Desko deserves credit for turning the ship around after the Colgate game | Syracusefan.com

Desko deserves credit for turning the ship around after the Colgate game

Alsacs

Living Legend
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
63,219
Like
90,068
I and a lot of others thought that loss would signs we would be in for a long season.
I get we aren’t a lock to make the tournament yet but the team looks like it will make it.
If people are going to criticize when it’s bad give him credit when it’s turned around.

I get we aren’t the automatic Final Four program anymore but if we get a top 8 seed props to Desko.
 
He does, but also someone on the staff needs to figure out how to avoid these slow starts. Killed us at ND and if it happens this next game we are going to get buried.
Overall he has done a solid job after Colgate.
 
I and a lot of others thought that loss would signs we would be in for a long season.
I get we aren’t a lock to make the tournament yet but the team looks like it will make it.
If people are going to criticize when it’s bad give him credit when it’s turned around.

I get we aren’t the automatic Final Four program anymore but if we get a top 8 seed props to Desko.

The staff/team has done a nice job of winning games that were almost must wins if we wanted to make the tournament ie Albany, Army, RU, JHU and Hobart. The Hobart dusting was particularly impressive when you look at the circumstances. That said I would pump the brakes a little bit. These last 3 games are enormous and SU needs to be 2-1 here. The slow starts as PACuse noted continue to be an issue as does the Attack unit which has been MIA for long stretches. The team has put itself in pretty good position but these next two games (Cornell and UNC) are absolutely enormous. Let's circle back and see where we are at the end of the regular season.
 
One thing that I have been particularly impressed with has been in-game adjustments.
 
One thing that I have been particularly impressed with has been in-game adjustments.

SU has always been a second half team under Desko (for the most part) even back in the prime years and usually thrives against most opponents in the second half assuming all things are equal. The slow starts unfortunately have also started to become a hallmark going back multiple years now. One thing that has been nice to see is since the UVA game we have done a much better job late closing out opponents ie Rutty, JHU, Army (before UVA but you get the point). This upcoming stretch though especially the next two are really going to decide how this season plays out I think. It's critical were 1-1 at worst once the dust settles.
 
They're 6-3 and need to win out the regular season. Cornell, UNC, Navy.
 
They're 6-3 and need to win out the regular season. Cornell, UNC, Navy.

I think if they went 2-1 and got a win in the ACC tournament they'd be safe.

Cornell has a game looming @ ND, you'd have to think if they don't beat the Orange they have to win that one (not counting the Ivy Tournament) or else they're really on the bubble.
 
They're 6-3 and need to win out the regular season. Cornell, UNC, Navy.

If they go 2-1 based on the RPI and SOS I think we would be safely in. The Colgate game does stick out like a sore thumb though. This team really should be 7-2 and close to lock status for the tourney. Team is in pretty good shape for the tourney but obviously a couple losses down the stretch and Army and others fading could put us in a bad way.
 
I'm concerned about 2-1 and losing the 1st round ACC game. You guys think we're in with 8-5 ? I'd lean yes but wouldnt be comfortable.
 
I'm concerned about 2-1 and losing the 1st round ACC game. You guys think we're in with 8-5 ? I'd lean yes but wouldnt be comfortable.

A lot would depend on what happening around us. Duke being in the top 5 would help. SU got in last year because it had two top 5 wins in Duke and ND. Had we held on against UVA were probably a lock already but obviously we didn't. There are so many moving parts right now its hard to say what an 8-5 record looks like versus the field. Is one of those losses against UNC who goes on a run and is now an at large threat? Where does ND stand, Do they beat Cornell and UNC or are they in danger of missing the tournament? What happens with Hopkins and Rutty does one go on a run and make a case for an at large? What about OSU, do they continue to stumble? Do Towson and High Point win their respect conference tourneys? Does Delaware steal a bid? What happens in the BE and Ivy? SU would do itself a world of good winning tomorrow and give itself a huge advantage against other potential bubble teams.
 
Bid stealing is the issue that all bubble teams have to be concerned with. Having a low seed win the AQ disrupts the at large pool. It's one of the many reasons the ACC needs a sixth team.
 
The bid stealin and all the moving parts is why I’m not exactly ready to say Desko turned any ship around. I think he definitely rebounded from the Colgate loss but we’re not in the tourney yet and might be on the bubble ourselves.
 
Bid stealing is the issue that all bubble teams have to be concerned with. Having a low seed win the AQ disrupts the at large pool. It's one of the many reasons the ACC needs a sixth team.

There are too many automatic bids. It will never go away as it does help smaller less established programs make the field. There are what 70 teams in D1 which is too few to have so many in a 16 team tournament. I wish the committee would have the ability to select the best 16 teams. Half the bids go to AQ conferences.
 
There are too many automatic bids. It will never go away as it does help smaller less established programs make the field. There are what 70 teams in D1 which is too few to have so many in a 16 team tournament. I wish the committee would have the ability to select the best 16 teams. Half the bids go to AQ conferences.

I don't think there should be any AQ bids in lacrosse. Take the best teams period.
 
At the very least I think we can commend the massive improvements to some of last year's problems such as short stick D, faceoffs (Phaup casually sitting at 4th best faceoff percentage in the nation), conditioning, team defense (despite being inconsistent this year I would certainly call it better overall), goalie play, man up (38% last year, 51% and top 5 in the nation this year). Did not expect to be here after losing to Colgate and hearing that arguably our most promising returning offensive player would be out for the season, along with two potential returning SSDMs not playing (Dami/Hutchings), and a promising LSM recruit in Staats as well. Players and staff have stepped up and proven haters wrong. Dearth has gone from starting o middie at the beginning of last year to an honorable all american at d middie this year. Curry (despite a couple bad games) has massively improved his dodging and shooting on the run and is receiving national attention. Lipka went from an unknown recruit to a dangerous starting middie. Trimboli has scored numerous goals against lsms after struggling with those match ups last year. I could go on.

With the tourney selection criteria the way it is, it's hard to soak a loss to a bad team, no matter what time of year, and still be legitimately in the tourney conversation. Losing to colgate at the beginning of last year was the main reason Cornell got the 9 seed instead of a home game, despite having an incredible season after that point. We aren't out of the woods yet but the fact that we aren't done for sure after a loss like that is an incredible achievement, especially given our insane gauntlet of a schedule. In conclusion FIRE DESKO IT AIN"T WHAT IT USED TO BE GAME PASSED HIM BY WE USED TO BEAT EVERYONE BY 40 WAIT WHATTYA MEAN PRINCETON ISN'T GOOD ANYMORE
 
I don't think there should be any AQ bids in lacrosse. Take the best teams period.
i could be wrong but I don't think any of the weak conferences have ever made it past the first round...ooops...bryant! nevermind :)
 
I don't think there should be any AQ bids in lacrosse. Take the best teams period.

You want to put all 70 D1 LAX teams in a room together and convince them to vote on a proposal which will prevent 50 of them from ever making the post-season again.

I'd be more impressed if you could get all 350 D1 Basketball teams to vote to eliminate their AQ's.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
167,144
Messages
4,682,998
Members
5,901
Latest member
CarlsbergMD

Online statistics

Members online
240
Guests online
1,369
Total visitors
1,609


Top Bottom