This Weeks Media Poll....

[jmplax31]

.... http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=77620

Not bad considering all the upsets. Would like to see Army and UMass a little higher.

[CHSlax]

Ya true both are playing very good but arn't getting much respect.

[Ghslongpole14]

I love how Princeton is #8 and haven't won a game.

UNC needs to pick it up. Better beat Hofstra on Saturday.

[hbmedic]

Okay, you guys need to keep your bias' out of your opinion of the Media and Coaches polls.. Pre-season strength of schedule polls have Army at 21st, and UMass at 22nd.. That means their schedules are EASY!!!

Army,
Army so far has beaten #14 Cornell by 2 goals, unranked Lehigh by 3 goals, and lost to #6 Syracuse by 5 goals and only scored 4 total.. I think at #11, their overrated and ranked too high.. This week they play #12 Rutgers.. We'll see what happens..

UMASS,
UMASS has beaten unranked Stoney Brook by 3 goals, Unranked Hofstra by 5 goals, and unranked Yale by 6 goals.. Again, way overrated and highly over-ranked.. in a few weeks they finally play one of their few ranked opponents at Brown.. and then finally their last 4 games are against ranked teams Hobart, Georgetown, Syracuse, and Rutgers.. and I guarantee they lose all 4 of those games..

So, based on that, who of the top 9 teams in the poll, JHU, VA, Duke, MD, G'Town, 'Cuse, Navy, Princeton, and ND would you like moved down to make room for Army and UMASS?! You guys are crazy.. UMASS won't even beat Brown..

I believe based on upsets and schedule difficulty the rankings in this media poll are pretty good. After watching Notre Dame handle Carolina the other night I think there is an argument for them moving up past Princeton.. but they were #14 last week.. so they moved up quite a bit.. but I was definately impressed. Even though without excellent goaltending I believe they would have lost to Carolina. There were 5 point blank one on one saves that goalie made including 1 spectacular kick save that would've lost the game for Notre Dame. So we'll see, I still believe at the end it will be JHU, Syracuse, and Princeton in the Final 4 with either G'town, Notre Dame, Navy, Carolina, or Maryland thrown in to get beat.. Have a great week..

hbm

[jmplax31]

Okay, you guys need to keep your bias' out of your opinion of the Media and Coaches polls.. Pre-season strength of schedule polls have Army at 21st, and UMass at 22nd.. That means their schedules are EASY!!!

Army,
Army so far has beaten #14 Cornell by 2 goals, unranked Lehigh by 3 goals, and lost to #6 Syracuse by 5 goals and only scored 4 total.. I think at #11, their overrated and ranked too high.. This week they play #12 Rutgers.. We'll see what happens..

UMASS,
UMASS has beaten unranked Stoney Brook by 3 goals, Unranked Hofstra by 5 goals, and unranked Yale by 6 goals.. Again, way overrated and highly over-ranked.. in a few weeks they finally play one of their few ranked opponents at Brown.. and then finally their last 4 games are against ranked teams Hobart, Georgetown, Syracuse, and Rutgers.. and I guarantee they lose all 4 of those games..


Good point. You’re right that they don't deserve to be ranked higher because of there strength of schedule. However I still think they are teams that have not received a chance to prove themselves. Give UMass and Army a chance to play some good teams and I feel they will start climbing up the polls a little. I mean it have been a crazy year this far.

[hbmedic]

See below..hbm

[hbmedic]

Their ranked above what they should be.. and the media personnel who voted know that they have to rank them where they are or they'll be an uproar from people like you.. but in all reality everyone knows down the road when they finally meet ranked opponents (Army plays Rutgers this week, Bucknell, Navy, and Duke in April) they will lose and fall to where they will probably end up around 16th to 20 where they started in the preseason.. They just don't play anybody.. you can't expect them to be higher when they don't play anyone..

