The Big Boyz

I'm baaaackk!!! I don't know what the Swami is doing with the numbers, but I'll take it!! I didn't foresee the Orangemen beating up the Tigers, but boy did they! Not a whole lot of competition out there in the quarterfinals, hopefully we'll get a little more entertained this weekend. Down to four teams, four familiar teams. Syracuse, Virginia, Hopkins and Maryland (It sucks that it is the same 4 or 5 teams every year, but the day when Syracuse, Virginia and Princeton don't make the final four is so close I can taste it. The sport is growing so fast and so strong. I can't wait to be sitting there on Saturday with the largest crowd to ever assemble to watch a lacrosse game). It's good to see that my Terps (That I picked from day one) have made it this far. The Terps have a lot going for them; they are playing virtually at home (as is Hopkins), they haven't been in the finals in a while (they are hungry), and they have a solid ball club. Their strength is on the defensive side with a solid goaltender in Dan McCormick and very capable defenders. If the offense can produce as well as they did against Massachusetts, Virginia should be a relatively easy victory. Tillman Johnson has shown signs that he is the best player between the pipes in the country. He is a vocal leader for the Wahoos and he has a few guys in his supporting cast that help him out, namely Brett Hughes. Virginia has more names...they have All-Americans all over the field, Johnson, Hughes, Rotelli, Christmas, Yevoli, Whitty...but I think Maryland has a little more heart and desire. I'm smelling an upset in this one (what am I talking about--I have to pick Maryland, I have been calling them all year!!!)...Maryland wins 10-8 (3). Can you believe that Syracuse has just been playing a nasty joke on all of us, all year long. They were sick of dominating the whole season, every season, so they decided to just be the only team to knock off the number one squad in the country while losing to everyone else over the course of the season. Their joke must end and it must end far far from the cold and barren "Canadian" land of Upstate New York. This final four is in Baltimore so all can come and witness two Maryland Ball Clubs whoop up on the teams from Virginia and New York. Hopkins is too good (and too ticked at Syracuse for ruining their perfect season) to let the Cuse win again and go to the championship...AGAIN. Hopkins is beating their opponents by an average of 7.4 goals!!!!! Syracuse's number is 3.9. It doesn't matter if this game goes run-and-gun or slow-it-down; the Blue Jays are too good this year to let an average Syracuse squad beat them. It's shapin' up to be an ALL-MARYLAND FINAL as the Cruisers finally fall to Hopkins 13-10 (2). If the championship falls nicely into place it is going to be a knockdown, drag-out fight between two old rivals with the Terps winning their first National Championship since 1975, in the lowest scoring final game since UNC-Hopkins in 1982. Maryland 8-7 (1). (Note: Maryland is 2-7 in the championship game and 1-2 against Hopkins in the championship game, 2003 is the year to even the score)

BONUS Prediction: Calvert Hall and St.Mary's pulled off the upset in the semifinals, now watch as Coach Bryan Kelly and the Cardinals knock off the Saints, winning the first lacrosse championship at that school since the 70's!!!

All American First Team All American Second Team

A-Mike Powell A-John Christmas

A-Kyle Barrie A-Jeff Zywicki

A-Ryan Boyle A-Mike Springer

M-Chris Rotelli M-Kevin Leveille

M-Kevin Cassese M-Kyle Harrison

M-Adam Donegar M-Mike Mollot

LSM-Kyle Sweeney LSM-Trey Whitty

D-Brett Hughes D-Ryan McClay

D-Mike Howley D-Michael Peyser

D-Chris Passavia D-Brant Gresham

G-Dan McCormick G-Tillman Johnson

STaTs

The Final week is here and this is going to be a weekend to remember, since it will be the first in the new, hopefully, permanent home for the final four. These teams are all deserving and had battle tough roads to get where they are although last weeks scores are not evident of that. I would never have thought that any of these games would be a blowout, let alone all four. The Goy believes that the trend will not continue and we will get two great games on Saturday. I would also like to send congratulations to the DIII teams in this year’s tourney and I am definitely rooting for the Gulls to take it. Here are the two games we will see on Saturday.

HOPKINS / Syracuse [2.18]

This game in the Goy’s eyes is the National championship. These two teams are so talented and are playing the best lacrosse of their seasons right now. I am anticipating you see in this game some flashy scoring and I am rating both teams’ attacks about equal. The real difference will come in the midfield, and I am going to give Hopkins the edge with Boland, Harrison, Donegar, and Ford just to name a few. Syracuse to win this game must get another great effort in the goal by Pieffer who came up so big in the game against Princeton. This game will be one to watch and should be the reason the stadium is packed right at the opening face off which often is not the case in year’s back.

