Ridiculously Early NCAA Predictions

[SullyLax]

The article featured on laxnation can be seen here:
http://laxnation.com/home/displayarticle.php?category=articles&title=predics&articleid=221
Thoughts? Agreements? Disagreements?

[sumSum]

I'm surprised with his prediction of Princeton winning National Champ but it does make sense.

Syracuse - out
Navy - out
I agree with those two. I think Navy will find it hard to sustain their momentum coming into the new season. Without Powell Syracuse is left in the dust.

Maryland in the final four-YES! The program, with its national prestige, needs to start doing better. Ranked #1 for a day before loosing a game. They need a championship or closer to one, and SOON. I think they're a talented program that wants to win but they wont do anything spectacular unless they really come through. None of this win one, loose one record.

Who knows what to say about UVA? I dont even understand what went wrong with them to begin with. Time will tell.

I dont really know my men's that much but I think the perennial powers will be there in the end. As they are every other friggin season. Lets see us some more upsets! Whose our next Navy?

[GCHSLax04]

If princeton made it as far as they did with such a young team, they are going to be thundering back this year, and maybe next year as well if they can get a good goalie again (i don't know if tierney will be back again, (he is the goalie correct? i'm really tired right now so eh...)

[Longest]

I disagreed quite a bit I think.
Cuse is still dangerous, they didn't lose everybody on their team. Key losses hurt but they still make the tourney I think. The final four streak goes down though.
I think Navy pushes through and has another solid year. You can't look at what other teams return, then compare that to Navy and say Navy has no chance. Birsner and Dingman return on attack + Horn (Bossi gone), lose only Brendan Looney in the starting midfield (a D mid no less), return Felber and Hendler on D (lose Bosanko), return one of the most dominant FO guys this year in Pieczonka, plus Wallin was damn good as a freshman, plus the year Matt Russell had in goal. You can't just discount that. Sure the surprise is gone but let's be honest here. They are only hungrier now that they went so far and came up just short.
UNC can step it up this year if they put together some consistency.
I don't think UVA has a Final Four caliber team but they I think they can return to the tournament.
Being a Hop fan, can't really speak nonbiased here. They still have the weapons to be dangerous, the only differnce is Petro needs to not be outcoached late in the tourney. Still a FF team though.
I wish I had more confidence in UMD, but I just don't. Not after last year. You can't lose 2 first team All Americans on the defensive end and then the next year go further in the playoffs then you did with them. At least not in my magical predictions world :-)
Towson falls short again. Go down in teh quarters is my prediction. I played with some of their midfielders in a tourney, they can ball, they just can't put it all together.
Princeton does not win the title. Fabulous freshmen, experience, and Tierney aside, they lost Ryan Boyle. Guys like that don't grow on trees.
One team he didn't mention is Georgetown. A couple key losses but still solid weapons and a great coach.

I'll go my 3 picks for the final four:
Hop
Navy
Georgetown

The 4th one, like last year, is hard to call. I'll go ahead and put Princeton in there, if only cuz of the Tierney factor. I'd like to pick Maryland but I cannot, in good faith, do that after watching them go down to P'ton in the quarterfinals this past year.

Dan

[spenny]

dan, no JHU?
hopefully later i will have tome to back this up with data.

top teams in no particular order:

JHU, best recruiting class of the year, can petro relax them enought to win the big game?

Princeton (sigh, when will these people go away?)

Navy, wont return to the finals, but still very strong

SU, reports of their demise are silly. last 2 years they have been written off at mid-season only to return to the FF. i wont believe they are dead till i see a corpse. a corpse after memorial day, mind you

also rans:
UMD, coaching issues, player issues
UVA, they need another year or so to sort out their locker room issues
Duke/UNC- has anyone ever seen thiese 2 teams in the same place? they both have tons of talent but never seem to go anywhere, both in carolina, both blue uniforms. really, are they the same team? or is it something in the air down there

delaware will continue to build. i hope binghampton will, but i really dont know enough about them to say with any certainty

my quakers, another strong year, especially if the new keeper is as good as i hear

[Longest]

Originally posted by spenny
dan, no JHU?
hopefully later i will have tome to back this up with data.


I put Hop in there. Not much to say really, they're still just as dangerous, plus they added a bunch more talent. Petro just needs to not be outcoached late in the tourney. They'll make the FF without trouble, IMO.

Dan

[spenny]

Originally posted by Longest
I put Hop in there. Not much to say really, they're still just as dangerous, plus they added a bunch more talent. Petro just needs to not be outcoached late in the tourney. They'll make the FF without trouble, IMO.

