JeremyCuse
Renowned lacrosse analyst
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Well yesterday went as well as it could have, if you laid out the dream scenario for yesterday thats how you would have wanted it to play out. Getting some big help from the lax gods.
Today there is only two games on the docket but they have pretty big implications. Clearly the Yale vs Penn game is enormous. A Yale win knocks Penn out which just about every team is rooting for. Yale is on a role right now so hopefully they come out and make a statement. Brown vs Cornell will be another interesting game. Conventional wisdom says root for Brown but the bubble is already a bit convaluted so I am not sure a Cornell loss helps clarify the situation, though back to back losses to Princeton and Brown would be a brutal end to Conrell's season As long as Yale wins I think were in great shape. If for some reason they lose then root for Brown but there D is so bad it's hard to see how Cornell doesn't win easily.
B10 is no worry as Maryland and JHU were already locks anyway so let those two beat each other up. Despite Mark Dixon taking the company line last nigh there is zero chance of the B10 getting 4 teams.
Biggest concern for me on Saturday is Denver and Albany. Albany looked bad for 3+ quarters against Umass-Lowell yesterday. Fields looks nowhere close to 100% and was basically a decoy yesterday. Albany won just about every faceoff but there D was abysmal and Colarusso did not play well. Albany vs Vermont will be an interesting game as Albany absolutely destroyed them earlier in the year. Vermont's offense has slowed down the last few weeks but Albany's D will need to play light years better tomorrow. Ierlan should dominate again and Colarusso hopefully will play better. That game worries me a lot.
Denver is a wild card as well Saturday. They haven't won the BE tourney since 2015 and for some reason have really struggled in their conf tourney. I thought Gtown played excellent as I caught most of the second half but this is a game Denver should win. Gtown is missing their best offensive player who was lost for the year a few weeks ago and they struggled at times to generate good looks in settled 6 on 6 situations. Gtown was masterful at the X last night and that really propelled them over Nova. Clearly going up against Baptiste that advantage should be neutralized. All that said its hard to trust Denver here, they looked uninterested vs Marquette and you know Gtown will be playing like its the Super Bowl on Saturday.
If your Syracuse and Yale beats Penn tonight your probably still in great shape if one of Albany or Denver blows the championship game. Where it gets tricky is if both get upset. Then your looking at a scenario where Syracuse could get left out. Nova has an argument to make for an at large when you look at their numbers and their Top 5 win over Yale and solid wins over Penn and PSU. I think Nova won yesterday they were probably in as they would have been 11-4 with a game against Denver to go. Losing twice to Gtown late I think really hurts as does PSU fading and missing the B10 tourney. Would be interesting to see if it came down to SU and Nova where the committee would go. I know there is some talk about Gtown getting an at large at 11-4 but there OOC schedule besides Loyola was pretty bad and they lost to Loyola. I just don't think they have the numbers to get in.
Bottom line root for Yale, Denver, and Albany especially to get the job done.
Today there is only two games on the docket but they have pretty big implications. Clearly the Yale vs Penn game is enormous. A Yale win knocks Penn out which just about every team is rooting for. Yale is on a role right now so hopefully they come out and make a statement. Brown vs Cornell will be another interesting game. Conventional wisdom says root for Brown but the bubble is already a bit convaluted so I am not sure a Cornell loss helps clarify the situation, though back to back losses to Princeton and Brown would be a brutal end to Conrell's season As long as Yale wins I think were in great shape. If for some reason they lose then root for Brown but there D is so bad it's hard to see how Cornell doesn't win easily.
B10 is no worry as Maryland and JHU were already locks anyway so let those two beat each other up. Despite Mark Dixon taking the company line last nigh there is zero chance of the B10 getting 4 teams.
Biggest concern for me on Saturday is Denver and Albany. Albany looked bad for 3+ quarters against Umass-Lowell yesterday. Fields looks nowhere close to 100% and was basically a decoy yesterday. Albany won just about every faceoff but there D was abysmal and Colarusso did not play well. Albany vs Vermont will be an interesting game as Albany absolutely destroyed them earlier in the year. Vermont's offense has slowed down the last few weeks but Albany's D will need to play light years better tomorrow. Ierlan should dominate again and Colarusso hopefully will play better. That game worries me a lot.
Denver is a wild card as well Saturday. They haven't won the BE tourney since 2015 and for some reason have really struggled in their conf tourney. I thought Gtown played excellent as I caught most of the second half but this is a game Denver should win. Gtown is missing their best offensive player who was lost for the year a few weeks ago and they struggled at times to generate good looks in settled 6 on 6 situations. Gtown was masterful at the X last night and that really propelled them over Nova. Clearly going up against Baptiste that advantage should be neutralized. All that said its hard to trust Denver here, they looked uninterested vs Marquette and you know Gtown will be playing like its the Super Bowl on Saturday.
If your Syracuse and Yale beats Penn tonight your probably still in great shape if one of Albany or Denver blows the championship game. Where it gets tricky is if both get upset. Then your looking at a scenario where Syracuse could get left out. Nova has an argument to make for an at large when you look at their numbers and their Top 5 win over Yale and solid wins over Penn and PSU. I think Nova won yesterday they were probably in as they would have been 11-4 with a game against Denver to go. Losing twice to Gtown late I think really hurts as does PSU fading and missing the B10 tourney. Would be interesting to see if it came down to SU and Nova where the committee would go. I know there is some talk about Gtown getting an at large at 11-4 but there OOC schedule besides Loyola was pretty bad and they lost to Loyola. I just don't think they have the numbers to get in.
Bottom line root for Yale, Denver, and Albany especially to get the job done.