Princeton has 2 losses and no wins, but they have played the 2 top ranked teams in the country.. ofcourse they lost.. they probably went into both games as the underdog.. Once they start playing teams like Hofstra this week, Syracuse, Yale, Penn, Rutgers, Harvard, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Brown, which is all of their remaining schedule.. Honestly, at the end of the season I could see them 9-2.. maybe 8-3.. then what would you say?! They started the season very tough.. now they can come together learn from their mistakes against great teams, and kill all of these lower ranked and unranked opponents they face.. we'll see what happens, but that would be my bet..

Syracuse and Carolina face the same road..

Although Syracuse plays Hopkins this week.. then Princeton.. but after that its Hobart, Brown, Loyola, Cornell, Rutgers, Albany, and UMASS.. they could end up 9-3 or 8-4 depending on the Princeton game..

Carolina at 1-2 also, has Hofstra this week so 2-2 going into their showdown with #3 Duke.. then Cornell, Maryland, JHU, Virginia, Air Force, UMBC, Colgate, and then the ACC tourney.. that is a very tough schedule.. I see them finishing around 8-6 or so.. not good enough..

Georgetown has Navy and Duke in a few weeks and besides that game they coast through the rest of the season.. Delaware, Hobart, Vermont, Mt. St. Mary's, Loyola, UMASS, Rutgers, Penn St.. thats a relatively easy schedule for a top ten team.. I see them around 10-3 give or take pulling out a win at Navy or Duke..

Maryland hits their tough schedule down the road, I see them going 5-1 prior to hitting Carolina, Virginia, Navy, and Hopkins... and their always tough in the ACC tourney.. I'd put them around 9-6.. not good enough.. depending on how they play ACC rivals Duke & Carolina..

Virginia is doing extremely well given a tough schedule as well. Just beat Syracuse and Princeton now they play Mt St Mary's and Towson before hitting the hard part of their schedule against JHU, Maryland, Carolina, and Duke.. and then finish at the ACC tourney against Maryland, Duke, Carolina.. I see them at an easy 6-0 before hitting Hopkins for a #1 v. #2 Showdown March 26th.. They could be 8-1 going into their match up with Duke to end the season.. and they could finish winning the ACC tourney and end up 10-1 or 9-2 or so.. thats a final 4 #2 ranked finish..

Navy has an easy schedule.. they just lost to Bucknell, now they play Lafayette, Colgate, Lehigh, and Holy Cross before finally playing G'town.. then Maryland, Army, and finally JHU to end the season.. with a loss to Bucknell who knows how Navy is going to play or end up this season. Bucknell has to be a win.. but it wasn't.. So who knows with them..

Notre Dame really impressed me Saturday night.. Their goalie and middies are great.. and their now ranked at #9 with a 2-1 record.. looking at their remaining schedule, I don't see them losing another game.. I see them ending up 9-1 and safely in the NCAA tourney but not in the Final 4.. their remaininig schedule is ridiculously easy.. Mt St Mary's has a tougher schedule..

So that's
#1 Hopkins (12-0)
#2 Virginia (10-1/9-2)
#3 G'Town (10-3)
#4 Notre Dame (9-1)
#5 Princeton (9-2/8-3)
#6 Syracuse (9-3/8-4)
#7 Carolina (9-5/8-6)
#8 Maryland (9-6/8-7)
#9 Navy (who knows)

Final standings.. just a prediction..

Anyway thats how I see it.. lets see what you think about that?!

hbm

[UElax16]

personally i think armys goalie had a pretty good game a gainst su considering that his team infront of him sux

[SDS416]

Strength of schedule is a deceptive thing due to conference affiliation. I have always tended to look at both conference and non conference. Teams that play in weaker conferences have a hard time getting any strength of schedule respect, despite the fact that some of them play aggressively difficult non conference games.

