Quint: Scouting the NCAA Tournament First Round

[OrangeXtreme]

Quint: Scouting the NCAA Tournament First Round

No. 8 LOYOLA
The Hounds limp into the postseason. Superstar Pat Spencer and the supporting offensive cast is lethal, but the defense suffered some mid-year injuries and hasn't been able to make stops. Goalie Jake Stover has been a band-aid for a group that doesn't have a No. 1 cover guy, and that has shorties who get torched. The Hounds have the homefield advantage, a staff that's capable of magical game plans and a track record of postseason success. The roster will be challenged by a very athletic Syracuse roster.

SYRACUSE
Just as the Orange were emerging as a team of national significance, they failed to finish in a disturbing loss to North Carolina. The extra week off is not ideal. Defender Nick Mellen should draw the Pat Spencer assignment, and it'll be fascinating to watch this matchup because of the height differential. Syracuse is deeper at the midfield, better defensively, and more athletic at every position. SU middies Brendan Curry, Jacob Buttermore, and Jamie Trimboli must draw slides. SU runs a pass-happy, perimeter slow-down offense, milking the shot clock to its final ticks. This game will be won by the team that handles the details the best: clearing, face-offs, goaltending and specialty situations.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Quint: Scouting the NCAA Tournament First Round

No. 8 LOYOLA
The Hounds limp into the postseason. Superstar Pat Spencer and the supporting offensive cast is lethal, but the defense suffered some mid-year injuries and hasn't been able to make stops. Goalie Jake Stover has been a band-aid for a group that doesn't have a No. 1 cover guy, and that has shorties who get torched. The Hounds have the homefield advantage, a staff that's capable of magical game plans and a track record of postseason success. The roster will be challenged by a very athletic Syracuse roster.

SYRACUSE
Just as the Orange were emerging as a team of national significance, they failed to finish in a disturbing loss to North Carolina. The extra week off is not ideal. Defender Nick Mellen should draw the Pat Spencer assignment, and it'll be fascinating to watch this matchup because of the height differential. Syracuse is deeper at the midfield, better defensively, and more athletic at every position. SU middies Brendan Curry, Jacob Buttermore, and Jamie Trimboli must draw slides. SU runs a pass-happy, perimeter slow-down offense, milking the shot clock to its final ticks. This game will be won by the team that handles the details the best: clearing, face-offs, goaltending and specialty situations.

Pretty much spot on.

 

[dollarbill44]

I never played lacrosse, though I've been a fan for 35 years. Doesn't his final take hold true in about 95% of games?

 

[DoctahLexus]

I never played lacrosse, though I've been a fan for 35 years. Doesn't his final take hold true in about 95% of games?

Pretty much yeah. Those are good points/facts about the two teams leading up to that but it's kind of an obvious, John Madden style line at the end there.

 

[Whitey23]

"I think this game will be won by the team that scores the most goals, Bob. "

 

[PhatOrange]

"SU runs a pass-happy, perimeter slow-down offense, milking the shot clock to its final ticks."

crazy to think

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

"SU runs a pass-happy, perimeter slow-down offense, milking the shot clock to its final ticks."

crazy to think

Gross

 

[OrangeXtreme]

"SU runs a pass-happy, perimeter slow-down offense, milking the shot clock to its final ticks."

crazy to think

If only we ran 50 more seconds off the shot clock vs UNC.

 

[DoctahLexus]

That line about us being a slow-down offense is an exaggeration by Quint. We do continue to rely heavily on transition goals and look to exploit unsettled situations more than most. If those options don't work I would say our offense is just average when it comes to "milking the shot clock" rather than being especially deliberate. Shot clock for me changes the parameters of what defines a deliberate team. Every team has plenty of possessions when they get the shot clock down to the end. Teams only have around 60 seconds of organized offense to work with so it just happens naturally. How often you push unsettled and go for quick clears and what not is a better judge now since extended time substituting, shooting possession shots to hold of the stall call, and other techniques to extend possession time, are no longer an option. Hard to call a team that green lights Kennedy and Dearth as much as we have this season "slow-down."

 

[JOC44]

That line about us being a slow-down offense is an exaggeration by Quint. We do continue to rely heavily on transition goals and look to exploit unsettled situations more than most. If those options don't work I would say our offense is just average when it comes to "milking the shot clock" rather than being especially deliberate. Shot clock for me changes the parameters of what defines a deliberate team. Every team has plenty of possessions when they get the shot clock down to the end. Teams only have around 60 seconds of organized offense to work with so it just happens naturally. How often you push unsettled and go for quick clears and what not is a better judge now since extended time substituting, shooting possession shots to hold of the stall call, and other techniques to extend possession time, are no longer an option. Hard to call a team that green lights Kennedy and Dearth as much as we have this season "slow-down."

I would say that in non-transition possessions, we run a slower offense than most. But I don't think it's by design. I think the lack of elite dodgers means that we have to be "pass happy" on the perimeter in trying to find a shot.