BU had a historic year and the future looks bright for coach Polley. Princeton looks like they have a roster to make a final four appearance this year. One of the broadcasters during the game pointed it out and it’s so true. Princeton, even under Tierney, didnt have the dudes they have now that dominate the middle of the field. Offensively, they spin it as well as anybody and they have big nasty defenders that love to put the ball on the ground.
Saint Josephs played in one of the better games we will see this tournament against Yale. I said Yale didn’t look good coming out of their conference championship loss to Penn a week ago. The stats of this one were basically split down the middle, with the only real advantage going to SJU at the face off X. A big 3rd quarter by the Elis helped them pull away from a very tight game.
I don’t think Princeton vs Yale round two will be as close as round one was. Its crazy to think that being left out of your conference tournament would end up being a blessing for Princeton. Yale had to play 2 extra emotional games than Princeton had to. Yale looks tired and banged up and the time off seems to have Princeton rested and hungry. Princeton takes this one and moves on to its first championship weekend since 2004.
As good as SJU vs Yale was, I think Penn vs. Richmond was the game of the weekend. This game was back and forth all the way through to the end of regulation. Free lacrosse is the best lacrosse and unfortunately for Richmond, Sam Handly was just too much to handle. All eyes were on the big guy and that’s what led to that opening on the crease to the freshman who finished his night with 5 G birds and a dead fish celly to end this classic.
Harvard hung tough in the first half only being down two. The Second half you could see the experience of a much older Rutgers team take over. I could go on another rant about how this should have been Notre Dame but I’ve done that enough. Coach Byrne has a full cupboard of talent coming back next year for the Crimson. As I’ve said before, I think Coach Byrne is primed to do something that hasn’t ever really happened at Harvard, build a consistent winner to compete in the Ivy.
Rutgers will move on to play Penn in beautiful Hempstead, New York. I think the experience again will be too much for Penn to overcome. Yes, Sam Handly might be the most frightening player in the country right now but I think Colin Kirst and the Scarlet Knights defense will have an answer.
Tied at 7-7 going into the second half, I really thought “maybe Bruno can do this, maybe the crowd is really keeping them in it”. We have all been there, when you start drinking too early the brain starts to fall apart and the body can’t keep its composure. The Bruno faithful just didn’t have it in them to stick it to olé Lars for 4 quarters. The second half things fell apart pretty quickly and Connor Shellenberger showed why he’s one of the five remaining finalists for the Tewaaraton. The Hoos showed everybody again why they are back to back defending champs. The rematch of last year’s championship might just be the game of the year and decide who takes home the hardware on memorial day.
I wish Ryan Cornell had another year of eligibility. I absolutely love this kid. If not for him, this game would have been over much earlier than it was. Vermont showed some flashes early in this game with some nice caused turnovers against Wisnauskas and Khan. The Catamounts just couldn’t keep the ship afloat with their offense barely being able to draw a slide and getting beat down at the face off X.
It’s unfortunate that the probable game of the year and game that will decide who wins this year’s championship will take place in the quarterfinals. The names say it all in this one, Wisnauskas, Shellenberger, Moore, Fairman, Donville, Dickson, Saustad, Puglise, Demaio, Matsui, Lasalla, Khan, Long, Cormier, Nunes, Makar, Wierman, and shout out to the kid Garrett Gibbons. I am picking Maryland because, as I’ve said, they are on a mission this year and everybody else is just fighting for second place.
Did the rain delay save the Big Red? I think ultimately they would have been able to pull out the win but it definitely helped them pull away earlier than expected. Coach Stevens used his time wisely during the break to make huge adjustments that shut down the Buckeyes the rest of the game. Can the rookie head coach keep the Big Red moving forward to their first final four since he was a sophomore?
Should we be surprised a Ben Deluca coached team won a game in the NCAA tournament? Yes and no. If you look back a few weeks ago, Delaware was one loss away from seeing it’s conference playoff hopes disappear. They go on a 3-0 run to end the year and find their way as the number one seed in their conference tournament. They go ahead and win 3 more games and see themselves matched up with Georgetown. At this point, you can see why Delaware was playing with confidence. Georgetown on the other hand, had some reason of their own to feel good about themselves. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a coach that had been there and done that. The play of the game for Georgetown has to be that pass they threw away right after a time out. This game gave the Blue Hens the opportunity to draw up one more play and boom, we have an upset. What a year for Georgetown. I can’t wait to see how they bounce back next year.
I originally had picked Cornell to play Georgetown with Georgetown moving on to the final four. Do I dare pick the Hens to beat the Big Red too? I won’t, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see another upset. Cornell will be able to dive into this film all week and Coach Buczek can preach about how these guys can beat anybody. How many times will we hear that Ben Deluca was both Connor Buczek and Jordan Stevens old college coach? Probably about as many times as goals that will be scored. I have the Big Red taking this game and getting back to championship weekend.
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