Last week, filling out my top 2020 NCAA Men’s Division I Lacrosse ballot was relatively tame to figure out. This week? No way. Nearly half of the top 20 lost, and a few of them were to unranked teams. We are also now starting to really see who teams are and which games are flukes or not. And what surprised even me when writing up some of these justifications is the realization that we can already start identifying must-win games and talk about the postseason. And it’s not even March yet.
Catch up on some of the top games and plays from this past weekend of the 2020 NCAA Men’s DI lacrosse season by clicking here.
2020 NCAA Men’s DI Lacrosse: Week 3 — Is This Poll Serious?!
My 2020 NCAA Men’s DI Lacrosse Media Poll Ballot For Week 3
1. Yale (Last Week: 3)
National Poll: 1
W 12-10 vs Penn State
Bumping Yale up to the umber one spot may have been the easiest decision this week. They looked phenomenal against Penn State and are well deserving of their No. 1 ranking. They should have an easier time with UMass up next.
2. Penn State (Last Week: 1)
National Poll: 2
L 10-12 vs Yale
I do understand why some voters and polls dropped Penn State lower than this, but I don’t agree (obviously). They were the top team in the country and lost to the No. 3 team. I also still think they’re better than the all the other teams not named Yale.
3. Syracuse (Last Week: 5)
National Poll: 3
W 9-7 vs Army
As good as a win this was for Syracuse, there are still a few things that were somewhat concerning. Their entire starting attack went without a single point. Even their middies took nearly an entire half before they started to dictate play. Defensively, Drake Porter was the difference maker in net while being dominant on faceoffs limited Army’s opportunities. Without those two factors, this game easily could have gone the other way.
4. Notre Dame (Last Week: 6)
National Poll: 5
W 13-5 vs Richmond
Notre Dame took awhile to get going in this one, but in the end, they piled on the goals when they had to. Even with some departures and a new coach running the defense, the Irish are still looking dangerous.
5. UNC (Last Week: 7)
National Poll: 4
W 17-10 vs Hopkins
UNC is actually a very tough team to rank right now, mostly because being the ranked as the fifth-best team in the nation still feels a little low. They’re 4-0, but this win against Hopkins has been their only real competition so far. Denver up next should be a fantastic litmus test and may even have them leapfrog Notre Dame and Syracuse depending on those results.
6. Penn (Last Week: 8)
National Poll: 9
W 14-11 vs Duke
Penn is sitting at an odd 1-1 right now. They’ve had a loss to Maryland, but a win over Duke. If it wasn’t for the other losses in the top portion of the poll, they likely would have hovered. The reason they didn’t is they were still able to pull off this win over Duke without their main weapon: midfielder Sam Handley, who is out with a spleen injury. (https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/penn-s-sam-handley-suffers-spleen-injury-expected-to-miss-several-weeks/56007). Nothing gets easier for the Quakers with Penn State, Villanova, and Saint Joseph’s up next before they jump headfirst into the Ivy schedule.
7. UVA (Last Week: 2)
National Poll: 6
L 12-16 vs Princeton
The defending champs started with a tough schedule, but not many saw this as their likely first loss. But they ran into an absolute buzz saw with Princeton. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. This game isn’t a panic button by any means, but Virginia had no answers for Michael Sowers on ball, off ball or anywhere around him. They had their chances to keep this game close in the end and just could not convert.
8. Maryland (Last Week: 4)
National Poll: 7
L 12-13 vs Villanova
Maryland losing to ‘Nova isn’t the end of the world for them, but it’s also not a great start. They’ve been flirting with a loss in their past two games, and it finally caught up with them. This game was the same story at first. As it was close all game, ‘Nova grew a lead to four before Maryland started chipping away again with only seven minutes left. Their final goal was in the last minute, but another miracle wasn’t on the menu. Unfortunately, they didn’t get a chance at redemption as their game with Navy was postponed due to a norovirus outbreak.
9. Cornell (Last Week: 11)
National Poll: 10
W 17-10 Towson
W 21-11 vs High Point
The Jeff Teat show has gotten off to a good start, as the senior attackman has 14 points through the first three games, all convincing wins. A Big Ten Challenge will show quickly if the Big Red are really an Ivy contender as they face Ohio State and Penn State next before facing Yale and Penn. The light portion of the schedule is officially over.
10. Princeton (Last Week: Unranked)
National Poll: 8
W 20-11 vs Colgate
W 16-12 vs Virginia
Ranking Princeton was tough this week. It wasn’t a question if they would be ranked high, it was a question of how high. This team hasn’t even made the Ivy League tournament in a few years, so preseason expectations were a little muted despite having one of the most dynamic attackman in the country. What they showed against Virginia was a strong defense anchored by phenomenal goalie play. I do not expect the Tigers’ next game with Hopkins to go well for the Jays.
11. Loyola (Last Week: 12)
National Poll: 11
W 11-10 vs Rutgers
This win over Rutgers following their win over Hopkins shows that Loyola is deserving of their ranking. The Hounds are still a good team who has two more games before another big test against Duke looms. Once the league schedule starts, all bets are off.
