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Is This D1 Lacrosse Poll Serious?

The USILA and Nike/IL Polls for NCAA D1 Men’s Lacrosse have been released. Let’s break down the Polls and see if they are serious.

Rank | USILA Poll | Nike/IL Poll | Quint’s Top 20

1) Maryland – Maryland – Maryland – it’s hard not to rank the Terps at #1, unless you’re Laxpower, but until every team has played 5+ games, those numbers are up in the air.

2) Cornell – Cornell – Cornell – Ok, I buy it. Thankfully #1 and #2 are pretty cut and dry right now.

3) Notre Dame – Denver – Denver – ND has to be thrilled that Hofstra is ranked so highly right now. Denver is high at #3. Guess we see who is wrong (the Coaches or IL) when these two teams play on March 16th.

4) Hopkins – Notre Dame – Notre Dame – Hopkins I can see this high, I guess, but honestly, what have they done to be a Top 4 team? Top 10? No question, but Top 4? I just don’t see it.

5) Denver – Hopkins – UNC – Looks like the Coaches think I’m crazy too. Denver at 5. Only Quint makes some sense here.

6) UNC – Princeton – Penn – Why aren’t these teams higher than Denver and Hopkins? Who knows. Is that UNC loss to UMass early on still keeping both teams out of the Top 5? For some reason Denver’s loss to PSU doesn’t hurt them as much. Quint’s craziest pick… Crazy like a Quaker fox.

7) Princeton – Syracuse – Princeton – Good pick with Princeton, but did Nike and IL really put Syracuse in the Top 7? I don’t think a win over UVA gives the Orange a ranking like that, especially when IL has UVA at #11, and Albany, a team Cuse lost to, at #20.

8) Loyola – UNC – Hopkins – Loyola loses to everyone’s #1, and a Duke team finding their form. 8 seems like a big drop. UNC at 8 seems really low. IL must hate that PSU loss! More realistic stance on Hop. Call Quint a homer, I dare you.

9) Virginia – Hofstra – Syracuse – Virginia seems like a Top 10 team to me. Or are they? With some close games I might have UVA a little lower right now. Hofstra – finally. And Quint loses me.

Game Photos: Virginia vs. Stony Brook by Tommy Gilligan

10) Hofstra – Loyola – Virginia – Hofstra rounds out the coaches’ Top 10. Loyola finally appears in IL’s poll. Must be that 8-6 win over Bellarmine (who is 5-1) that is holding them back.

11) Syracuse – Virginia – Loyola – 11-15 seems like a much better place for Cuse. and 11 is actually a solid spot for Virginia as well.

12) Ohio State – Ohio State – Lehigh – So let me get this straight… OSU has a one goal loss to a Top 5 or Top 3 team, depending on the Poll, and they are at #12? They can change their destiny, and prove me right, with a win over Virginia on March 16th.

13) Drexel – Penn – Ohio State – Probably good placement for both Drexel and Penn. Quint killing me with this one. Below Lehigh? Really?

14) Penn – Drexel – Drexel – Oh, look, everyone agrees. #13 and 14 were done well.

15) Yale – Lehigh – Hofstra – Same can be said for #15 and 16. Hofstra seems low, Q!

16) Lehigh – Yale – Duke – Ok, this is getting weird. Quint gives the Dukies love.

17) Duke – Duke – Penn State – With their losses, you can’t put Duke any higher, even if you want to… and I know you want to. If Duke wins on March 13th against UNC, they’ll jump up again quickly.

18) Penn State – Bucknell – Bucknell – With three straight losses, I’m actually surprised PSU is still ranked. The losses were to good teams, but that win over Denver is keeping them alive. A win over UMass on the 16th could get them back on track. For me, they at #20… maybe. Bucknell is an interesting choice. No big wins yet.

19) UMass – Penn State – Yale – Umass is still in it.

20) Albany – Albany – Albany – Albany at #20? This is worse than the Ohio State ranking. Losses to Yale and Drexel (20-19 by the way) don’t help, but if Cuse is so great (at least according to IL) you’d think that win might count for more. A recent win over UMass should be valued as well. 0-5 Bryant is up next, and they might be the best winless team in the nation.

I don’t expect Albany to get any respect for a win there, and a loss will hurt. It’s in their hands, but all three have the Danes ranked too low. Respect takes time to build I guess, unless you’re Duke.

These teams also got votes in the USILA Poll: Bucknell University, Colgate University, Quinnipiac University, Brown University, Marist College, Bellarmine University, Fairfield University

No Providence? That’s crazy. And no Brown in the Top 20 for either poll? That loss to Quinnipiac is hurting them… even though Quinnipiac is good.

quinnipiac_lacrosse2

These teams also got votes in the Nike/IL Poll: Colgate University, Marist College, Providence College, University of Massachusetts, Quinnipiac University, Bellarmine University, Fairfield University, Saint Johns University, Brown University, Hobart College, Army

Marist is 4-0 by the way. Fairfield is 3-3, with losses to all three Top 20 teams it has played.

For another good read on breaking down the Polls, check out SBNation for HoyaSaxa’s Acrosse the College Lacrosse Polls.

Syracuse and Virginia Photo Credits: Tommy Gilligan

Quinnipiac Photo Credit: John Hassett