Cornell lacrosse in 2011

[Swampy]

Let me take another crack at what I was trying to get at with my observation about Quint Kessenich's statement about Pannell and the Tewaaraton. I tried humor and irony, but I should have known my limitations better.

[list=1]

• Pannell is by far the consensus leader for the Tewaaraton.
• It's not at all clear that Notre Dame is the best team in the country
• It's not at all clear that Cornell is not the best team
  
• There's still a whole lot of lacrosse to be played between now and the NC game on May 30.

Today, ND is ranked #1 in the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike Media Poll, #2 in the first "official" RPI, and #3 in Laxpower's  Tournament Selection Index (TSI), Quality Wins, and overall Computer Rating. Perhaps most important for my point: Notre Dame is #12 in Strength of Schedule (SOS).

Cornell, in contrast, is #1 in the Computer Rating, #2 in the media poll and TSI, #3 in the coaches poll and RPI, #4 in Quality Wins, and #9 in SOS.

To date, Notre Dame's best wins have been Duke (first game of season), Denver, and Villanova. But it has two signature games coming up: Syracuse this Saturday and UNC the following Friday.

Cornell's last loss was to UVa on 3/12. Its best wins are Syracuse, Penn, Stony Brook, and Yale. More importantly, Cornell had 3 players coming back from injuries on 3/12, and since then it has moved people around (especially Lau), apparently fixed some defensive problems at midfield, and given its young middies confidence playing "within the system." In short, Cornell is greatly improved over eight weeks ago.

In two weeks we'll have a much better idea of just how good Notre Dame is. But to my mind the main difference between past years is that in past years 1-2 teams really stood out, but this year perhaps half a dozen teams could go all the way to the NC without it being a major upset. Cornell has to be counted as one of these.

So I just don't think there's that much separating the #1 team (ND) from #2-#6 (CU, JHU, SU, Denver, and MD) to make such a big deal of the fact that Pannell doesn't play for the current #1. No doubt he benefits from the parity this year, but as a lacrosse power Cornell's not exactly chopped liver either.

[dag14]

I think Quint's point is that as a rule, no one speaks up to predict the Tewaaraton winner until at least mid-May.  There may be front runners throughout the season but generally the team has to advance pretty far for a player to win the award so nothing is sewed up this early.  That is how Pannell is different:  he is so far and away the best player in the country that his team could bow out early and he would still win.  Not that his team will bow out early or that his team is not final-four caliber but rather that it doesn't matter.

It feels very weird to be defending anything Quint says....

[Josh '99]

So I just don't think there's that much separating the #1 team (ND) from #2-#6 (CU, JHU, SU, Denver, and MD) to make such a big deal of the fact that Pannell doesn't play for the current #1. No doubt he benefits from the parity this year, but as a lacrosse power Cornell's not exactly chopped liver either.

He's not making a big deal out of the fact that Pannell plays for a team that isn't currently #1 in the rankings, he's making a big deal out of the fact that Pannell practically (in Quint's mind, anyway) has the thing sewn up long before the NCAA tournament, and despite what might eventually happen in the NCAA tournament, in view of the fact that the Tewaaraton typically (seven times out of the ten that it has been awarded, more specifically) goes to the best player on the national champion.  That's what he's referring to by "best team", not the team that's currently #1 in the rankings.

[billhoward]

I think Quint's point is that as a rule, no one speaks up to predict the Tewaaraton winner until at least mid-May.  There may be front runners throughout the season but generally the team has to advance pretty far for a player to win the award so nothing is sewed up this early.  That is how Pannell is different:  he is so far and away the best player in the country that his team could bow out early and he would still win.  Not that his team will bow out early or that his team is not final-four caliber but rather that it doesn't matter.

It feels very weird to be defending anything Quint says....

In annointing Pannell so early, Kessinich has staked out a winning position. Either he's the guy who cemented the idea in voters' minds and he's a king-maker, or he's a powerful third-party woofiing agent: the the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx Lite (single sport only). It's like being short and long the same stock but with no financial downside.

[Ronald '09]

Delaware upset Hofstra in the CAA semifinals.  That's their second loss to Delaware this season.  The Fighting Blue Hens will meet Massachusetts at Amherst in the CAA finals Saturday, meaning either Delaware or Massachusetts will get the CAA's automatic bid.  If Hofstra still gets an at large bid, this could significant hurt Penn's chances at an at large bid.

[semsox]

Delaware upset Hofstra in the CAA semifinals.  That's their second loss to Delaware this season.  The Fighting Blue Hens will meet Massachusetts at Amherst in the CAA finals Saturday, meaning either Delaware or Massachusetts will get the CAA's automatic bid.  If Hofstra still gets an at large bid, this could significant hurt Penn's chances at an at large bid.

I doubt Hofstra makes it.  The committee has made it clear they value SOS and QW's.  Hofstra's "best" wins are over Colgate, Princeton, Penn State and UMass.  Penn has 2 wins (over Duke and Bucknell) more impressive than anything Hofstra's done.  They're going to be sweating it Sunday, and I don't think they've done enough to deserve a bid

[billhoward]

Jeff Tambroni did a really good job at Penn State. The coaches at UHa and Siena did well, ditto Bucknell and Colgate. Nobody at Duke's been arrested the last couple years under Danowski. Wojcik really pulled up Harvard. And Bill Tierney at Denver is worth mentioning either for this or the all-round humanitarian award. Are we missing anyone?

[ben03]

... Wojcik really pulled up Harvard ...

I think John Tillman should probably get some if not the majority of the credit for putting together a Harvard squad that can compete with most of DI.

[Swampy]

Jeff Tambroni did a really good job at Penn State. The coaches at UHa and Siena did well, ditto Bucknell and Colgate. Nobody at Duke's been arrested the last couple years under Danowski. Wojcik really pulled up Harvard. And Bill Tierney at Denver is worth mentioning either for this or the all-round humanitarian award. Are we missing anyone?

The season's not over yet. Let's see how these teams play between now and Memorial Day.

Oh, I forgot. Some are already playing golf. ::innocent::

[Robb]

Well, this seemed like the over-arching lacrosse thread, so I figured it would be a good place to link this.

No offense to the organizers, but I kinda hope their forum (when available) doesn't really catch on... Out of personal convenience to me, let's just keep all the hockey and lacrosse chatter in one place, shall we?

[phillysportsfan]

seems like you have to be a parent to logon, although maybe the forum wont be that way?

I am surprised they didnt come over here to plug the new site