I was only able to watch the first quarter last night. Very disappointing result obviously. A little worried that things are following the same script from the end of last year, blow out a Patriot League team then lose in the first round of the ACCs. Hope things turnaround in the NCAA. Two weeks is a lot of time off A few random thoughts below -
Desko has usually played an extra long stick close defenseman (its been DiPietro the last few years), but this year has opted against using one. He must feel very confident with his top three guys this year, and for good reason, but in a game like last night where you are playing lots of defense and the weather is warmer than usual, I wonder if they wouldn't benefit from playing more bodies? I am usually one to chastise Desko for playing too many people, but I've felt that rotating the close defensemen the past few years has been productive for everyone.
Tyson Bomberry is second on the team in groundballs which is unheard of for a close d-man and had eight last night. With the face-off unit struggling right now, would it make sense to bump him up to one of the wings? He's almost automatic in getting the ball if it is anywhere near him. Only drawback is it might make for extra tired legs which goes back to my first point.
As for long term consequences from the game, I can't help but think it would be very difficult to beat UVA on a day's rest when they themselves have had a full week off. UNC might very well prove me wrong, but if legs were that heavy at the end of the game last night, I can't imagine they would put up much of a fight against a top ten team who hasn't played in a week.
As for seeding, it does worry me that they might not do better than an eight seed, which almost guarantees a second round match-up against Penn State. Other than that, unless you are talking about a top three seed, I don't think seeding will be that big of a deal. This is one of the most even years I can remember and I don't know if there will be much of a difference from playing as the 8 seed or the 4 seed, especially if the NCAA obsesses so much over geography.
Lastly, having only really looked at the stats, most concerning thing for me right now is the face-off game. Phaup and Varello were instrumental in the big victories this year, allowing a slow to start offense find its rhythm and give the defense a breather. They are not the same team when they aren't winning at the face-off and I really hope they figure it out soon.