LaxPower Back-Up Stick

Ivy League sports are up and running! The Ivy is a late starter in football, with the opening games typically in the second half of September. However, men's soccer scores so far are:
Hartford 0 Brown 2
Columbia 2 George Washington 0
Wake Forest 2 Cornell 1 (2OT)
Fairleigh Dickinson 2 Penn 3
Princeton 0 Rutgers 1
Fairfield 2 Yale 3

Soccer (and other fall sports) had only one year off, while lacrosse had almost two years away from competitive games. Brown, Dartmouth and Penn lax fielded teams last year that played very limited schedules, while Yale and other schools had players sitting out the academic year to preserve the year of athletic eligibility. Tough to predict how all of this will translate onto the field of play... but I'm looking forward to fall and spring ball!

Great summary, FanOLax. A few added notes:

1) Harvard practiced all spring in 2020. I'm not sure if anyone withdrew during Covid.

2) Cornell practiced last spring. Coach Buczek noted that there were only 17 players on campus. Several players withdrew in order to maintain eligibility.

3) If I recall properly, Princeton had several players take time off for Covid. I'm not sure who's returning, or if they held practices in 2020.

I've not followed this closeiy for while, so there may be some corrections to my understandings.

In men's soccer today/Sunday: Central CT State 0 Harvard 4

Continuing with Harvard: https://lacrossebucket.com/2021/08/30/w ... d-in-2022/

October 24 fall ball at Homewood will have Harvard, Hobart, Richmond, High Point and Yale joining JHU in Baltimore.

Dartmouth men's soccer season opens this coming Friday in Seattle versus Washington. I suspect the Green men's lax team will get at least one Ivy win in 2022; and generally could surprise to the upside.

Last year’s Seniors in the IVY league had a lot of options from: withdrawing a semester, a year, using one year exemption allowing them to enroll in graduate school and playing one more year, to graduating and entering portal as a potential grad student to graduating and hanging up the lax gear forever. All others have all those options except enrolling in graduate school and continuing to play at their home institution.
All will become clear once all schools post their rosters. I just hope there are no more covid interruptions. I wonder how the league as a whole represents itself on the national lax scene. I believe they will not lose a step. Some early “polls” seem to have underrepresented the league but that is likely the pollsters simply started with last years final top twenty which of course did not include any IVY.
How many IVY will start out ranked top twenty?(3)
How many IVY will finish ranked top twenty?(3)
How many make NCAA tourney?(2)
Will any make the final four?(1)
I will not jinx the IVY league predicting a championship.
Hopefully others add their thoughts and predictions. Some hopefully add specific teams

OK, I’ll be the guinea pig and take a crack at rankings for 2022.

1. Yale - Elis are too deep and too leery of disappointing Mr. Tsai in year one of the best lacrosse building in the world.
2. Penn - Handley and Burkinshaw. Strength up the middle. Love that Murphy had the team play together all of 2021. Beat Yale in the finals of the 2019 Ivy tournament.
3. Brown - Last two games were a 14-13 win over defending national champs in 2020 and a 12-5 dismantling of a top 30 BU team in May 2021.
4. Cornell - Can’t bounce back from losing a generational player like Teat by basically taking 2021 off. Not Milliman’s fault - he is a huge asset.
5. Princeton - Fun fact: Sowers never played in an Ivy League tournament. I rank them here mostly because I think the year with no practice together hurts more than most think.
6. Havard - Absolutely love what Byrne is doing, but Crimson are still a year away from breaking out.
7. Dartmouth - Big progress up north. Will catch at least one team looking past them to nab the elusive Ivy win.

Can Opener wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 4:46 pm OK, I’ll be the guinea pig and take a crack at rankings for 2022.

1. Yale - Elis are too deep and too leery of disappointing Mr. Tsai in year one of the best lacrosse building in the world.
2. Penn - Handley and Burkinshaw. Strength up the middle. Love that Murphy had the team play together all of 2021. Beat Yale in the finals of the 2019 Ivy tournament.
3. Brown - Last two games were a 14-13 win over defending national champs in 2020 and a 12-5 dismantling of a top 30 BU team in May 2021.
4. Cornell - Can’t bounce back from losing a generational player like Teat by basically taking 2021 off. Not Milliman’s fault - he is a huge asset.
5. Princeton - Fun fact: Sowers never played in an Ivy League tournament. I rank them here mostly because I think the year with no practice together hurts more than most think.
6. Havard - Absolutely love what Byrne is doing, but Crimson are still a year away from breaking out.
7. Dartmouth - Big progress up north. Will catch at least one team looking past them to nab the elusive Ivy win.

What if Dartmouth finished above Princeton and Cornell? Other than that we’d need to get MDLax a new pair of pants.

Can Opener wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 4:46 pm OK, I’ll be the guinea pig and take a crack at rankings for 2022.

1. Yale - Elis are too deep and too leery of disappointing Mr. Tsai in year one of the best lacrosse building in the world.
2. Penn - Handley and Burkinshaw. Strength up the middle. Love that Murphy had the team play together all of 2021. Beat Yale in the finals of the 2019 Ivy tournament.
3. Brown - Last two games were a 14-13 win over defending national champs in 2020 and a 12-5 dismantling of a top 30 BU team in May 2021.
4. Cornell - Can’t bounce back from losing a generational player like Teat by basically taking 2021 off. Not Milliman’s fault - he is a huge asset.
5. Princeton - Fun fact: Sowers never played in an Ivy League tournament. I rank them here mostly because I think the year with no practice together hurts more than most think.
6. Havard - Absolutely love what Byrne is doing, but Crimson are still a year away from breaking out.
7. Dartmouth - Big progress up north. Will catch at least one team looking past them to nab the elusive Ivy win.

