Polls (2/13/23): Media #18 / Coaches #16

[OrangeXtreme]

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/men-s-di-media-poll-it-s-only-week-1-and-everything-s-upside-down/60689

A weekend for the ages turned the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll upside down — and it is only Week 1.

The preseason No. 2, 3 and 8 teams lost games in which they were highly favored — and teams ranked 4, 5 and 6 haven’t even played yet. That means, outside of No. 1 Virginia solidifying its spot following a win against Michigan, it’s a bit of a start from scratch in the poll.


The biggest mover is Johns Hopkins, which went from unranked and receiving votes (the 29th-most in the country) to a tie for No. 6 after its win against Georgetown. Loyola leapt to No. 11 after knocking off Maryland.

Syracuse is into the Top 20 at No. 18.

Now, who fell?

Georgetown went from No. 3 to 12, Maryland went from No. 2 to 9. And Duke, which started with two assertive wins before falling to Jacksonville for the second-straight year— dropped from No. 8 to 16.

Now, four of the Top 5 teams in the country have not played — three of them Ivy League teams. Valentine’s Day is a Top 20 matchup between Johns Hopkins and North Carolina.


There are plenty of weeks to go, but Week 1 is going to be tough to top.

IL Media Poll Top 5 — Week 1​

1. Virginia (21)
2. Cornell
3. Notre Dame (1)
4. Princeton
5. Yale

18. Syracuse

Find the full IL Media Poll Top 20 here.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

USILA / Dynamic 2023 Men’s Coaches Division I Poll - Week 1

USILA / Dynamic 2023 Men’s Coaches Division I Poll - Week 1

usila.org

1. Virginia (26)
2. Notre Dame
3. Cornell
4. Maryland
5. Princeton

16. Syracuse

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Quint Kessenich’s Top 20: February 13, 2023

A plethora of upsets this past weekend has affected Quint Kessenich's Top 20 a great deal but don't worry he has reasons for the madness.

laxallstars.com

19) Syracuse​

Head, heart and hustle finished off Albany 20-7 on Friday night behind five goals from freshman Joey Spallina. Goalie Will Mark continues to shine with his flopping excellence. This offense is young and skilled. The win over the Great Danes showcased significant improvement from a week zero win against Vermont. The Orange midfield is where the most serious question marks lay. I’m not sure about the overall team speed on offense, but against Albany the crisp ball movement resulted in some feet set clean looks. Assisted goals have been their calling card. Creating separation and drawing slides against more athletic defenses that press out will be fascinating to watch.

On Sunday they took a 6-2 lead and blew it open to a 14-2 margin on the way to a 15-6 tally. Vermont’s win against BU adds credence to the strong Orange start. Joey Spallina had seven points, Owen Hiltz chipped in five and Finn Thomson scored four times. This group is really fun to watch, highly skilled and creative with two-man and motion concepts. Goalie Will Mark, a Danville CA. native and transfer from LIU, is 71% after three games. His style is unique, he’s big at 6-3 with a wide stance and flops effectively, often ending up down on the turf on a knee or hip. He’s playing at an All-American level. A true test is up next at Maryland on Saturday, which can be seen on Big Ten+, shot from a satellite in outer space.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Chaos on Charles Street Alters Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

Loyola and Johns Hopkins were busy pulling off upsets down the street from each other.

www.usalaxmagazine.com

1. Virginia
2. Cornell
3. Princeton
4. Loyola
5. Johns Hopkins

Syracuse NR

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Stealth4785]

I know Hopkins has beaten two quality teams, but unranked to 6th? Get real.

 

[Powellfan]

Quint Kessenich’s Top 20: February 13, 2023

A plethora of upsets this past weekend has affected Quint Kessenich's Top 20 a great deal but don't worry he has reasons for the madness.

laxallstars.com

19) Syracuse​

Head, heart and hustle finished off Albany 20-7 on Friday night behind five goals from freshman Joey Spallina. Goalie Will Mark continues to shine with his flopping excellence. This offense is young and skilled. The win over the Great Danes showcased significant improvement from a week zero win against Vermont. The Orange midfield is where the most serious question marks lay. I’m not sure about the overall team speed on offense, but against Albany the crisp ball movement resulted in some feet set clean looks. Assisted goals have been their calling card. Creating separation and drawing slides against more athletic defenses that press out will be fascinating to watch.

On Sunday they took a 6-2 lead and blew it open to a 14-2 margin on the way to a 15-6 tally. Vermont’s win against BU adds credence to the strong Orange start. Joey Spallina had seven points, Owen Hiltz chipped in five and Finn Thomson scored four times. This group is really fun to watch, highly skilled and creative with two-man and motion concepts. Goalie Will Mark, a Danville CA. native and transfer from LIU, is 71% after three games. His style is unique, he’s big at 6-3 with a wide stance and flops effectively, often ending up down on the turf on a knee or hip. He’s playing at an All-American level. A true test is up next at Maryland on Saturday, which can be seen on Big Ten+, shot from a satellite in outer space.

Interesting point he brings up about SU's team speed on offense. I wouldn't say he's wrong, the Orange certainly don't have any burners on the team in this respect. That said, I love the old saying that no player runs as fast as the ball moves through the air. I'd rather watch a team with good passing/catching than one that relies on beating their man one v one.

In watching the first three games I have noticed that Syracuse can dodge - Hiltz looks bigger and faster than he did two years ago for sure and has shown more of a knack to engage his defenseman. Leo has speed and quickness, I think he just needs to grow his confidence. I also think Birtwistle could engage his defender more if needed, so far Cuse has relied on him to be mostly a crease finisher. I think with his shooting range and athletic ability he certainly could be more, I wonder if this is something the coaches are sitting on.