MARYLAND / Virginia [1.15]

You gotta love how Danny McCormick played last week. Umass is a good team, although Saturday it wasn’t showing, and he took them right off their game by playing amazing. Maryland is going into this weekend with a hot keeper and that is huge, and Tilman Johnson for Virginia will have to step up to counter it. Johnson has been playing well, but there are likely to be more shots coming his way this week. Maryland’s D does a good job of limiting the attack with three great close men so Virginia will most likely have to initiate from up top or invert. Virginia is getting lucky again and there aren’t supposed to be high temperatures for this weekend’s games so their strategy of only playing one offensive midfield unit will not be hampered again. The Goy though isnt a fan of this style of play and believes if you throw more middies at a team there is more to prepare for and more uncertainty about style leading to confusion and goals. With Virginia you know exactly what you are going to get and Maryland knows them better than anybody. That is why the Goy sees the Terps in the final.

--goygoy21

1. VIRGNIA/Maryland 2(13)

2. Syracuse/HOPKINS 1(15)

3. HOPKINS wins it all. 3

--Laximus.

.

I like Maryland to take it all this year. Say what you will, but the Terps are now the hottest team in Divison I and have the hottest goalie. A continued good performance will likely win Danny McCormick the Kelly Award this season. I watched the Georgetown-Virginia game last week, although on tape. Virginia did not impress at all. The Cavaliers are not peaking at the right time, and the Final Four brings too much strategy to mine. Virginia has showed that it understands championship strategy very little. Maryland's defense will take advantage of every mistake the Cavaliers make.

Syracuse played with obvious inspiration last week, but there are too many games this year in which they have fallen into a funk. I think that the Orange will be motivated this weekend, but weak. So, I like Hopkins to prevail.

Swami,

At the start of the season I felt it would be the same old four teams at Ravens Stadium. Hopkins, Virginia, Syracuse and Princeton. Who expected Syracuse tolose four games and not get a top four seed. This created the quarterfinal match-up with Princeton (a situation neither team wanted). Most everyone including most of the Big Boyz picked Princeton following Cuse's struggle with Dartmouth but Mike Powell playing midfield and the Home Dome advantage turned the game into a rout. All in all the NCAA is probably thrilled since now the Orange faithful will be swarming into Baltimore this weekend. As predicted Maryland's defense was to much for UMass. Towson kept the Hopkins game respectable for three quarters but the always solid Jay defense and poor ball control finally knocked the Tigers out. The Virginia -Georgetown game, although once tied 3-3, was never in doubt. Tillman Johnson showed why is 1st team AA and the balanced UVa offense will give any opponent fits(eight different players scored). I won't be surprised to see a near sell-out on Saturday. From a fan perspective, the NCAA got the best possible Final Four. Sorry about Princeton but both Maryland and Syracuse deserve to be there. Should be a great Finals. Rock on!

Hopkins 2.18--This will be a great game. Cuse is a tournament tough team that seems to always find a way to win close games. Petro will figure a way to make it tough on Powell but he is still the best college player in the game. Advantage Hopkins on the face-offs (Harrison is tough) The match-up between the Cuse attack and the Jay defense should be a battle but the real difference in the game will be decided between the pipes, where I like Sherr. If the Jay attack is clicking they should never be behind in this one.

Virginia 3.15--Let us not forget that the Terps beat Virginia in the regular season but things have changed. The Wahoo offense has become the most balanced in the game with any player able to score. Johnny Christmas is super exciting but I don't think he will do much against Passavia (the best long pole in the game). The Terps will have problems matching up with the Virginia midfield, especially Rotelli and then they have to beat Johnson in goal. The swarming Wahoo defense was all over the Hoya's and the Terps can expect the same. This will not be a high scoring game but Virginia will have most of the goals.

--Glory Days.

WINNER TOTAL GOALS VOTE

Hopkins 23 3.23

Virginia 19 2.19

FINALS TK TK

--Baldo

Johns Hopkins vs. Syracuse 3.24

Virginia vs. Maryland 2.19

Final:

Hopkins vs. Maryland 1.17

Syracuse vs. Maryland 1.21

Hopkins vs. Virginia 1.20

Syracuse vs. Virginia 1.29

--Ivyman

Week Fourteen:

Wombat's Playoff Picks and Commentary

The week in review:

Wombat's Final Four predictions and commentary

Before getting started on this week's analysis, I'd like us all to take a moment and pause and reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day. We are all focused on the great weekend ahead, and the excitement of the new venue at Ravens Stadium, but let's not forget those that have gone on before us and paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we might enjoy our freedom and be able to spend some leisure time enjoying this great game of lacrosse. So please keep in mind those who have represented this country so proudly, in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and the Coast Guard. We shall never forget.

