2016 NCAA Lacrosse Open Thread

[irishrb]

Not the prettiest game but these boys do know how to win tight games, which obviously could fair well for them down the stretch.
Realistically who do you see as the 4 teams most likely to make the final four right now?

 

[IrishLax]

Brown, Denver, Maryland, Notre Dame. Yale sniffing around but their style of play tends to implode on the bigger stages.

 

[IrishLax]

Some fun games today...

Ohio State vs. Michigan at 11 in the 'Shoe on Big Ten Network in front of what should be about 30-40k fans.

Army vs Navy on CBSports at noon.

#4 Brown vs #2 Yale at 1 PM on ESPN3. Should be a really fun game.

Syracuse vs North Carolina with a LOT on the line at 4 PM.

I will be do primary and secondary channels all day with the spring game when it's on.

 

[IrishLax]

So the winner of Duke vs UVA today gets in to the ACC tournament, the loser plays Brown in an exhibition game. Really hope Duke loses so they have to play Brown... first of all, I think Duke would beat them which would be great for everyone's RPI. Second, I want Duke out of the playoff picture.

 

[irishrb]

So the winner of Duke vs UVA today gets in to the ACC tournament, the loser plays Brown in an exhibition game. Really hope Duke loses so they have to play Brown... first of all, I think Duke would beat them which would be great for everyone's RPI. Second, I want Duke out of the playoff picture.

Quite bummed that it looks like duke is going to win the game as I totally agreed with you. duke's offense is just dangerous and someone that I don't want ND to have to face come tourney time! Hopefully ND beats unc, and then knocks duke out in the ACC to bury them.

 

[IrishLax]

Looks like Duke vs ND, Cuse vs UNC in the first round of ACC tournament... only question is seeding.

 

[irishrb]

Well let's knock those cockshnocks out of the first round of the ACC and hopefully the tourney too!

 

[IrishLax]

Epoch/IL Bracketology: Men's Division I, Second Look | Inside Lacrosse

Bracketology... basically, if ND holds serve from here until the end we're probably looking at being locked in to one of the top four seeds, probably number 1. The draw given above would be amazing... easy first round matchup, followed by either Marquette (who we know we can beat) or Hopkins (who has a great offense but overall weakness in other areas).

The Maryland/Duke/Yale pod is pure death... and no one wants to see Brown in the quarterfinals with them hosting this year.

 

[irishrb]

I agree, that looks like it would be a good draw. Unfortunately I just don't see the Irish winning out. I really think they lose one of their next two. Other than denver, the other top teams will probably lose one down the road too though, to hopefully keep them as a 1-4 seed.

 

[IrishLax]

I agree, that looks like it would be a good draw. Unfortunately I just don't see the Irish winning out. I really think they lose one of their next two. Other than denver, the other top teams will probably lose one down the road too though, to hopefully keep them as a 1-4 seed.

It's going to be really tough for Notre Dame to win all of the next four. Going to be up against talented, desperate teams. I will say the streaky nature of UNC is such that it wouldn't be surprising to me if Notre Dame won this weekend, especially with the long week of rest.

Duke vs Marquette tonight is HUGE. Duke can basically play their way in or out of the at-large discussion with a win/loss tonight. They lose tonight and they positively must win the AQ to get in. They have no chance... even if they got a first round upset over Notre Dame... of getting in at a 10-8 overall record with one quality win.

 

[irishrb]

It's going to be really tough for Notre Dame to win all of the next four. Going to be up against talented, desperate teams. I will say the streaky nature of UNC is such that it wouldn't be surprising to me if Notre Dame won this weekend, especially with the long week of rest.

Duke vs Marquette tonight is HUGE. Duke can basically play their way in or out of the at-large discussion with a win/loss tonight. They lose tonight and they positively must win the AQ to get in. They have no chance... even if they got a first round upset over Notre Dame... of getting in at a 10-8 overall record with one quality win.

You got any info if the rest helped heal the Irish...Brosco? Collins?

 

[IrishLax]

Classic duke peaking at the end of the season and gonna backdoor their way into the playoffs. Just DESTROYED Marquette 16-1.

 

[irishrb]

Classic duke peaking at the end of the season and gonna backdoor their way into the playoffs. Just DESTROYED Marquette 16-1.

Ya, I have been telling my boys this all year.......duke is a team Notre Dame does NOT want to see in the playoffs!

