Our weekly rankings are in!
While the top of the poll saw a ton of shuffling, things were actually pretty stable overall. Most of the teams that should have won did. But that doesn’t mean the games weren’t great, and it’s doesn’t mean the top 10 was easy to put together. So, let’s take a look at where we stand.
Public ballots and weekly rankings are nothing without praise and shame, so here is our scoreboard:
Ryan Conwell’s picks aligning with the national poll: 7
Nick Zoroya’s picks aligning with the national poll: 6
Everyone agreeing: 4. Basically, the top three and Ohio State.
If you’d like to see our previous polls, you can find them here:
Week 0 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
Key
RC’s Ballot – NZ’s Ballot
National Poll
2021 NCAA DI Men’s Weekly Rankings – Week 9 Top 20
Note: The following are the official Inside Lacrosse Media Poll ballots are from Lacrosse All Stars’ Ryan Conwell and Nick Zoroya.
1 Maryland (RC) – Maryland (NZ)
National Poll: Maryland (8-0)
We all agree with Maryland at the top this week, but how we got here was different. For Ryan, it’s the second week for the Terps on top, but Nick finally caved into their conference-only schedule and brings them up.
2 Notre Dame (RC) – Notre Dame (NZ)
National Poll: Notre Dame (6-1)
The Irish may have lost their ACC opener to UVA, but ever since then, they have looked incredible. They are the only non-Maryland team getting No. 1 votes this week, making them the final ACC team to do so. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
3 Virginia (RC) – Virginia (NZ)
National Poll: Virginia (9-2)
UVA avenged one of its two losses by topping North Carolina, but it still has some weaknesses. But when the Cavs are on, they are a nightmare of a team to deal with.
4 Rutgers (RC) – Denver (NZ)
National Poll: Duke (10-1)
We finally diverge! I (Ryan), still believe in Rutgers. Outside of its Maryland losses, it has some gaudy wins. For Nick, Denver’s eight-straight league wins are carrying a ton of weight, and the Pios look to make it 10.
5 Duke (RC) – North Carolina (NZ)
National Poll: North Carolina (8-2)
I still couldn’t put UNC over Duke in my weekly rankings given that it just beat the Blue Devils a week ago, but UNC’s loss still looked better than Duke’s. I give more credit to Notre Dame on that, though.
6 North Carolina (RC) – Duke (NZ)
National Poll: Denver (9-2)
Nick and I swapped Duke and UNC with each other while the national poll throws Denver in this slot. But they’re all in the same ballpark, realistically.
7 Denver (RC) – Rutgers (NZ)
National Poll: Lehigh (6-0)
For me, Denver mostly fell because of UVA’s jump. Nick had Rutgers up a spot because of Georgetown dropping. But Lehigh at No. 7 still isn’t far off since we both have them at No. 8 in our weekly rankings.
8 Lehigh (RC) – Lehigh (NZ)
National Poll: Rutgers (6-2)
Well, at least Lax All Stars agrees on where Lehigh sits. I do think the national group is really underselling Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights only lost to the now-No. 1 team. That’s it.
9 Army (RC) – Syracuse (NZ)
National Poll: Syracuse (5-3)
Yes, I still have Army higher than Cuse in my weekly rankings. I still don’t think I’m that wrong. Cuse looked better against Albany, but it needs much more consistency and fast.
10 Syracuse (RC) – Georgetown (NZ)
National Poll: Army (5-2)
Nick has the Hoyas higher than me or the national poll, and this is where Army sits nationally. But like the last few weeks, these No. 10-11 spots are a mix of a few teams that are pretty close.
11 Georgetown (RC) – Army (NZ)
National Poll: Georgetown (8-1)
Basically, the same description from No. 10 still applies. These 10-11 spots have pretty much been the Georgetown/Patriot League locations for a few weeks now. Not much will change that outside of a bad loss.
12 Ohio State (RC) – Ohio State (NZ)
National Poll: Ohio State (4-4)
Ohio State seems to have locked in that No. 3 spot in the Big Ten. This is now the point in the season where we start asking: will that be enough? Can the Buckeyes still earn an at-large bid outside of a Big Ten Championship Appearance? The odds are not great, but they do have Maryland again this week. A win there could change everything.
13 Loyola (RC) – Richmond (NZ)
National Poll: Drexel (5-2)
Despite the loss, I left Loyola where it was, because I still think the Greyhounds better than anyone behind them. For Nick, Richmond jumped over a few teams in his weekly rankings after taking a closer look at its potential in head to heads.
14 Richmond (RC) – Hofstra (NZ)
National Poll: Loyola (5-4)
Richmond hovered for me while Hofstra goes up a spot for Nick. This is a very stable portion of the poll in general.
15 Hofstra (RC) – Stony Brook (NZ)
National Poll: Hofstra (6-2)
For me, Hofstra moved up a spot after its win but mostly due to Delaware’s loss. For Nick, Stony Brook goes up in his weekly rankings after UMass and Delaware’s dropping.
16 Drexel (RC) – Drexel (NZ)
National Poll: Delaware (7-2)
With Drexel already higher up in the national poll, Delaware slides to here. Nick and I are a little more cautious of the Dragons but and still put them here in the mid-teens in our weekly rankings.
17 Delaware (RC) – Loyola (NZ)
National Poll: Richmond (4-4)
I dropped Delaware two spots to here while Nick was a little more brutal with Loyola, pulling it a full six spots lower from last week. Crazy things happen when you lose and everyone else wins.
18 Stony Brook (RC) – Vermont (NZ)
National Poll: Stony Brook (7-3)
Stony Brook is one of those teams still with mostly good losses. It lost to UMBC but beat Albany. The AE as a whole is a little odd, which is why Nick almost threw Vermont in here. These teams are all so close together, it’s practically a coin flip.
19 Vermont (RC) – Delaware (NZ)
National Poll: Albany (6-3)
The last two spots became interesting. Albany did lose to Vermont, but Vermont more recently lost to UMBC, who just lost to Albany. So is Albany trending up, or is Vermont trending down?
20 Albany (RC) – Albany (NZ)
National Poll: Vermont (5-3)
Albany was in a close one with UMBC and in the fourth quarter, it blew the doors off. That was enough to vault them back into the top 20.
RC’s Dropped Out:
UMBC (17)
NZ’s Dropped Out:
UMass (17)
RC’s Next Teams In:
These are the ones with the best shot at making the top 20 in the coming weeks, not in order: Navy, High Point, UMBC, UMass, Villanova.
NZ’s Next Teams In:
Navy, UMBC
RC’s Who Did I Leave Out?
Nobody? That had to be a first!
NZ’s Who Did I Leave Out?
Nobody! For both of us, that’s definitely a first!
