(Photo by Bob White)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Anyone with a familiarity with these spaces understands that Easter Weekend presents problems for your humble author.

Whether it’s the four-hour trips to Iowa City (in-laws) or Des Moines (sister-in-law) or the 23-hour drive to Boston (Mom) or, as the case this year, just here in the friendly confines of Lax Vegas, time gets tight during the holiday.

Whether it’s slaving away in the kitchen or entertaining the family, I don’t get as much time front of the computer. As such, it’s time for something quick and easy: mock brackets.

To be very clear, I know nothing about the actual debates currently going on within the selection committees. I don’t join their conference calls and I don’t read their weekly spreadsheets until we get late into April. This is all dead-reckoning that could be wildly incorrect.

So take it for what it is: a timekiller.

Division I Mock Bracket

No. 16 Michigan State (UMLC AQ) vs. No. 1 Virginia Tech (ALC AQ)
The UMLC is going to be slotted 16th, so Michigan State is just a placeholder here. Indiana and Minnesota have a puncher’s chance of filling this slot, but I like Sparty at this point. If the Hokies win out, their strength of schedule will overwhelm any of the other possible top-seed candidates. A second loss – ostensibly to Liberty in the ALC finals – would bump Tech out of the top spot, but it wouldn’t fall far.

No. 15 Oregon (PNCLL AQ) vs. No. 2 Brigham Young (RMLC AQ)
I could see Boise State or Simon Fraser taking down the PNCLL, as well, but we’ll install the Ducks as a placeholder. Boise’s win over Colorado State is the best win of any PNCLL team, so a Broncos ascendancy is well within reason. If Virginia Tech wins out, they’ll win any criteria horserace assuming the Cougars do the same. One more Hokies loss, however, and BYU is well positioned for a top seed.

No. 14 California (AL) vs. No. 3 Texas (LSA AQ)
Texas is in a nice spot. If it takes care of business, this is probably the Longhorns worse position. And they could always watch Virginia Tech and Brigham Young crumble and get a ticket up the charts. Certainly rarefied air for an LSA squad. I’ve got California in this spot because of its win over a No. 1 team. It might not hold the same weight as it did in the past, but that’s what I’m going with. If you wanted to put the winner of this Saturday’s Florida-Florida State contest here, I would have no objection.

No. 13 Colorado (AL) vs. No. 4 South Carolina (SELC AQ)
Again, how important are wins over No. 1 teams? In the past, they’ve been gold. Cal’s selection, followed next by Colorado, is based massively on their top-ranked win (at the time). The problem with the Buffs is if things play out the way I assume, they are going to be a 7-6 prior to nationals. Not the end of the world, but not great optically. South Carolina has five meaty games to close the season and they will be favorites in all five. The Cocks should be locked into a premium seed if they can do it.

No. 12 Cal Poly (AL) vs. No. 5 Chapman (SLC AQ)
Cal Poly got thumped by the Panthers in February, so this wouldn’t be a welcome matchup. Granted, the Mustangs are more confident now, but I’m not sure it’s enough. I would guess Chapman is going to wander up and down the Top 8 for the next month before settling in somewhere.

No. 11 Arizona State (AL) No. 6 Liberty (AL)
Arizona State is definitely a bubble team, but the SDSU win is huge. Odds are the Aztecs and Devils will meet up in the semifinals of the SLCs in Tucson. That will mean a lot. The Flames are the proverbial team that beats all the opponents you think they will, but nobody else. The win over Utah Valley might be out of that mindset, but barely. It’s a weird sentiment, but I think Liberty could get upset by anybody, but could also very easily be back in the national semifinals. Just don’t have a read on them yet.

No. 10 UC Santa Barbara (WCLL AQ) vs. No. 7 Utah Valley (AL)
I’m giving the RMLC to Brigham Young, but I have no confidence in that. I think UVU could easily win the conference and upset the whole applecart in the Top 8 seeds. We’ll roll with this for now. I’m of the belief that UCSB will be a bad first round matchup for any of the contenders. They have a gritty defense that will make any team’s life miserable. Whoever the Gauchos get will be in for a full 60.

No. 9 San Diego State (AL) vs No. 8 Georgia Tech (AL)
Did the Aztecs wake-up call at the hands of Arizona Sate come at the right time? Time will tell, obviously, but it’s amazing how one unexpected loss can change the view of a team. All of a sudden, SDSU appears a little wobbly. They still have the advantage of climbing the ladder via the SLC tourney. Georgia Tech being a late seed is not a terrible outcome. They’ve been overdogs for the past decade and have nothing to show for it. An underdog run might be what the doctor ordered.