 

[IrishLax]

Really interesting first quarter. Uncharacteristically sloppy defense by ND led to two goals but in general the offense looked good and they generally working a circle and 2-3-1 that is getting guys open off the dodge as it's confusing the slides. A lot of sweeps getting to the middle of the field.

But the kicker is that ND scored a half field goal at the buzzer and there was serious controversy but they counted it after deliberation.

 

[NDgradstudent]

That one is going to cause some ND favoritism whining. Why can't they use video review?

 

[IrishLax]

Wow. Matt Kavanagh called for a deep pocket on an ND timeout gave UNC the ball and a two-man advantage and it's now 6-5. Sheesh. Huge momentum changer. Really had an opportunity to open the game up and we don't have a single offensive possession this quarter.

 

[NDgradstudent]

How many man-up chances have they given UNC this quarter? 4?

 

[IrishLax]

How many man-up chances have they given UNC this quarter? 4?

Yeah huge assist from the refs. ND offense has been dynamic today but they barely had the ball in the second quarter.

 

[IrishLax]

Notre Dame has not been stopped today when they've had the ball. 14-9 headed into the 4th, only thing that is a shame is UNC inevitably breaking ND's streak of holding teams below 10. That 5 goal third thanks to a bajillion penalties sort of did in ND.

EDIT: Well, the refs absolutely handed the game to UNC. So many flags and bad calls to give UNC possession and opportunities and enable this comeback. Just shameful. Glad a screw job like this didn't happen in the tournament. Also, Shane Doss had almost as bad of a day as the officials.

 

[NDgradstudent]

The officiating was bad, but losing face-offs, lousy goaltending, and a defense playing well below its standard for three of the four quarters were the main problems as far as I can tell. It's surprising because usually offense has been the problem this year. Hopefully this is a lesson for the team.

 

[IrishLax]

The offense was definitely encouraging today. The only quarters where they didn't dominate they simply didn't have the ball. Their offensive efficiency was through the roof.

I'm not really sure what to say about the defense because the two quarters where they imploded UNC was aided by just ridiculous officiating... and Doss made no saves, and ND couldn't get 50/50 ground balls. I think we have enough of a sample size to say that there aren't any problems on that side of the ball, just bad breaks today.

ND beat a two-man-down advantage at about the 8:30 mark and cleared it. Kavanagh and Garnsey executed a routine man-ball, and the ref called interference for no reason. Led directly to a UNC goal as they were still a man up. That's the sequence that basically opened the flood gates because it cut the lead to 3 and then UNC went on their run the next time they got the ball. The call was egregious because all Garnsey did was run to a spot (which he's allowed to do) AND the ball was still loose when the UNC guy made contact with him. The ref started making the call before the ball was even scooped which shows he was just itching to make it... would've been hilarious if Kavanagh had flubbed the GB and he was stuck making an interference call when no one had the ball.

Then at the end of the game Doss makes a save and they give UNC a goal when the ball didn't cross the line. I went back and still framed it on my DVR there is a zero percent chance the ball fully crossed the goal line. ND should've had the ball with plenty of time to tie.

This game likely costs ND the #1 seed, but otherwise it's pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. But I don't think I've ever seen one team get called for that many ticky tack fouls while the opponent largely got away with the same thing. Every little bit of contact they called a violation or threw a flag. I don't see how UNC goes on their faceoff run at the end if our guys weren't gun shy because of being penalized for 3 violations.

 

[NDgradstudent]

The offense was definitely encouraging today. The only quarters where they didn't dominate they simply didn't have the ball. Their offensive efficiency was through the roof.

That's what is so annoying. Fifteen goals and we should win, against any team.

I'm not really sure what to say about the defense because the two quarters where they imploded UNC was aided by just ridiculous officiating... and Doss made no saves, and ND couldn't get 50/50 ground balls. I think we have enough of a sample size to say that there aren't any problems on that side of the ball, just bad breaks today.

ND beat a two-man-down advantage at about the 8:30 mark and cleared it. Kavanagh and Garnsey executed a routine man-ball, and the ref called interference for no reason. Led directly to a UNC goal as they were still a man up. That's the sequence that basically opened the flood gates because it cut the lead to 3 and then UNC went on their run the next time they got the ball. The call was egregious because all Garnsey did was run to a spot (which he's allowed to do) AND the ball was still loose when the UNC guy made contact with him. The ref started making the call before the ball was even scooped which shows he was just itching to make it... would've been hilarious if Kavanagh had flubbed the GB and he was stuck making an interference call when no one had the ball.

