Johns Hopkins 2024

[CU77]

For RPI/SOS metrics, do you generally want the teams you beat to keep winning?

You want the teams you play to keep winning, whether or not you beat them.

[sc lax]

One thing QK mentioned on the broadcast is that he thought maybe the intense schedule was taking its toll, and that rang true to me. Using the USILA March 11 rankings, Hop has already played #4 (UVA), #6 (Syracuse), #7 (Denver), #11 (Georgetown), and #17 (UNC) as well as a Towson team receiving votes and a Loyola team that's inconsistent but knocked off Georgetown and Towson. The quality of those OOC opponents also mean not much time to rest somebody with a nagging injury (e.g. Melendez maybe).

Then throw in the emotional highs and lows of the previous two games (highs after huge win over UVA, lows after close and frustrating loss to Syracuse), plus a rivalry game, and it's a recipe for the higher ranked team to have an off day.

If JHU regroups and finds significant success in the Big10 (which they're more than capable of), I think they still get a good seed in the NCAAs and are well-positioned for a deep run.

It’s somewhat amazing that JHU can beat Towson 13-5, Towson beat Navy 17-5 (!!), then Navy beat JHU. Something doesn’t compute.

First game of the year for Towson. Tigers have 6 games since scoring 15+ goals

[Finster]

One thing QK mentioned on the broadcast is that he thought maybe the intense schedule was taking its toll, and that rang true to me. Using the USILA March 11 rankings, Hop has already played #4 (UVA), #6 (Syracuse), #7 (Denver), #11 (Georgetown), and #17 (UNC) as well as a Towson team receiving votes and a Loyola team that's inconsistent but knocked off Georgetown and Towson. The quality of those OOC opponents also mean not much time to rest somebody with a nagging injury (e.g. Melendez maybe).

Then throw in the emotional highs and lows of the previous two games (highs after huge win over UVA, lows after close and frustrating loss to Syracuse), plus a rivalry game, and it's a recipe for the higher ranked team to have an off day.

If JHU regroups and finds significant success in the Big10 (which they're more than capable of), I think they still get a good seed in the NCAAs and are well-positioned for a deep run.

It’s somewhat amazing that JHU can beat Towson 13-5, Towson beat Navy 17-5 (!!), then Navy beat JHU. Something doesn’t compute.

First game of the year for Towson. Tigers have 6 games since scoring 15+ goals

Yup. Definitely growing. The loss to Loyola hurts.

Towson’s middie Mikey W (I don’t know to spell the last name) imo is AA. That kid is amazing.

[Basement Bias]

Hard year to read. After UVA, it was this is a top tier team. Now after Cuse & Navy, people are wondering if they still are. Hopefully they cruise in B1G play and we find out in the NCAA tournament. The FOGO issue is very concerning to me. How can you not get one to come to Hopkins?

[HopFan16]

1. Given this loss, does Hopkins not have a chance at hosting a first round game even if they win out the rest of their schedule plus the big 10 tournament?

If they win out the regular season and B1G tournament, they'd be 12-3 with wins over Virginia, Georgetown, Maryland, and Penn State (possibly x2). Not only would they be a seed, but they'd probably be in the running for the top seed.

Of course, given Friday night's game, they are rather unlikely to win out. So it seems like a bit of a silly hypothetical to me.

The focus should be on beating Rutgers and nothing else. 1-game season.

[norcalhop]

1. Given this loss, does Hopkins not have a chance at hosting a first round game even if they win out the rest of their schedule plus the big 10 tournament?

If they win out the regular season and B1G tournament, they'd be 12-3 with wins over Virginia, Georgetown, Maryland, and Penn State (possibly x2). Not only would they be a seed, but they'd probably be in the running for the top seed.

Of course, given Friday night's game, they are rather unlikely to win out. So it seems like a bit of a silly hypothetical to me.

The focus should be on beating Rutgers and nothing else. 1-game season.

Agreed, that hypothetical is not happening. I'd put Hopkins below Penn State and UMD (at least) for now until proven otherwise.

