs #91 Illinois Wesleyan 03/29/2023

[Matnum PI]

Weekend's Best Games, in order:
1 Tufts #1 vs #6 Middlebury 04/01/2023
2 Lynchburg #8 vs #2 Christopher Newport 04/01/2023
3 Amherst #9 vs #11 Bowdoin 04/01/2023
4 St. Lawrence #14 vs #17 Ithaca 03/31/2023
5 Clarkson #27 vs #7 Union 04/01/2023
6 RIT #5 vs #30 RPI 04/01/2023
7 Stockton #39 vs #3 Salisbury 04/01/2023
8 Muhlenberg #19 vs #25 Washington 04/01/2023
9 Swarthmore #16 vs #31 Franklin & Marshall 04/01/2023
10 Kenyon #37 vs #10 Denison 04/01/2023
11 Saint Mary's (Md) #57 vs #13 Dickinson 04/01/2023
12 Messiah #53 vs #23 York 04/01/2023
13 Ursinus #15 vs #64 McDaniel 04/01/2023
14 Springfield #46 vs #34 Babson 04/01/2023
15 Wesleyan #32 vs #48 Hamilton 04/01/2023
16 Scranton #29 vs #52 Elizabethtown 04/01/2023
17 Ohio Northern #45 vs #43 John Carroll 04/01/2023
18 MIT #36 vs #58 Trinity 04/01/2023
19 Haverford #91 vs #4 Gettysburg 04/01/2023
20 Stevens #22 vs #74 DeSales 04/01/2023
21 Washington and Lee #12 vs #92 Bridgewater 04/01/2023
22 Cortland #21 vs #87 Potsdam 04/01/2023
23 Skidmore #50 vs #61 Vassar 04/01/2023
24 Salve Regina #65 vs #59 Endicott 04/01/2023
25 Carthage #86 vs #42 Elmhurst 04/01/2023

[DeepPocket]

Clarkson over Union flying under the radar. What an upset.

[Laxrealist]

What appeared to be the entire CNU team runs over and celebrates in front of and taunts the LC student section ... classless. And I'm not sure how the guys on the bench who never sniffed the field feel good doing that. I remember the way a number of CNU fans/parents acted with some not-so-sportsmanlike behavior and were chirping directly at York players last year when York ended their season. Seems to be a pattern?