Keep rollin’, Ethan! pic.twitter.com/erVKNjt1e8
— UF Men’s Club Lacrosse (@GatorsLaxClub) March 31, 2024

Division II Mock Bracket

No. 16 Northern Arizona (AL) vs. No. 1 St. Thomas (UMLC AQ)
This weekend is going to clear up quite a bit, but let’s just assume a St. Thomas sweep (which is anything but guaranteed). I think even a 2-1 week for the Tommies pushes them past Air Force, although GVSU could make things interesting with a sweep. Rare is a 16th-seeded at-large, but with only seven AQs and all of them being pretty strong, we get the Lumberjacks in the final spot.

No. 15 North Dakota State (AL) vs. No. 2 Montana State (RMCL AQ)
You bring up the concept of the “good loss” with MCLA long-timers, and you’ll get a chuckle. But the Bison have a couple. They also have a pivotal win over Missouri State, who are probably their biggest competitor at this point. As with most 15 seeds, there is plenty of room for NDSU to get bounced, but I think they’re fine now. Montana State is a monster.

No. 14 Utah State (AL) vs. No. 3 Grand Valley State (AL)
You can probably do the math, but I’ve got GVSU beating St. Thomas during the regular season (i.e., this week) but losing in the conference finals in Rockford. That’s a pretty precise prediction for seeding prognostication, so take it with a grain of salt. I’m assuming Utah State will be in this general vicinity as they are likely to lose in the RMLC semifinals.

No. 13 Wake Forest (AL) vs. No. 4 Air Force (AL)
The Demon Deacons look like near locks to be the top seed out of the ALC North, likely creating a conference semifinal matchup with Coastal Carolina. Regardless of the outcome, Wake should be in. As you can tell by now, I’ve got Air Force losing in the RMLC finals to Montana State. If the Falcons take care of business in that game, you can flip them with the Bobcats above.

No. 12 Coastal Carolina (AL) vs. No. 5 Rhode Island (CLC AQ)
Coastal should have the goods to make its first-ever trip to nationals as I have them projected to make it to the ALC title game (before falling to Charlotte). Rhode Island appears to be well set-up for a CLC title, although I think Bridgewater State will make them sweat a bit. This coming weekend in Dayton will be a big indicator of where the Rams will get seeded.

No. 11 UC San Diego (AL) vs. No. 6 Kennesaw State (SELC AQ)
As the second-best team in the SLC, the Tritons will once again get a crack at nationals, although with a tough first round matchup. Kennesaw State is projected to win the SELC, but I would not discount Florida Atlantic’s chances. The Kennesaw team has a different vibe than the last two that were upset in the first round of nationals.

No. 10 Northwest Nazarene (PNCLL AQ) vs. No. 7 UNC-Charlotte (ALC AQ)
There’s a lot of Charlotte in Northwest Nazarene. And that’s why Charlotte should be very concerned if this matchup comes to fruition. They 49ers would be basically looking at themselves in the 2022 mirror. The Nighthawks are just kind of that team no one knows about, but has a ton of talent. On the flipside, Charlotte would be a terrible matchup for just that reason: they won’t take NNU for granted.

No. 9 Florida Atlantic (AL) No. 8 Cal State San Marcos (SLC AQ)
As presumably the runner-up in the SELC, this seeding could be a little low for the Owls, but I’m not sure where they’d jump to (other than No. 8). San Marcos is still the lead dog in the SLC, but the Cougars will need to win out or this risk slipping down the seeding a bit. This would be a really fun game to watch.

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MY TOP FIVES

Division I

1. Texas (11-0) - Barring a massive stumble, the Longhorns will be Top 4 in Round Rock.
2. Virginia Tech (11-1) – Clemson and Tennessee will keep the Hokies honest.
3. Brigham Young (9-0) – Ten-day break before the Cougs finish the season.
4. South Carolina (8-2) – Beantown business trip could get the Cocks a great seed.
5. UC Santa Barbara (6-2) – Cal Poly in two weeks for the WCLL top seed.

Division II
1. St. Thomas (9-0) – If the Tommies sweep this week, there’s no other place for them.
2. Montana State (10-1) – The RMLC tournament finals are going to be must-see.
3. Air Force (7-0) – You could literally build an airplane between Academy games.
4. Florida Atlantic (11-2) – This just feels like a more complete Owls outfit.
5. Grand Valley State (5-0) – Four games in five days. Tourney prep for the Lakers.

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SLIDES & RIDES
- The Lone Star Alliance will be having its conference tournament in Melissa, Texas, from April 26-28. A release with all of the details will be coming out this week. Several other tournaments should be posted here, as well.

- Get Player of the Month and Player/Goalie of the Week nominations in ASAP.