[LaxAllStars]

JHU falls out of top ten

https://laxallstars.com/quint-kessenich ... 18th-2024/

[norcalhop]

I haven't looked at the rankings, but they are irrelevant for now. Hopkins at 18 wouldn't be that much of a stretch for me.

[primitiveskills]

I haven't looked at the rankings, but they are irrelevant for now. Hopkins at 18 wouldn't be that much of a stretch for me.

Agree that rankings are meaningless, but presumably your top 17 would include 3 teams that we beat.

[steel_hop]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

[nyjay]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

Can't let us fall of the first page. Maybe I'm being pollyannaish here, but I still have optimism for this team. They've lost three games by a total of three goals, two of which were in OT and were generally to good teams. A loss to Rutgers would probably wipe out that optimism for me. Really hope they can put together a convincing win. Curious as to whether we may see any tweaks to the offensive lineup after last week. If 31 is really hurt, I might be inclined to sit him for a couple of weeks and try to get him healthy for the stretch run.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

[HopFan16]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

Can't let us fall of the first page. Maybe I'm being pollyannaish here, but I still have optimism for this team. They've lost three games by a total of three goals, two of which were in OT and were generally to good teams. A loss to Rutgers would probably wipe out that optimism for me. Really hope they can put together a convincing win. Curious as to whether we may see any tweaks to the offensive lineup after last week. If 31 is really hurt, I might be inclined to sit him for a couple of weeks and try to get him healthy for the stretch run.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

If you were to put on your rose-colored glases and huff some hopium, it's not hard to remain relatively optimistic despite the turd the Jays dropped on Homewood last weekend:

- Navy always, always plays them tough. This is a phenomenon that dates back several years, across multiple coaching staffs
- It was something of a trap game at the tail end of non-con play, sandwiched in between two high-stakes emotional games against UVA and Cuse and the start of Big Ten play
- As you said, 3 losses by a combined 3 goals
- The offense was #NotGood against Navy, but we know they are capable of much better performances. It's not a season-long trend
- The Jays are still #8 in RPI with a top 10 win over Virginia and wins over Georgetown (18) and UNC (25) that may end up being top 20 (even Loyola's hovering at 26) plus several more opportunities in the conference schedule. The Navy loss is a blemish but they're still in a pretty good position not only for the tournament but also still in play for a home game if they hold serve in the B1G

But, yes, another egg in New Brunswick this weekend and the narrative quickly changes.

[44WeWantMore]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

Can't let us fall of the first page. Maybe I'm being pollyannaish here, but I still have optimism for this team. They've lost three games by a total of three goals, two of which were in OT and were generally to good teams. A loss to Rutgers would probably wipe out that optimism for me. Really hope they can put together a convincing win. Curious as to whether we may see any tweaks to the offensive lineup after last week. If 31 is really hurt, I might be inclined to sit him for a couple of weeks and try to get him healthy for the stretch run.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

If you had told me that Duke had held SU to 10, I would have guessed Duke had won convincingly.

[laxlax29]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

I was saying the same thing in another thread. When was the last time Duke's offense looked equal to or greater than the sum of its parts? They're always stocked with talent and it might seem ridiculous to say that they're not getting the most out of the reigning Tewaaraton winner but it seems like they could do more to put O'Neill in better positions to succeed.

[a fan]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

Can't let us fall of the first page. Maybe I'm being pollyannaish here, but I still have optimism for this team. They've lost three games by a total of three goals, two of which were in OT and were generally to good teams. A loss to Rutgers would probably wipe out that optimism for me. Really hope they can put together a convincing win. Curious as to whether we may see any tweaks to the offensive lineup after last week. If 31 is really hurt, I might be inclined to sit him for a couple of weeks and try to get him healthy for the stretch run.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

If you had told me that Duke had held SU to 10, I would have guessed Duke had won convincingly.

Same.

IMHO, it's wide open for Final Four bids this year. Pessimism is wholly unwarranted for Hopkins. Plenty of lacrosse left.....

