[MLAX] vBook: Duke vs Loyola
- Thread starter IrishLax
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Ultimate Penn St. Hater
Go Irish!
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Damn
Do you really think the Irish get drilled? The way both teams are playing, there's no reason why ND should come out on top....but they did beat them 13-5, if I recall. I just really hope that the aggressive fourth quarter opened their eyes....the coaches and the players. Be aggressive. I know you can't keep that up the whole game but stop sitting back on your heels and letting the game come to you. Get on your toes and take it. I have a good feeling about beating Duke on Sunday.
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The problem is that the way ND is playing we are prohibitive underdogs against literally every team left in the field except for Yale and probably Ohio State (although they're playing awesome right now) and maybe, in a stretch, Denver because of their atrocious D. So even if we beat Duke, we probably get Cornell in the next round who should smoke us. And if we beat Cornell, we probably get Syracuse/UNC... and either of those teams should smoke us. The O has just gone into the taken ever since teams started using the St. John's approach (i.e. stall ball + packed in late slide defense... Detroit changed their entire defensive game plan for our match on Saturday because of how clear STJ/Syracuse made the defensive strategy to be used against us).
What is our main issue against Duke? Well, They've knocked us out of the playoffs 2 of the last 3 years despite us beating them handily 4 straight times in the beginning of the season. Both times they did it with defense and not offense (6-5, 7-5) because they have ample game film to figure us out after a season and have seen all our players in person. Think they're going to play their typical loose aggressive defense? I doubt it. On top of that, Brendan Fowler has been DOMINATING faceoffs recently and that is a huge issue for ND right now. Duke may have a gigantic faceoff edge. On top of that, the only reason their game against Loyola was even close was because Jack Runkel made 22 (!!!) saves... Duke had 61 freaking shots and easily could've gotten to 16-17 goals with some better accuracy.
So Nick Ossello is really going to have to have his **** together AND John Kemp will need to be lights out AND our O will have to play worlds better AND our D will have to have their best game in over a month for us to have a chance of winning this game. I see a final score like 12-6 in favor of Duke. But if we magically find a cure-all to our terrible ball possession/offense over the next week of practice anything is possible.
Okay, I wish I didn't just read that....you are bringing my Notre Dame Homerism down...I know everything you said is absolutely true...I just have to think positive. Be more aggressive on O...Who cares about patience....Freakin' move and fire away! I know it's not that easy but I expect to see glimpses of it...I still say ND takes Duke down! I'm going to use all my V-Bucks I was generously given to back it up! GO IRISH!!
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Haha I like your confidence... you are definitely the Walter to my Lebowski right now.
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Yeah... that was a "WOW!" moment... can you imagine if that was a major sport? Like a guy going in for a game winning layup in basketball and the coach calls timeout right before he makes the shot? It would be chaos.
I felt so bad for Loyola. Absolutely did not deserve to lose that game.