Then at the end of the game Doss makes a save and they give UNC a goal when the ball didn't cross the line. I went back and still framed it on my DVR there is a zero percent chance the ball fully crossed the goal line. ND should've had the ball with plenty of time to tie.

This game likely costs ND the #1 seed, but otherwise it's pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. But I don't think I've ever seen one team get called for that many ticky tack fouls while the opponent largely got away with the same thing. Every little bit of contact they called a violation or threw a flag. I don't see how UNC goes on their faceoff run at the end if our guys weren't gun shy because of being penalized for 3 violations.

That call on the long pass down the field didn't make sense to me, either. I agree it seemed like the floodgate-opening call. I would also like to know how many of UNC's goals were man-up. It must be at least 6 or 7.

The point about face-offs is interesting. I was surprised we couldn't win any in the last couple minutes. We've been destroyed in face-offs in other games this year, though, and we've still kept opponents to well below their season average in goals. It might have something to do with UNC getting good scoring chances early in possessions, compared to us making other teams (such as Denver) typically wait longer for good chances, if they ever get them.

How worried are you about Doss' play going forward? He seems like he has been a lot better this year than last year.

 

[irishrb]

Really disappointing loss to say the least. I was encouraged by the offense and it was good to see Collins and Brosco back! Kav is definitely a leader on this team and is making everyone better! I loved seeing him stick up for the freshman today...Garnsey as they bumped into him and his excitement for Philips as he scored!
Doss was really disappointing.
I actually think they lose to duke on Friday and then beat army.

 

[irishrb]

ACC tourney: Important for ND or no?
Personally, I think the ACC tourney is important for the Irish...Not only for seeding purposes but to get this team to pull everything together and start looking like a nathional championship team. I[m just not seeing all the pieces of the puzzle coming together for the Irish to win it right now. I would love to see them start this Friday and continue through Philly!

 

[IrishLax]

ACC tourney: Important for ND or no?
Personally, I think the ACC tourney is important for the Irish...Not only for seeding purposes but to get this team to pull everything together and start looking like a nathional championship team. I[m just not seeing all the pieces of the puzzle coming together for the Irish to win it right now. I would love to see them start this Friday and continue through Philly!

Yeah I mean any time you can get a trophy, I think it's important. Most important to me is that the offense continues to play well in the next couple games because I promise you the defense will have its sh*t together in the NCAA tournament.

 

[irishrb]

Ya, my boys and I were talking today and we all totally agree that the offense looks better and needs to continue to tighten it up. They are definitely looking a lot better now than they did when they lost to denver earlier in the year. I just am more and more impressed with Kav the more I watch him. He's truly a team player that is just making everyone better.
They finally seem about as healthy as they have been in a while so hopefully they all start gelling and start kicking some arse!

 

[IrishLax]

Kavanagh, Perkovic, Sexton, Landis, and Doss claimed 5 out of the 18 All-ACC spots.

Also, official press release from ACC listed UNC and Notre Dame as co-champions... wasn't sure if the tiebreaker for seeding mattered for that or not. So in their first 3 years in the league, they've managed to win a conference championship of one form or another each season.

 

[irishrb]

Not too shabby....Time to start showing they are a championship team...
What are your feelings for the duke game tomorrow?
My boys and I really disagree...I actually think the Irish lose....duke is playing their best lacrosse right now. Their D has tightened up and their goalie is seeing the ball well Plus, if they lose, they are still on the bubble...Not to mention it's a payback game for duke. My boys think ND comes ready to play and lays it to them. I hope they are right, b/c if they lose, it is really going to give them a rough seed, and tough draw come tourney time.

 

[IrishLax]

Yeah I think ND loses. Not sure if I shared it on here, but there are strong rumors that Kavanagh is suspended for the game. If that's the case, it'd take a freaking miracle to win.

 

[PANDFAN]

Yeah I think ND loses. Not sure if I shared it on here, but there are strong rumors that Kavanagh is suspended for the game. If that's the case, it'd take a freaking miracle to win.

i don't follow lax but watch when it is on if it's ND...obviously he is the best player on team and is the only one i would know by name....what is he rumored to have been suspended for?