Ah, yes. Another week of Division 1 Lacrosse overreactions. Week one’s edition saw some early return and another take that has already blown up in my face. I, along with the rest of Lax Twitter, would personally like to take credit for calling Hopkins’ collapse. But it really wasn’t cool of Georgetown to drop that one to Penn with dates scheduled against Notre Dame and Princeton lurking in the near future. The great thing about it is that take isn’t officially dead until their season is over, so I have plenty of time to muster more excuses if things continue to head south. Here’s to another week of (probably) regrettable Division 1 Lacrosse overreactions!
Loyola Is the Class of the Patriot League
Monster wins over Maryland and Johns Hopkins catapult the Hounds all the way up to No.6 after beginning the season unranked just two weeks ago. There’s no place I would’ve rather been than Ridley Athletic Complex last Saturday for the Battle of Charles Street against John Hopkins. The stadium was roaring with 5,500+ in attendance. It must be easy for Charlie Tumey to recruit with an atmosphere like Saturday!
Speaking of recruits, the freshman class has certainly made their mark already. Matthew Mincus, sporting Pat Spencer’s infamous No.7, and Henry Haberman have earned starting roles on the attack unit. While Austin Cote, Luke Murphy, and Will McCulloch have worked their way into the midfield rotation. It’s a very young team, and a young team that’s overperforming. It’s a very exciting time to be a Loyola lacrosse fan.
The Verdict: NOT an Overreaction
After opening with a pair of wins over in-state rivals Maryland and Johns Hopkins, how could Loyola not be the standard? Loyola went relatively untalked about in the preseason after a frustrating 2022 season, but 2023 is already off to an A+ start.
Boston University still wears the league crown, and even though this is a platform for overreactions, I didn’t want to be too trigger-friendly by moving them up to the top of the pedestal after two close games against Vermont and Bryant. Boston U has been fine, but Loyola has exceeded every expectation thus far. Loyola will begin Patriot League play in March with a target on their back.
Ohio State Is the Best Team in the Big Ten
Ohio State’s top ten ranking has been validated after Sunday’s win against North Carolina. The Heels, fresh off Tuesday’s win against Hopkins, were shut down by the Buckeyes defense led by Skylar Wahlund who finished with a 71% save percentage in the victory. OSU has proven they can win with either their offense and defense, and credit the defense for locking down Lance Tillman, Logan McGovern, and company in the 8-5 win.
I’ve been as high as anyone on Ohio State this season. I love their transfer portal additions in Richie LaCalandra, Kyle Borda, Marcus Hudgins, amongst others. I picked Ohio State to beat North Carolina in last week’s Best Bets article, and the Buckeyes have looked the part early.
The Verdict: Overreaction
Maryland hasn’t lost a Big Ten game since 2019. That should be the beginning and end to this discussion. While I love what I’ve seen from Ohio State this season, they can’t be the best until they beat the best. Brutus hosts Maryland at home under the lights on Friday April 7th. Mark your calendars.
Over their next three games, the Buckeyes will face the top three ranked teams in the country: Virginia, Cornell, and Notre Dame. Ohio State will have every opportunity to prove the haters wrong.
The PLL Championship Series Will Under Promise and Over Deliver
I had to sneak in some PLL love while I have the chance. I know this is a college-based series, but I thought I’d make an exception for the one week mid-winter tournament.
For those who need a quick reminder, the Championship Series is a one week sixes tournament for the teams who finished in the top four in the regular season standings. Although reigning champions Waterdogs LC won’t be in the sixes event, Atlas, Arches, Whipsnakes, and Chrome will battle in the inaugural offseason championship.
The Verdict: NOT an Overreaction
C’mon man. Have you seen those new Archers buckets, or the practice edit the PLL dropped after day one? RJ and Diggs Tape have been pumping out some great content from practice, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store this weekend.
Lastly, I want to give a quick shoutout to my hometown guy Reed Junkin. Hate to see the circumstances with Kyle Bernhlor missing the action due to injury, but I’m pumped to see Reed elevated to the Championship Series roster. Keep making Wayland proud, Reed!
