The Reverb: Ready or Not
Opinion
| Air Force
| BYU
| Coastal Carolina
| Dayton
| DEN
| FAU
| Georgia Tech
| Indiana
| Kennesaw State
| Loyola Marymount
| Montana State
| Nevada
| Northern Arizona
| NNU
| Oregon
| San Diego State
| St. Thomas
| Stanford
| Tennessee
| Texas
| UNC-Charlotte
| Utah Valley
| Virginia Tech
| Wake Forest
(Photo by Lance Wendt)
by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us
LA CROSSE, Wis. – There were some pretty significant upsets this weekend. The kind of upsets that can accelerate a program into the national tournament equation very quickly.
Upsets are good. Well, not necessarily for the team getting upended, but for the association. It means programs are getting better. They are catching up to the traditional powers. And if even if they aren’t beating the blue bloods, they are making them work hard for every win.
Upsets also make me nervous.
RESULTS: FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY
When a new program enters the postseason conversation, I worry about whether they are ready.
No, not if they can compete in the supercharged atmosphere that is the weeklong MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance. That’s actually the easy part. The action between the lines at Round Rock is the most relaxing time of the tournament.
It’s everything else that is the grind, and as we’re entering the first couple of days of March, it’s important that programs start the prep work now.
Jackets improve to 8-0 after beating @TexasAggieLax 18-11. Over 70 combined years of mcla coaching between the two teams of Coach Lovic and Coach Scazzero. And the current and past president of the @MCLA Love this game. #ROLLHIVE pic.twitter.com/a1NX0lC96c
— Georgia Tech Men's Lacrosse (@GaTechLAX) March 4, 2024
Not next week. Not when the conference tournament comes around. Not when your team’s name is called on Selection Sunday.
Now.
Do you have sufficient funds available to get your players and staff to Round Rock and stay there for a week? Does your Rec Sports director know that May 6-11 is when the championships are happening?
Do those dates conflict with final exams? And if so, have professors been informed of the potential for taking a proctored test? Does it conflict with graduation? If your institution finishes before those dates, can you still use the dorms and practice facilities?
I could literally write a 1,000-word column with just bullet points about the expectations facing tournament teams. One of the big reasons you rarely see a first-time tournament team make a deep run at nationals is there are so many logistical mandates that the games can sometimes feel like an afterthought.
How can a team flirting with its first trip to nationals – or perhaps expect to in the next couple of seasons – adequately prepare for the championships?
Pick up the phone. Look at your conference and call the coach of the team who has been through the grinder. Pick his brain. Call your conference director. Call Ken Lovic. Call me.
They are all invested in our jewel – the national tournament – running as smooth as possible. But please don’t wait. Start the process now.
MY TOP FIVES
Division I
1. Virginia Tech (7-0) – A little Monday/Tuesday action in the Rockies for the Turkeys.
2. Georgia Tech (8-0) – Who knew the four-goal win over Clemson would be the closest?
3. San Diego State (5-0) – Aztecs winning the next six would not be a surprise.
4. Utah Valley (4-0) – Wolverines are about to go on a road run against Nos. 3, 7 & 1.
5. Texas (6-0) – The Longhorns keep piling up wins. Rugged Cali trip up next.
Division II
1. St. Thomas (7-0) – Five straight ranked wins for the Tommies. Just two games left in March.
2. Air Force (5-0) – The Falcons are on autopilot. (Did you see what I did there?)
3. UNC-Charlotte (6-0) – Wins over Wake and Coastal looking a lot better now.
4. Montana State (4-1) – Bobcats have a couple of tune ups before USU/NAU weekend.
5. Coastal Carolina (5-1) – Pollsters need to put a little respect on the Chanticleers.
SLIDES & RIDES
- I don’t know for certain, but I’m guessing this weekend didn’t play out like the Dayton players had envisioned it in their heads. It’s obviously a shock when a defending national champion stumbles to a 1-2 start out of the blocks, but if a team needs to be humbled, the opening weekend is the optimum time to get it out of the way. And it’s not like the Flyers got outclassed.
There’s no completely sugarcoating the losses, however. Dayton was tied against Wake Forest heading into the fourth, but got blanked in the final frame. You’d expect a squad with the Flyers’ experience to finish that one. Perhaps more troubling was the Coastal Carolina game when Dayton came out hot, going up 6-0 to start contest. The Flyers offense went dormant for the next 30 minutes before losing a fourth-quarter horserace in a 10-9 setback.
Dayton started last season 2-3 and everything worked out just fine and there is still plenty of juice on the schedule to them back to Round Rock. For now, the Flyers must circle the wagons and regroup.
- It hasn’t played a ranked team yet, but Oregon is certainly having no problem putting up goals as we start the ’24 campaign. The Ducks are averaging 20.8 points per contest after hanging 24 on conference rival Washington on Saturday. Ty DeLancelloti (26g, 8a, 8.0ppg) is doing the bulk of the damage, but there is a decent offensive balance. DeLancelloti’s high school teammate, David Nyhus, is having a career year in cage for Oregon to help the cause, posting a 68.6 save percentage so far.
- D-I NOTES: Tennessee now up to 7-0. The Vols receive the stiffest test of the year at FSU on Saturday…Nevada was unable to make it out of the mountains because of a huge snowstorm, postponing conference games against Cal Poly and UCSB. Going to be difficult to make up…Stanford is one of the more improved teams this spring…Indiana brings a 6-0 mark into its three-week snooze…interesting game for Arizona at James Madison on Monday…BYU’s offense lived up to preseason billing, dropping a 23-spot on ASU.
- D-II NOTES: Northern Arizona is off to a comfortable start. We’ll learn about the Lumberjacks next Tuesday at Loyola Marymount…Bridgewater State looking like the only remaining obstacle between Rhode Island and the CLC title…I’d consider FAU’s trip to Minnesota a success…Northwest Nazarene proved it is legit with a 1-1 weekend in SoCal. Montana in two weeks is the next big test for the Nighthawks...Kennesaw State bounced back nicely from the upset loss to Coastal with a rout of Wake Forest.
- As always, head coaches get your nominations for the PEARL Goalie of the Week and the Warrior Player of the Week to [email protected] by noon on Monday.