LaxPower Back-Up Stick

Wheels wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:35 am I like your FF4, Cooter. I really think people are sleeping on Syracuse. Even before the addition of Scanlan, they looked ready to break out again next year. Add Scanlan and they got more complete.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:35 pm Besides that the usual suspects—Virginia, Penn State, Yale—seem like good places to start. Penn State simply must make the Final Four with that roster they bring back.

Cooter wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:53 pm

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:35 pm Besides that the usual suspects—Virginia, Penn State, Yale—seem like good places to start. Penn State simply must make the Final Four with that roster they bring back.

Wouldn't UMd having been in 5 of the last 6 final fours be a usual suspect?

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:12 pm

Cooter wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:53 pm

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:35 pm Besides that the usual suspects—Virginia, Penn State, Yale—seem like good places to start. Penn State simply must make the Final Four with that roster they bring back.

Wouldn't UMd having been in 5 of the last 6 final fours be a usual suspect?

If they fix the defense, sure.

But I think those other three are in their own tier right now.

FannOLax wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:13 pm If we're being asked to predict the Final Four, shouldn't we get to vote for four teams, not just one?

Cooter wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:14 pm

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:12 pm

Cooter wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:53 pm

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:35 pm Besides that the usual suspects—Virginia, Penn State, Yale—seem like good places to start. Penn State simply must make the Final Four with that roster they bring back.

Wouldn't UMd having been in 5 of the last 6 final fours be a usual suspect?

If they fix the defense, sure.

But I think those other three are in their own tier right now.

That you, especially being a Hopkin's fan, choose to leave UMd out of your choices for the final four is your opinion. I was questioning your lingo "Usual Suspects", when UMd has been in 5 of the last 6 final fours, while PSU was in their first final four ever last year, and UVa was in their first final four in the past 7 years last season. Even with Yale, you have a team that has only been in the final four twice in the last 10 years, although those 2 have been the previous 2 seasons.
Concerning your more recent comment, Tillman has been to the final four 7 of his 9 years at UMd, often handling problems on the level of fixing the defense.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:23 pm God you have the thinnest skin don't you. Sorry I didn't pick your guys? Hopkins beat them twice last year so they can't be that good. I think there are better teams. That's all. It's going to be okay.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:35 pm [...
Besides that the usual suspects—Virginia, Penn State, Yale—seem like good places to start. Penn State simply must make the Final Four with that roster they bring back.

Cooter wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:19 am What are your predictions for the Final Four?
As it is early, if there are major injuries you will, of course, be allowed to change them up to the end of February without major penalty.
** Note: in the poll above, I chose the option that you can change your vote at a later time.

My Picks:
Penn State - Looked good against UVa in fall ball. Ament, O'Keefe and Foulds gives PSU one of the top Attack units in D1. Midfield scoring looked a little off against UVa, but PSU was without Jack Kelly, and will also have rs senior Kevin Hill back in the spring, to go with returning starter TJ Malone. Sophomore Seamus Glynn looked good off the bench for PSU against UVa. Defense is a little more questionable, although they had a solid effort against UVa in fall ball. Colby Kneese returns in goal, and Gerard Arceri at face-offs.

Virginia - Like PSU, loaded on the offense with Aitken, Kraus, Laviano, and Matt Moore returning. Peyton Cormier looked good in fall ball. Then you have the top recruit in Connor Shellenberger and Jeff Connor to fill in the offense. Face-offs just gets stronger for UVa with the addition of Gavin Tygh to go with Petey Lasalla and Justin Schwenk. Close defense looked iffy against PSU in fall ball but UVa was without starter Cade Sausted, still UVa will very likely start a freshman, if things get really bad Tiffany might be forced to move star LSM Jared Conners to close. Alex Rode returns in goal.

Maryland - Another team loaded with offense. All-Americans Jared Bernhardt, Logan Wisnauskas, Bubba Fairman, and Anthony DeMaio all return. Kyle Long, also returns, after having a nice freshman season getting his feet wet. The Terps have a number of good freshmen: Nick DeMaio, Dylan Pallonetti, Jack Sawyer, ... along with sophomore Josh Coffman to fill out the offense. Freshmen Conor Calderone joins with Justin Shockey to handle the face-offs. Close defense is a little iffy for the Terps too. Brett Makar leads the unit and Jack Welding should return to form. Terps bring in transfer NIck Grill and I think Jack DeSantis might step up this year. Drew Morris looks like the frontrunner in goal, but has Chris Brandau and Logan McNaney to contend with.

Syracuse - Syracuse adds transfer Chase Scanlan from Loyola, which should really light up their offense. Rehfuss, Trimboli, Curry, Lipka, Buttermore, and Griffin Cook return on the offense. Syracuse is also looking for the return of Tucker Dordevic from inury. Nick Mellen leads the defense. Jakob Phaup and Danny Varello return on face-offs and Drake Porter returns in goal.

FannOLax wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:43 pm

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:35 pm [...
Besides that the usual suspects—Virginia, Penn State, Yale—seem like good places to start. Penn State simply must make the Final Four with that roster they bring back.

There definitely appears to be a consensus about Virginia, Penn State and Yale. However, last season Penn beat Yale two out of three (all one-goal games, two of them decided in OT), which shows that there can be very fine margins between Final Four and not playing Memorial Day weekend. Syracuse looks like a serious threat to make the Final Four, while Maryland belongs in the conversation. Duke? Maybe. I wouldn't rule out Penn. It's been a while since a school has won back-to-back national championships (Duke in '13 and '14), but things could break UVa's way. A team with a 9-5 record could get hot at the right time, as North Carolina did in 2016. It should be a fun season!

Cooter wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:33 pm

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:23 pm God you have the thinnest skin don't you. Sorry I didn't pick your guys? Hopkins beat them twice last year so they can't be that good. I think there are better teams. That's all. It's going to be okay.

I only object to your not giving UMd their due as one of the "Usual Suspects" for the final four, which UMd has earned on the field over the past 9 seasons under Tillman. How many final fours has Hopkins been in over that nine season period?

I don't object to you (or anyone) not picking UMd for your final four prediction. (You'll probably be wrong of course. )

Anyways is Syracuse your 4th team or do you wish to go with someone else?

wgdsr wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 9:02 pm plus by usual suspects he could mean the 3 teams that have been quoted most often of late.

wgdsr wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 9:02 pm the field is much deeper than that, and each of those 3 also have their flaws defensively, but they each seem to be more explosive offensively than the terps. all pre-season, of course.

wgdsr wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:11 pm i have a decent understanding of hoos been lost and who's back.

we are talking about next season, right? that's who's back as well as how teams play. and can be found in last season for clues. my guess without looking it up is umd scored less than those 3.

more to the point, when they needed to turn it on, (behind or d was struggling to make stops) they were able to.

at this point, umd is in show me mode for that if their d isn't up to their normal standard. most of that answer for all 4 we may not get until the end of the year when it's big boy time.

wgdsr wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:11 pm i have a decent understanding of hoos been lost and who's back.

we are talking about next season, right? that's who's back as well as how teams play. and can be found in last season for clues. my guess without looking it up is umd scored less than those 3.

more to the point, when they needed to turn it on, (behind or d was struggling to make stops) they were able to.

at this point, umd is in show me mode for that if their d isn't up to their normal standard. most of that answer for all 4 we may not get until the end of the year when it's big boy time.