If SU needs to dodge to score, Spallina seems like the key, he has shown the ability so far this season, and he's been really good about picking his spots. Can he do against Makar and other ACC defensemen is the question? I also like Kirst initiating up top as he's shown a lot of aggressiveness.

Lastly, I would point out that if a team is going to stretch out and pressure the ball, that just allows for bigger passing lanes and the ability for SU players to back cut all day. Might not be the best strategy for a defense.

 

[Delmar]

According to the coaches' poll, SU plays the top 4 ranked teams, and #6, and has 10 games against the Top 20. Good thing we started 3-0. Also, that Vermont win may look better and better as the season goes on.

 

[nyclax]

I know Hopkins has beaten two quality teams, but unranked to 6th? Get real.

"unranked" appears to have been the issue, not 6th. theyre obviously closer to 6 than outside top 20

im fine with big adjustments in general. it's a new season. time to stop living in 2022, no matter which team youre talking about. if cuse beats the terps this weekend i'd expect them to be around where hop is now

 

[Cuse All-In]

"unranked" appears to have been the issue, not 6th. theyre obviously closer to 6 than outside top 20

im fine with big adjustments in general. it's a new season. time to stop living in 2022, no matter which team youre talking about. if cuse beats the terps this weekend i'd expect them to be around where hop is now

The polls always seem to overreact to early season results. Dropping MD that much is ridiculous to me. But it makes for some fun discussions and media attention. It's great we made it into the top 20 before playing MD, Duke and UNC - if we lose to them but are very competitive, we can stay in the top 20 perhaps. If we beat one or more of them, we could stay in top 20 or possibly move up a couple of notches.

 

[NazLax30]

The polls always seem to overreact to early season results. Dropping MD that much is ridiculous to me. But it makes for some fun discussions and media attention. It's great we made it into the top 20 before playing MD, Duke and UNC - if we lose to them but are very competitive, we can stay in the top 20 perhaps. If we beat one or more of them, we could stay in top 20 or possibly move up a couple of notches.

Did you watch the game? Other than faceoffs, Maryland didn’t look anything special. And now they’ve lost their goalie. It might be an overreaction, but Loyola stomped them.

 

[nyclax]

The polls always seem to overreact to early season results. Dropping MD that much is ridiculous to me. But it makes for some fun discussions and media attention. It's great we made it into the top 20 before playing MD, Duke and UNC - if we lose to them but are very competitive, we can stay in the top 20 perhaps. If we beat one or more of them, we could stay in top 20 or possibly move up a couple of notches.

i realize im probably in the minority here but i don't think it's ridiculous or that much of an overreaction. maryland didn't look good. they have issues on offense. they won 18/22 faceoffs but could only score 7 goals and now their all-american goalie is apparently hurt. it's a new season. these aren't the 2022 terps. if they put some good wins together they'll be back in the top 5 quickly. personally i'd put them around 8 or 9 but 11 doesn't strike me as all that out of touch with the current reality

 

[Cuse All-In]

Did you watch the game? Other than faceoffs, Maryland didn’t look anything special. And now they’ve lost their goalie. It might be an overreaction, but Loyola stomped them.

You and nyclax make very good points and MD may well deserve the demotion. I did not watch the game as don't subscribe to BTN+ which is another story on the new thread today. I guess my reaction was more wait and see - drop them a couple of notches and see what happens next week. Loyola coached by Toomey is usually very well prepared and get the max out of their "mediocre" talent (they don't get many top recruits) so being beaten by Loyola isn't as big an upset as some people might think - just IMO.

 

[Cuse4455]

Can't wait to watch Cuse/ Maryland on B10+?!


What...

 

[Cuse All-In]

Can't wait to watch Cuse/ Maryland on B10+?!


What...

I would like to see the game in person - great stadium
Don't have fond memories though - last game there was Gtwn playoff loss in 2021

 

[MD Cuse Fan]

I would like to see the game in person - great stadium
Don't have fond memories though - last game there was Gtwn playoff loss in 2021

Yeah unfortunately have another obligation this Saturday and will not be able to go. The mild winter here in Maryland continues, looks like it will be sunny and 44 so hopefully you can go.

 

[NazLax30]

You and nyclax make very good points and MD may well deserve the demotion. I did not watch the game as don't subscribe to BTN+ which is another story on the new thread today. I guess my reaction was more wait and see - drop them a couple of notches and see what happens next week. Loyola coached by Toomey is usually very well prepared and get the max out of their "mediocre" talent (they don't get many top recruits) so being beaten by Loyola isn't as big an upset as some people might think - just IMO.

Inexplicably, the Maryland-Loyola game was on ESPN plus.

 

[Hoo's That]

Inexplicably, the Maryland-Loyola game was on ESPN plus.

Loyola was the home team. The Patriot League has contract to be on ESPN+ and the other ESPNs were loaded with b-ball.

 

[Laxfanshutt]

 

[NazLax30]

Hahahaha

 

[Powellfan]

20. Syracuse (NR) The Orange are 3-0 and head to Maryland on Saturday. They catch a Terrapin team who showed vulnerabilities vs. Loyola and may have an injured goalie as Logan McNaney left the game late in the fourth and didn’t return. I think the most reactionary Orange fans were too pessimistic after the offense’s struggles vs. Vermont and are probably too optimistic after the successes vs. UAlbany and Holy Cross. It’s good to know that goaltending will likely not cost them any wins this year, but the season will be determined by how the freshmen handle the physical and mental toll of a four-month campaign. It’s not easy or intuitive, but that doesn’t mean navigating it successfully can’t be done.

15 games | +/-5.5 | My Pick: Over The over seems like an easy call now that they need just three wins to hit it, but in my defense, I picked the Orange to win these first three games out of the gate.