12. Duke (Last Week: 10)
National Poll: 13
L 11-14 vs Penn
The question mark that plagues Duke in the post-Guterding era persists. Who is the Blue Devils’ go-to player? In Duke’s good years, that question is easily answered and there are numbers to back it up. But a game like this with no midfield scoring and no more than two points per starting attackman? Not a great feeling to have right now.
13. Lehigh (Last Week: 18)
National Poll: 17
W 14-11 vs VMI
W 17-8 vs NJIT
The Mountain Hawks still only have a blemish from Virginia on their record, and now are headed into their Patriot Schedule a little early. That might even be postponed if Navy hasn’t overcome its norovirus problem in time. They do have some non-league games still, most notably Penn State, but that’s a few weeks away. For Lehigh, their ability to win the Patriot League is where their postseason hopes rest.
14. Georgetown (Last Week: 14)
National Poll: 12
W 25-12 vs Fairfield
The Hoyas are sitting pretty at 3-0 right now, but they have probably the easiest schedule in the top 20, and it doesn’t get harder for awhile. They have three more games until they face North Carolina, followed primarily by Big East games. So, expect Georgetown to hover around here for a few more weeks.
15. Denver (Last Week: 13)
National Poll: 14
W 16-3 vs St. Bonaventure
W 10-6 Vs Cleveland St.
Speaking of the Big East, Denver pulled off a pair of wins this week, although that Cleveland State result definitely raised my eyebrow a bit. Given their loss to Duke already, seeing how they handle UNC may be telling. A loss is expected, but this game will be an excellent watch.
16. Army (Last Week: 9)
National Poll: 16
L 9-17 vs Marist
L 7-9 Syracuse
Army was looking almost invincible before dropping a pair of games this week. The Marist one was an absolute shock and a total trap game. The Syracuse game was a close as it pretty much always is, regardless of the year. What I love about this team is watching their offense. Nichtern is the obvious leader, but everyone on offense is a threat. He leads without being relied upon. Their close defense at their best can matchup with just about anyone. But another lapse or two like what we saw with Marist may mean that they aren’t just lapses.
17. Ohio State (Last Week: 19)
National Poll: 18
W 15-11 vs Bucknell
The loss to UMass aside, the rest of this season has gone pretty much the way the Buckeyes would have hoped. This win over Bucknell was especially important. The Bison were looking more an more like a series threat, but a huge second quarter from Ohio State proved to be the difference maker. This next game with Cornell is massive and would be the first big step towards earning an at-large bid in May.
18. Villanova (Last Week: Unranked)
National Poll: 15
W 13-12 vs Maryland
W 10-8 vs Hofstra
This still might honestly be too low for Villanova. They’re 2-2 with losses to Penn State and Yale. Wins over Maryland and Hofstra. In another week, they’ll face Penn, which will be their next major litmus test. Are they a good team, or was this just a good week?
19. Hopkins (Last Week: 15)
National Poll: Unranked
L 10-17 vs UNC
Hopkins has started dropping from the rankings and this likely will be their last week in mine. To say they’re disappointing so far is an understatement. They are currently 1-2 with Princeton and Syracuse next. Even adding Joey Epstein back into the lineup after missing a game hasn’t been the help they were hoping for.
20. Saint Josephs (Last Week: Unranked)
National Poll: Unranked
W 11-8 vs Delaware
W 10-8 vs Providence
Last week, I had Providence here. Saint Joseph’s beat them. The national poll had Delaware here. Saint Joseph’s beat them. Aside from the drubbing they took from Penn State, there is some promise once again for the Hawks. If they really are deserving of this ranking, they could realistically go the rest of the regular season with just one loss, or two if they lose to Penn. Every other team on the schedule is currently unranked.
Dropped Out:
- Providence
- UMass
- Rutgers
These are not the toughest picks to justify. UMass had a very disappointing loss to Harvard, and Providence’s entry into my ballot was immediately followed by a loss to an unranked team. For Rutgers, Loyola was a good loss, but they still just haven’t shown enough yet to warrant staying in the top 20.
Next Teams In:
These are the ones with the best shot at making the top 20 in the coming weeks, not in order:
- Richmond
- Hofstra
- Marist
- Hobart
- Navy
Who Did I Leave Out Of My Top 20 2020 NCAA Men’s DI Lacrosse Teams?
- Hobart (19)
- Richmond (20)
Richmond definitely gets some consideration, but they just seem to be unable to put together four quarters of complete lacrosse. But, they may be one of the best first half teams in the country for NCAA Lacrosse. For Hobart, it’s a strength of schedule question. Can they put up the points against Syracuse and make a run at the Kraus-Simmons trophy, or will they display a weaker side?
You can take a look at how my ballot for my top NCAA Men’s DI Lacrosse teams compares to the actual Inside Lacrosse Media Poll for this week by clicking here.
Who are your 2020 NCAA Men’s DI Lacrosse top 20 teams? Who would you vote for in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll? Share in the comments or tag us on social media (@LaxAllStars).
