Best Single Teams Since The Tournament Started In 1971 Who Didn't Win It All?

[gymman1031]

I think there are several examples that can be included in this discussion.

[Wheels]

Maryland 2016...in a game which shall not be mentioned.

[Farfromgeneva]

2006 Duke?

Others might include 2009 Cornell and 2004 Navy.

I liked that 1999 Loyola team as well.

[Matnum PI]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

[Farfromgeneva]

2004 Navy. Matt Russell doesn't injure his shoulder mid-game and I think there's a different result. That aside, that 2004 Navy team was talented.

Paid close attention to that team as it was Hobart's last year in the PL. Conference got three teams in that year - Navy, Army and Cornell. We took two L's to Navy, 13-8 and a OT loss in the first ever PL conference tournament (think 10-9) but had a great run after starting 3-4 (losses by 1 to Butler to open, Navy loss, close Gtown loss and loss to Syracuse) going 8-2 down the stretch with wins over Bucknell, PSU (ranked something low mid teens), Army (#13) and Cornell and only losses in OT to a hot OSU team (dropped a large second half lead too) and Navy in the PL finals. Navy and Cornell played one of the most boring games I ever watched in Round 2 and I recall being surprised Navy won because I got the impression Cornell found their mojo in Rd 1 (against us) and would beat Navy in that game but couldn't score at all.

[molo]

The 1996 UVA team that lost to Princeton in a game that gave the Tigers their first of three consecutive NC was pretty good. Hopkins 1995 was undefeated until the big lefty goalie from Philly stuffed them on Saturday, putting the Terps in the NC game two days later.

[molo]

Brown 2016 was loaded. Their FOGO won the decisive draw so cleanly that the ball rolled into the box where a Maryland dman scooped it up and the Terps went on to win. Terps had a tough NC game that Monday against a UNC team that had put Loyola away in the first quarter on Saturday. A couple of the Terp teams that lost NCs to Cornell were excellent as well.
Cornell 1987 was undefeated until they lost to the NC game to a Hopkins team that had beaten an undefeated Maryland team in the semis at Rutgers. Both Maryland and Cornell looked like likely undefeated NC candidates in a FF that included a Cuse team that got a big game from a freshman middie from Canada in their second loss of the season to the Big Red.
This probably makes me too much of a homer, but the UVA team that lost in the semis to Duke in 2010 was better than the one that stalled its way to the NC the next year.

[gymman1031]

I have to say 1992 Syracuse may be as fine an example as there is. And it all starts with that midfield led by Colsey, Fin, and Lockwood. Of course, Tom Marachek was on attack, and Chris Surran started in the goal. Beardsley, Winship, and Tully were a pretty nice trio on defense, too.

[gymman1031]

The 1996 UVA team that lost to Princeton in a game that gave the Tigers their first of three consecutive NC was pretty good. Hopkins 1995 was undefeated until the big lefty goalie from Philly stuffed them on Saturday, putting the Terps in the NC game two days later.

Excellent call. However, I think that 1994 UVA team may have been better:

Michael Watson, Tim Whiteley, Sean Miller, and Doug Knight on attack
Greg Traynor, David Jones, Chris Driggs, Andrew Dausch, Brad Hoag, Tony Nugent(face-off man), Michael Vaughan, and Drew Fox on midfield
Matt Crisp and Craig Ronald leading the defense
James Ireland in goal
Mark Dixon and Woody Moore on short-stick defensive midfield

[gymman1031]

Brown 2016 was loaded. Their FOGO won the decisive draw so cleanly that the ball rolled into the box where a Maryland dman scooped it up and the Terps went on to win. Terps had a tough NC game that Monday against a UNC team that had put Loyola away in the first quarter on Saturday. A couple of the Terp teams that lost NCs to Cornell were excellent as well.
Cornell 1987 was undefeated until they lost to the NC game to a Hopkins team that had beaten an undefeated Maryland team in the semis at Rutgers. Both Maryland and Cornell looked like likely undefeated NC candidates in a FF that included a Cuse team that got a big game from a freshman middie from Canada in their second loss of the season to the Big Red.
This probably makes me too much of a homer, but the UVA team that lost in the semis to Duke in 2010 was better than the one that stalled its way to the NC the next year.

I think we need to add that 1987 Maryland team to this discussion. All the power to Hopkins for peaking at the right time and playing great. But some people question if the Terps completely got off the bus for that one.

[molo]

Do you mean 1987? That Terp team was excellent.

