2021—The Season in Review

[Cletus]

I remember we weren’t even sure we would have a 2021 as December turned to January. I’m glad the NCAA (minus the CYA&$ Ivy League) decided to brave the covid waters and announce the season. An eventful year like no other. And a year like it we will never see again. Couldn’t possibly follow the same script. The Ivy opting out changed the landscape to a degree and the playoff format. The Big 10 and MAAC conferences deciding to play in house until the NCAA’s. The ACC scheduling multiple regular season double headers in house, meeting twice in three days, which is how the B10 and MAAC did it too—not accounting for the cancellations and postponements which were plentiful due to virus protocol. One team got bounced because of it. Sad harsh end to the season for the Blue Hens of Delaware.

This was a season of momentous First Time’s for a few teams—Rutgers atop them all with three first time program wins vs Maryland, Penn St and Johns Hopkins. But more on that later.


Lots to unpack…

[Matnum PI]

The obvious: After knocking on the door more than once, BC wins it all...

[Cletus]

The obvious: After knocking on the door more than once, BC wins it all...

Great picture. That must be some kind of feeling—to win the National Championship—in any sport.

[Cletus]

2021 was another tough year in the current decline of the once mighty Maryland Terrapins. Not since Cindy Timchal's last year as coach in 2006 have the Terps lost 7 games or more.



The Terps spent a lot of time watching other teams celebrate. Teams who Maryland used to beat on a regular basis for years broke free and turned the tables. Penn State being one--beating the Terps twice in 2021, ending a 16 game losing streak to Maryland.



Then there was losing to archrival Northwestern 3 times, suffering back to back running clock losses.




Rutgers also joined in to diminish Maryland in '21 by breaking a winless 21 game years long curse vs the Terps to finally break free for their first program win.





And the final insult--being bounced in the 2nd round of the NCAA's by Duke

[Bart]

2021 was another tough year in the current decline of the once mighty Maryland Terrapins. Not since Cindy Timchal's last year as coach in 2006 have the Terps lost 7 games or more.

Not a turtle fan but your hatred or distaste for all things Maryland is amusing. You are consistent however. You know what I see, a program with an 283-32 record since Cindy Timchal left (unless I added wrong). A team that has lost in the quarters 2x, semis 3x was runner up 3x and champion 5x.

You are keen to indicate that the Terps are in a decline and they certainly did not have a season they are used to in 2021. You can count 2020 on their list I suppose but that is discounted. For 2020 comparison, they were 3-3 with their losses to #14 Fla, #1 UNC and #4 SU but a win against#17 Navy. In comparison a similar team was 4-3 with losses to UMas, #2 UNd and #13 USC who's best win was against (take your pick, Brown, Vandy, Hofstra or BU) before the season was canceled. That team won the Natty in 2021..........so 2020 really is not a great yard stick.

You are certainly entitled to your dislike for UMD but calling 1 bad season an overall decline is a bit of a stretch. With the advent of the grad transfer and an experienced coaching staff it will not be surprising if that "decline" is very short lived.

[Cletus]

Another interesting part of the season were all the early upsets. Not so much that one team beating the other team was an upset, but the way it was done. Syracuse easily beat Loyola 18-6 . Carolina took BC to the woodshed 21-9. And of course the two running clock demolition jobs that the Wildcats put on the Little Turtles.

Some got revenge. In BC’s case, the sweetest of all. And some just ran the movie back and played it over again. (Loyola, Notre Dame, et al.)

There were plenty more, and we have the whole off-season to unpack them.

[DMac]

Bart wrote
Not a turtle fan but your hatred or distaste for all things Maryland is amusing.

Schadenfreude (/ˈʃɑːdənfrɔɪdə/; German: [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔʏ̯də] (About this soundlisten); lit. 'harm-joy') is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another.

Schadenfreude is a complex emotion where, rather than feeling sympathy, one takes pleasure from watching someone's misfortune. This emotion is displayed more in children than adults. However, adults also experience schadenfreude, although generally they conceal it.[1]

[Matnum PI]

...early season upsets...

...calling 1 bad season an overall decline is a bit of a stretch...

On the men's side, it's become the rule, not the exception, that several top teams lose early season games to non-perennial teams and then... Punish everyone for daring to believe that they've slipped in their prominence, even a little. Duke, UVA, UNC, etc. In other words, early season losses happen. With this said, this was a disconcertingly weak season for UMD. As Bart is saying, one season but still disconcerting.

[Cletus]

On the men's side, it's become the rule, not the exception, that several top teams lose early season games to non-perennial teams and then... Punish everyone for daring to believe that they've slipped in their prominence, even a little. Duke, UVA, UNC, etc. In other words, early season losses happen. With this said, this was a disconcertingly weak season for UMD. As Bart is saying, one season but still disconcerting.

Would you consider the six games Maryland played in 2020 as part of the decline? I count both 2020 and 2021 as fitting in with the declining Maryland performance since they won it all in 2019.

[Matnum PI]

i dunno. you can't ignore 2020 but... I kind of put it into the "early season losses" category.

[Cletus]

i dunno. you can't ignore 2020 but... I kind of put it into the "early season losses" category.

That’s the thing with Maryland though, they never had those during their dominance. If you scroll back in this thread you’ll see the year by year records of Maryland since Reese took over. The only losses they suffered during the regular season were to Carolina—especially during the latter half of the Reese dominance period. The others were postseason to Ohio State, BC, Northwestern, Carolina. But they were never a team during the latter half of the dynasty that lost early regular season games.

But the last two years have been a complete departure from that dominance—hence “declining”

[Matnum PI]

But the last two years have been a complete departure from that dominance—hence “declining”

...or no longer dominant.

[Cletus]

But the last two years have been a complete departure from that dominance—hence “declining”

...or no longer dominant.

What was that old song? Potato potahto? Tomato tomahto?

[Dr. Tact]

Syracuse kicked the living snot out of Loyola 18-6 in what some called the “Baltimore Massacre”.

Cletus, why???? This kind of rhetoric is painful to some (me). "Kicked the living snot out of...", "Baltimore Massacre".... Why is that necessary?

I wish you could be a little less bombastic. As I mentioned to you before I took a hiatus, your posts can be painful to those who have family in the games.

[Cletus]

We would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge Johns Hopkins head coach Janine Tucker who was on the sidelines for her 300th win. JHU wasn't always a D1 team. From 1976 when the team was founded, through 1998, the Blue Jays competed in Division 3. In 1994, current coach Janine Tucker took over the reigns and ushered the team into Div 1 in 1999 where they have competed ever since. It takes tremendous dedication to do something well for almost three decades; to persevere through good times and bad. That describes coach Janine Tucker for Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse.

[Matnum PI]

I wish you could be a little less bombastic. As I mentioned to you before I took a hiatus, your posts can be painful to those who have family in the games.

Seems like a reasonable request to me...

[Cletus]

Seems like a reasonable request to me...

It is indeed.

[DMac]

An indeed from me as well. It's as reasonable now as has been all along however differently it might have been stated.

[LarryGamLax]

Sorry, but I will not be joining in the "end of Cathy Reese" tome that seems to have been set. Didn't they just win the Championship 2 years ago? Sooo suddenly she can't coach and those 5 Championships mean nothing? And need I remind people that she has won those 5 in 13 years. That's waaaaay faster than another coach you guys keep telling me is "really good".

Every year can't be a Terp year(soorry TL), but Cathy will get it worked out and they will be back in the thick of the NC chase.

[Matnum PI]