Dan

i see it now, D'oh!

i think JHU is a lock for the FF, but playing on monday? who knows. they need to chill out and have some fun with the season, i think by the time they get to the FF they are so stressed that they stop functioning

[Longest]

Originally posted by spenny
i see it now, D'oh!

i think JHU is a lock for the FF, but playing on monday? who knows. they need to chill out and have some fun with the season, i think by the time they get to the FF they are so stressed that they stop functioning

It's hard to figure out what's wrong with them by that point in the season. Just one of those things I guess.

Dan

[Longest]

It appears Rob Bateman is going to play one more year of college lax, this time at UVA. That could be huge for them.

Dan

[sumSum]

Whose Bateman and where is he from? Is he pulling a Time McGinnis and being a graduate student or something? By the way, did Tim only play three years at Gettysburg or wherever?

[Longest]

Bateman is a 2-time All American from Penn State. He graduated from there in 4 years but had a redshirt year. Some say he's the best longstick player in the nation.

Dan

[WarriorLax22]

for princeton, perhaps some people are forgetting ryan boyle is gone; boyle is princeton's mike powell. i think pete striebel will see some time at midfield. i hear a kid from hotchkiss is gonna make a big impact. but with casino, barry, and schultz gone, i'm questioning who's gonna fill in. i think tony vita may finally play this year...a bit late for arguably 2002's best defenseman.

[DukeLax2]

wat about duke man, they wont make it to the final four but theyve got lots of young players n the future is good. princeton is some sauce

[spenny]

i have no idea what dukes problem is. they've had one of the best recruiting classes for the last 6+ years but they cant get it together. i'd have to guess it might be the coach but i really dont know.

they arent going anywhere

McGuiness did redshirt at Gettysburg, and was in grad school at UMD, which is exactly what bateman is doing.

i think bateman spent the whole of last season hurt, and took his redhirt then

[sumSum]

So where is he taking his final year?

[jmplax31]

No one really knows right know. I have heard many rumers as to where he might go.

[TheKOB]

Why is Navy being counted out? Who did they graduate? To me, they seemed to be a bunch of guys who no one really thought much about, and they made it to the Nat'l Championship, and almost won. I think they'll improve.

In retrospect, their keeper might've been a senior, but remember they do have a rising sophmore keep with National Championship experience :agree

[spenny]

Originally posted by sumSum
So where is he taking his final year?

bateman will be at UVA next year.
thats what i have heard from someone close to the penn state program

[sumSum]

Originally posted by spenny
bateman will be at UVA next year.
thats what i have heard from someone close to the penn state program

Maybe he went for the school...heh heh.

We'll see if UVA can play after their embarassment of a season.

[spenny]

Originally posted by sumSum
We'll see if UVA can play after their embarassment of a season.

i doubt it. i think they have another painful season ahead of them

[Longest]

It's so hard to tell with them now. They lost some weapons, obviously Tillman but some others. And they struggled mightily the entire season. It just doesn't look great for them, I know I'm pessimistic.

Dan

[TheKOB]

they have to pull together as a team...that's what was lacking this past year. There's no reason they should've done as bad as they did with all the talent they had.

They were the Team USA of college lacrosse....sadly enough for both of 'em.

[blckout20]

I would love to see Towson do good. I'm a huge Hopkins fan but I have no real worries about them doing good. It would make me happy to see Towson in the final four tho. Duke should be pretty good I mean they have the talent to be a good team. Maryland should be good, final four? idk but definatley good. Cuse I'm not planning on watching memorial day weekend. Why? Powell and Lindsay are both gone...top two players on the team.

Championship - Hopkins over Princeton

[Longest]

Duke had plenty of talent last year too, but they're still looking at finishing 4th in the ACC.

Dan

[btkid08]

Cuse has some weapons coming in, but i think we might see that FF streak be broken.

Hop-Tons of talent, lets see what happens with the goalie situation, ive seen the new keeper that have, Locey, play and hes nasty

UNC-This is their year, put up and shut up time

Princeton- solid team, a new keep in there might be a diffrence maker, lets see if they have a new R. Boyle

Navy-Why is everyone dissing on this team. They are sick, didnt lose that much, but hey they would pull a UVA

finally i think we should pay attention to another team. Cornell lost some people but still have mconagle in net, along with 2/3 of there attack back. Id watch them

[DukeLax2]

virgina will get back in the mix when the use chirstmas at attack, and cmon, cornell, no farther than they got last year