[gymman1031]

Brown 2016 was loaded. Their FOGO won the decisive draw so cleanly that the ball rolled into the box where a Maryland dman scooped it up and the Terps went on to win. Terps had a tough NC game that Monday against a UNC team that had put Loyola away in the first quarter on Saturday. A couple of the Terp teams that lost NCs to Cornell were excellent as well.
Cornell 1987 was undefeated until they lost to the NC game to a Hopkins team that had beaten an undefeated Maryland team in the semis at Rutgers. Both Maryland and Cornell looked like likely undefeated NC candidates in a FF that included a Cuse team that got a big game from a freshman middie from Canada in their second loss of the season to the Big Red.
This probably makes me too much of a homer, but the UVA team that lost in the semis to Duke in 2010 was better than the one that stalled its way to the NC the next year.

I think we need to add that 1987 Maryland team to this discussion. All the power to Hopkins for peaking at the right time and playing great. But some people question if the Terps completely got off the bus for that one.

[gymman1031]

Do you mean 1987? That Terp team was excellent.

Yep! Absolutely! That was Coach Edell's best team and best chance to win it all. One of the biggest reasons Maryland had a long title-drought is that they regularly didn't peak at the right time and lost to many teams who did.

[keno in reno]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

[gymman1031]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year in 2016. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

[keno in reno]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

[gymman1031]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

Cornell had a very good team and season. They were 13-4 overall. And yes, that early 4-0 hole in 2016 hurt Maryland. By the way, EVERYTHING seemed to go UNC's way down the stretch, including several instances that, 90% of the time, would have gone the Terps' way. So often, that is the case for a team of destiny. A friend of mine said that is a top example of when, for a team, "the champagne cart was out and ready to be distributed, only for it to be suddenly rolled away at the last minute.

[keno in reno]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

Cornell had a very good team and season. They were 13-4 overall. And yes, that early 4-0 hole in 2016 hurt Maryland. By the way, EVERYTHING seemed to go UNC's way down the stretch, including several instances that, 90% of the time, would have gone the Terps' way. So often, that is the case for a team of destiny. A friend of mine said that is a top example of when, for a team, "the champagne cart was out and ready to be distributed, only for it to be suddenly rolled away at the last minute.

Yep, it evened out. If the Terps win in 2016, they probably lose to Denver in the 2017 semifinals. Tough to repeat. I will always believe the 2016 team was better. 2017 offensive talent plus Pat Young and Bryan Cole is pretty insane.

[gymman1031]

Terps 87 is easily #1

Terps and Brown tied in 2016. MD was playing the best at the end of the year but they laid some turds earlier, and Brown was the best over the course of the season but their star was hobbled at the end

Seems like the 2005+ Duke teams that had the super-seniors should have won a few championships

Maryland was playing well at the end of the year. But we can't say they played their absolutely best. UNC, on the other-hand, totally peaked and was playing their best.

Can't argue with that, and of course the Heels are the deserving national champions. That's the beauty of a one-and-done tournament.

The case for Maryland 2016 on this list is that Maryland's offense by the end of the year was unbelievable from 1st line to 3rd and they were destroying teams easily. The first few (nervous or whatever) minutes of the National Championship game going down 4-0 instantly are what killed them, as they controlled the rest of the game until the late meltdown. But the easily could have blown their game to Brown as well, so who knows.

Maybe Cornell in the devastating loss to Syracuse? No idea what their season record was.

Cornell had a very good team and season. They were 13-4 overall. And yes, that early 4-0 hole in 2016 hurt Maryland. By the way, EVERYTHING seemed to go UNC's way down the stretch, including several instances that, 90% of the time, would have gone the Terps' way. So often, that is the case for a team of destiny. A friend of mine said that is a top example of when, for a team, "the champagne cart was out and ready to be distributed, only for it to be suddenly rolled away at the last minute.

Yep, it evened out. If the Terps win in 2016, they probably lose to Denver in the 2017 semifinals. Tough to repeat. I will always believe the 2016 team was better. 2017 offensive talent plus Pat Young and Bryan Cole is pretty insane.

Absolutely! Repeating is hard and going to get harder and harder to do. I agree that the 2016 team was probably better. I must say, by the way, that, in 1987, the coaching combo of Don Zimmerman and Bill Tierney performed one of the best postseason coaching-jobs ever! God Bless Dick Edell, but he got out-coached in the Semis.

[HopFan16]

This is recency bias but 2019 Penn State...an absolute offensive juggernaut, scored at will and beat the tar out of pretty much everybody, just couldn't overcome TD Ierlan in the Final Four. Beat Maryland, Ohio State, put up 21 on Loyola in the quarters, beat Hopkins twice, Rutgers twice, Penn, Cornell, Villanova. But Ierlan was the kryptonite.