Interesting analysis of the situation HB.
Princeton with 2 losses already and not an exactly easy schedule coming up. They catch SU in 2 weeks coming off of what will be a tough game against Hopkins, have Cornell, Rutgers and Dartmouth and Brown. If they go 3-2 in those 5 games (which isn't out of the realm of possibliity) they are a 4 loss team.
SU could be in trouble. 1-2 so far, with Hopkins this week, they could easily be 1-3, and facing at a matchup with Princeton. They did not look at all sharp against G-Town. SU may not even make the tourney.
G-Town is in a great situation. They have played well. It would not suprise me if they ran the table from here. Duke and Navy are the tests you identified but I don't think this years Navy team is nearly as good as lasts. If they get by Duke, I think they run the table. If they run the table, any stumble by whoever is #2 (assuming its going to be UVA) and it will be hard for them not to climb into that spot.
I'm glad to hear you were impressed with ND, I think that squad was a bit underrated to start the season. I think they go as far as their goaltending allows them to go, they certainly don't have any glaring weaknesses in terms of the play of their middies or D.
North Carolina is done for this season. They have put themselves far too far behind the 8 ball for anything good to come of it. A .500 record is about what they can expect from here.
The team I really like is Towson. They have quietly risen through the poll this season, and I love their style of play. I think they are tournament quality, and could really suprise some people. They lost to MD this past week, but I think its a learning experience for them. The effort just kind of tailed off in the second half.
Maryland disappoints me greatly. I expected better from them, given the goal scoring they have and the quality goaltender. Nice win vs. Towson last week. Withstood alot of pressure in the first half to come out and basically own the second half. That said, something about this team just doesnt' set right with me.
Virginia is an odd club. Coming off a horrible season they certainly are playing much better. The question becomes do they keep it together through the ACC schedule? I think they probably are a 3 loss team.
Duke is the wild card. 6-0 right now. The thing about their schedule is that they get much of it out of the way early, and their tough games have some room around them, which is important in terms of preparation. I like this squad, they don't do one thing in particular well, they just do it all.
The class of the field is Hopkins. No question. This may make no sense at all, but I think a loss at this point might do them alot of good. Alot of focus on them right now, and alot of pressure that comes from being #1 and having had such great expectations thrust upon them for years on end now. A quick loss to take them off the radar might not hurt them too much. Better to get that out of the way now, instead of when it really counts.

[hbmedic]

A very good argument, thank you.. I appreciate how you see things.. however, with Towson, I don't see them winning a game in the tournement, they haven't been that good since Lindsey Dix(ck)son was there.. Having just lost to what was #6 ranked Maryland and now having to play Rutgers and Virginia.. I see them 3-3 or 4-2 at best going into easy wins at Delaware and Drexel before hitting cross-town rival UMBC (that game is always a toss up) then Villanova, Sacred Heart (WHO?), and Hofstra.. and then finishing backing into the CAA tourney after a loss to Hopkins.. and considering the competition in the CAA is weak at best, they probably do in fact earn an auto bid with a win in that tournement.. if they didn't already.. but I don't see them going very far.. depends on their seeding and who they draw first.. I see them out in the 2nd round at best..

Notre Dame was impressive and disciplined on offense but as I said if it weren't for the goalie there were 5 one on one opportunities the defense let through that he saved.. and maybe 1 or 2 were off of transition.. I don't see them in the final 4 even though I do see them ranked in the top 4 to end the season..

but thats why they play the games, with the upsets of this season who really knows what will happen.. there was a time when you could easily map routes to the final 4 for Hopkins, Syracuse, and Princeton.. I think for now, those times are gone.. Navy is a joke after a loss to Bucknell, even Syracuse and Carolina wouldn't lose to that team.. and I think those teams are very poor this year.. Prossner was way too timid and easily shut down to be considered a Tewaaraton finalist this season and maybe not even 1st team all american.. I certainly didn't see 1st team all american on the field for Carolina.. Maybe he just had an off night.. His family sat right behind me and they didn't know what was wrong either..!? So anyway, thanks again.. we'll see what happens.. hbm

[SDS416]

Brodie Merrill continues to impress the crap out of me. That dude was awesome against SU. Was he as impressive in person as he was on TV?