I am currently in the Pacific, and anxiously awaiting my trip back to Maryland on Thursday or Friday. Man, I hope my travel doesn't get goofed up. The Senior Wombat will be present for the weekend festivities, and from what I hear, things are shaping up to be really great. It should be a great time at Ravens Stadium, no matter who wins and loses.

I have had some unexpected excitement while out here. Once on the island, I borrowed a van, and what happened next is something that all drivers should have thought out before it happens - the accelerator got stuck and I took off like a wild banshee. Fortunately, this happened near the airfield, where the terrain is fairly level - but it could have happened on the much more curvy roads where you descend down steep cliffs to get to the beach areas. And, typically, there are not many guard rails on military installations. So I got lucky - flat terrain, but still taking off and out of control. There were a couple of things that flashed through my mind. One was something to the effect of: "this is not good." The second was something more succinct, like: "OH @#$%!!!" But I didn't panic. First I tried the gas pedal, and realized it was flat to the floor and stuck. I tried braking, but I was still accelerating. I tried sticking my foot under the gas pedal, and that wasn't doing any good either. And then came the thing to do - put the van in neutral. The engine, no longer under a load, started to whine at a high pitch. I tried putting in back in gear, made the tires squeal, and realized the shock of the load wasn't going to kick the engine out, so back into neutral I went. I then pulled off the road and killed the ignition. A fun start to my work week. That was Monday.

I then borrowed a pick up truck, and things were going well, until I had a massive blow out on a rear tire about eight miles from base. At this point, the transportation department was getting concerned that I would wreck the fleet by the time I got off the island. That was Tuesday.

So here it is Wednesday, and I am glad I am not a pilot. I don't trust my luck lately. I have had eight life threatening experiences in my life (and the episodes above don't count), and I am thinking that I am on the last of my nine lives. Hopefully I will make it back to Baltimore this weekend in one piece! I hope all of you are having a better week than I am.

Week in Review: Won 3 of 4 last week, dropping the Princeton-Syracuse game. I wasn't aware of Princeton's injury issues. Needless to say, the Princeton of May was not the same team of Princeton in March. Good showing by Syracuse. This week will be a realy test. My batting average continued to climb, so I think I am permanently over .700 for the year now. Not a great year for my prognosticating capability, but it has been fun, and I hope you have enjoyed reading along. Thanks also to Swami for doing everything for another year and coming out of retirement. His work is an added highlight of the season. Kudos.

On to this week:

Syracuse/JOHNS HOPKINS [3.23]

Going with JHU all the way this year. Finish the Drill. Hopkins has had a tough road to get to the final four. Army and Towson were both physically demanding games, and the Towson run and gun style was a bit of a tune up for seeing Cuse this week. JHU is OK on the injury front. Syracuse had a rough season, but they are now pouring it on when it matters. This will be another classic confrontation, but I think it will come down to the better defense, and that key goes to Hopkins. I think the Jays will take advantage of the SU defense, particularly the SSMs, and JHU should win this one by 3. I am looking for a score of JHU 13, SU 10.

MARYLAND/Virginia [1.15]

Most people will go with Virginia in this one, and UVa is my second favorite team, so I will be rooting for them. But Maryland has become my third favorite team, and I like what Cottle has done with this program since inheriting it from Edell and getting off to that unfortunate rocky start. I am a firm believer that defense can win championships, even in the high scoring nature of lacrosse games. Maryland has the edge on the defensive 6, but the key may come down to the stopper in the cage. Who will have the better game, McCormick or Johnson? That will be the key. UVa's high powered offense will test the Terps, but if Maryland can keep it close, and hold UVa under ten goals, they have a chance. So I am going to go out on a limb in this one, and go against conventional wisdom, and say that Maryland can win this one, by one, maybe even in overtime. Final, Maryland 8, UVa 7. Yes, seven. Improbable, maybe, but not impossible.

Take care, and have a great weekend. I will post the final game predictions with Swami later on Saturday/Sunday, after the great semifinals. Here is hoping for great weather! Travel safely!

Wombat