[norcalhop]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

Can't let us fall of the first page. Maybe I'm being pollyannaish here, but I still have optimism for this team. They've lost three games by a total of three goals, two of which were in OT and were generally to good teams. A loss to Rutgers would probably wipe out that optimism for me. Really hope they can put together a convincing win. Curious as to whether we may see any tweaks to the offensive lineup after last week. If 31 is really hurt, I might be inclined to sit him for a couple of weeks and try to get him healthy for the stretch run.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

Are they really underperforming though? they were runner ups last year and made the most recent final fours. Granted they did miss the tournament during one of the last 4 years.

[nyjay]

[quote=norcalhop post_id=530821 time=1711061632 user_id=177

Are they really underperforming though? they were runner ups last year and made the most recent final fours. Granted they did miss the tournament during one of the last 4 years.
[/quote]

Go look at my post in the "Top 20" forum. In short, yes, I do think they've been underperforming, but maybe not by quite the amount I expected.

[coda]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

I was saying the same thing in another thread. When was the last time Duke's offense looked equal to or greater than the sum of its parts? They're always stocked with talent and it might seem ridiculous to say that they're not getting the most out of the reigning Tewaaraton winner but it seems like they could do more to put O'Neill in better positions to succeed.

I think sometimes having a great scorer can be a double-edged sword. I thought the Kavanaugh injury helped ND last year. I thought the offense was better, when they let the talented middies get more involved in the offense and the ball wasnt dying in Kavanaugh's stick. I think Duke can get like that at times. 5 people watching O'Neill. Why I said Zawaada maybe the difference maker on that Duke offense. He is the most suited for that X role. When he is cooking, everyone is more dangerous. When he is off, the ball can get stagnant.

[DocBarrister]

It is Thuraya and no parts since Monday. That doesn't seem right. Big question is can Hopkibs return back to its UVA level of play and not Navy level of play to win st Rutgers - a particular house of horrors for Hopkins.

Can't let us fall of the first page. Maybe I'm being pollyannaish here, but I still have optimism for this team. They've lost three games by a total of three goals, two of which were in OT and were generally to good teams. A loss to Rutgers would probably wipe out that optimism for me. Really hope they can put together a convincing win. Curious as to whether we may see any tweaks to the offensive lineup after last week. If 31 is really hurt, I might be inclined to sit him for a couple of weeks and try to get him healthy for the stretch run.

As an aside, what in world was that SU/Duke game last night? Hop made light work of SU's defense (when they actually had the ball, which was admittedly, not often) and then they look like [what's the college lax equivalent of the 1985 Bears?] against a very talented Duke team. If I were a Duke fan, I'd be starting to be pretty frustrated with Danowski. Seems like they regularly underperform their talent level.

If you were to put on your rose-colored glases and huff some hopium, it's not hard to remain relatively optimistic despite the turd the Jays dropped on Homewood last weekend:

- Navy always, always plays them tough. This is a phenomenon that dates back several years, across multiple coaching staffs
- It was something of a trap game at the tail end of non-con play, sandwiched in between two high-stakes emotional games against UVA and Cuse and the start of Big Ten play
- As you said, 3 losses by a combined 3 goals
- The offense was #NotGood against Navy, but we know they are capable of much better performances. It's not a season-long trend
- The Jays are still #8 in RPI with a top 10 win over Virginia and wins over Georgetown (18) and UNC (25) that may end up being top 20 (even Loyola's hovering at 26) plus several more opportunities in the conference schedule. The Navy loss is a blemish but they're still in a pretty good position not only for the tournament but also still in play for a home game if they hold serve in the B1G

But, yes, another egg in New Brunswick this weekend and the narrative quickly changes.

Rutgers is a “character game.”

We know the Blue Jays have the talent and coaching to win.

We know that at their best, the Blue Jays can and should beat Rutgers (no insult to Rutgers).

There are no questions about glaring weaknesses anywhere on the field.

Question is, after two tough losses, do the Blue Jays have the character of a championship team?

I’m optimistic about that, but these Blue Jays have to go out and prove it against a pretty good B1G schedule.

DocBarrister

[Finster]

I don’t like games like this for Hopkins. If you lose, say hello to fall ball. All the pressure on Hopkins with none on Rutgers.

Losing to Denver and Navy have put your team on the knife’s edge of a full season. Stinks, but it is what it is.