Okay, I pretty much agree with your pre-season rankings. However, Sowers played in one Ivy League Tournament game, his freshman year, 2017, a 17-15 loss to Brown (Cornell didn't make the ILT that year). https://goprincetontigers.com/sports/me ... core/12371
https://goprincetontigers.com/sports/me ... edule/2017

Can Opener wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 4:46 pm OK, I’ll be the guinea pig and take a crack at rankings for 2022.

1. Yale - Elis are too deep and too leery of disappointing Mr. Tsai in year one of the best lacrosse building in the world.
2. Penn - Handley and Burkinshaw. Strength up the middle. Love that Murphy had the team play together all of 2021. Beat Yale in the finals of the 2019 Ivy tournament.
3. Brown - Last two games were a 14-13 win over defending national champs in 2020 and a 12-5 dismantling of a top 30 BU team in May 2021.
4. Cornell - Can’t bounce back from losing a generational player like Teat by basically taking 2021 off. Not Milliman’s fault - he is a huge asset.
5. Princeton - Fun fact: Sowers never played in an Ivy League tournament. I rank them here mostly because I think the year with no practice together hurts more than most think.
6. Havard - Absolutely love what Byrne is doing, but Crimson are still a year away from breaking out.
7. Dartmouth - Big progress up north. Will catch at least one team looking past them to nab the elusive Ivy win.

Sowers played in the 2017 Ivy League tournament.

Now you’re using actual facts, Fann. That’s no fun. :-) Brown has truly had Princeton’s number since 2014, going 5-1. They only lost the 2017 regular season game, but avenged the loss later that year in the Ivy tournament.

Can Opener wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 6:19 pm Now you’re using actual facts, Fann. That’s no fun. :-) Brown has truly had Princeton’s number since 2014, going 5-1. They only lost the 2017 regular season game, but avenged the loss later that year in the Ivy tournament.

It’s odd because I believe since 2016, Brown has had a losing record but they have Princeton’s number for some reason. Princeton is .500 with Cornell since 2015. And .500 versus Penn since 2014. You would never know it.

Nice Ivy projection by Can Opener but how about:
1)How many preseason Ivy teams ranked in top twenty?
2) postseason?
3) How many Ivy make NCAATournament?
4) Any Ivy final four?

Hate to burst bubbles but as for some of these teams playing or practicing in the spring;

Harvard had about 8-13 kids practicing, as per their instagram videos.

Cornell might have been practicing, but arguably their best player, Mike Long, was coaching at delbarton.

Bearfan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 8:54 pm Nice Ivy projection by Can Opener but how about:
1)How many preseason Ivy teams ranked in top twenty?
2) postseason?
3) How many Ivy make NCAATournament?
4) Any Ivy final four?

2
3
2
No - Year off and grad transfers to ACC and Big 10 preclude Yale unfortunately

BTW, I’m not sure you’re allowed to make this type of observation these days, but the Ivy coaching roster reads like at roll call at an Ancient Order of Hibernians meeting.
Daly
Byrne
Murphy
Callahan
Shea

The McIvies.
Tailgate menu:
Beer and potatoes.
Music by Ian And The Clan Fighters.
Oh, and bring your dancing shoes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzoiy17D4kk

Good questions, Bearfan. I would love to be wrong but I see a few years without an Ivy going deep in the NCAA tournament until the "superteam" phenomenon has subsided after the COVID grad transfer window finally expires. Maybe there will be a small advantage on recruiting end of things with some top recruits liking the certainty of going to a top Ivy program with a roster they can project as opposed to an ACC/BIG10 team which can reload with grad transfers, but I wouldn't necessarily count on it. Many confident young players just assume the "other guy" might have his minutes cut, not them.

Top Tier (the knowns) - Yale / Penn
Next Tier (shown ability to win) - Brown / Cornell
Question marks (several years of underachieving but have high hopes for future) - Harvard / Princeton
Bottom tier (could be on upswing but not seeing it) - Dartmouth

DMac wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2021 9:11 am The McIvies.
Tailgate menu:
Beer and potatoes.
Music by Ian And The Clan Fighters.
Oh, and bring your dancing shoes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzoiy17D4kk

Corned Beef and The Pogues

courtdog wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:31 am Top Tier (the knowns) - Yale / Penn
Next Tier (shown ability to win) - Brown / Cornell
Question marks (several years of underachieving but have high hopes for future) - Harvard / Princeton
Bottom tier (could be on upswing but not seeing it) - Dartmouth

When was the last time Brown had a winning record?

EDIT: Looked it up. It was 2017 (2020 was a 5 game season 3-2 then). I like their players. Really underrated individually.

Typical Lax Dad wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2021 11:28 am

courtdog wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:31 am Top Tier (the knowns) - Yale / Penn
Next Tier (shown ability to win) - Brown / Cornell
Question marks (several years of underachieving but have high hopes for future) - Harvard / Princeton
Bottom tier (could be on upswing but not seeing it) - Dartmouth

When was the last time Brown had a winning record?

EDIT: Looked it up. It was 2017 (2020 was a 5 game season 3-2 then). I like their players. Really underrated individually.

Not implying they haven't struggled at times, I just feel like they have been to the Ivy League Tourney more than the others with question marks.