Two weeks ago when the Princeton men's lacrosse team was ranked No. 12 by the USILA coaches poll, this newspaper said that they were by no means a No. 12 caliber team, but were instead closer to a top five team. Since then, the Tigers have proven that with a victory over No. 7 Duke and a massacre of No. 6 Cornell.
Now, even the coaches around the country can't deny Coach Tierney and his boys a No. 4 national ranking. Here is how the Tigers and the rest of the top 12 teams in the country stack up as they prepare for the postseason.
1. Johns Hopkins (9-1)
Princeton's first game of the season was against the Blue Jays. In that game, JHU midfielder Kyle Harrison scored both the first and the final goal to lead the Blue Jays to an 8-5 victory. This year is not going to be their championship season, though. Granted, their only loss was to No. 3 Virginia, 10-4, but Hopkins has also been in a number of very close games to very mediocre teams. For instance, its margin of victory over Hofstra, North Carolina, Villanova, Ohio State, Maryland, and Navy has been 1.7 goals per game, not a comfortable margin considering the competition. They'll make it to the semifinals, but expect for them to lose there.
2. Syracuse (10-2)
If it hasn't been Princeton the last 10 years, it's probably been the 'Cuse. This year is different — sort of. The Orangemen have lost to Cornell and Johns Hopkins, but still remain on a very short list of "teams to beat." They do have — and will have for the next two years — one of the best couple of scorers in the country and also a great defense. Except for its two losses, Syracuse has beaten most of the teams by the amount it should be beating them. One notable exception, however, was the Brown game in which the score was tied on eight separate occasions until Mike Springer of the Orangemen netted an overtime goal for a 14-13 victory. Expect them to make it to their 19th straight NCAA Final Four and very possibly one more game past that.
3. Virginia (9-2)
The only team to knock off Hopkins, the Cavaliers beat Princeton 13-11 in their third game of the season. Virginia allowed Notre Dame to play them a little too tightly, but, other than that, they have played like a top three team. They did recently lose to Duke in the finals of the ACC Tournament, but the team will likely rebound and should keep momentum heading into the playoffs. They will not lose either of their last two games of the season to Penn State and Butler, and will likely keep their No. 3 ranking as Tournament seedings are handed about. Do not be surprised, though, if they don't quite recover after the Duke loss and do, in fact, lose in the quarters or semis of the tournament.
4. Princeton (6-4)
It may be obsequious front-running, but the Tigers are finally back in a position that more closely matches their abilities. Their third quarter against Cornell — outscoring the Big Red 5-0 — was maybe the best quarter any team has played all year. If the Tigers are back to that level of play for good, then they will be the team to beat in the tournament, regardless of seedings.
5. Georgetown (9-1)
The Hoyas round out the top five and have only lost to No. 8 Massachussetts. Georgetown has a weaker schedule than the other teams in the top five, and have only beaten two solid teams — Cornell and Duke. Syracuse and Loyola are still on the schedule, though, and should make the team weathered enough for the tournament. Without many big wins, the Hoyas may not get as good as a five seed in the tournament, especially if they lose to Syracuse or Loyola.
6. Cornell (9-2)
Only two teams have beaten Cornell — Georgetown in its first game of the season and Princeton in its last. Besides that, the Big Red beat Syracuse for the second year in a row and have dominated its non-Princeton Ivy League games. Led by a senior backfield, this is Cornell's year for glory. They have a chance to make some motion this year, but not again for a while.
7. Duke (7-5)
Duke won the ACC tournament and will get into the tournament for doing so. Still, with five losses, the Blue Devils have shown they can lose. They'll need to show they can win consistently before being a threat.
8. UMass (10-2)
It is somewhat ironic that the first team into this year's tournament was the team who most strongly felt it should not have been excluded from last year's. Massachusetts recently won the ECAC championship, and will be in the tournament with some of the top teams in the nation. They will be playing in the first round and should make it to the quarterfinals just in time to be butchered by one of the top seeds.
9. Hofstra (9-3)
Hofstra is living on the bubble. Unfortunately, it will probably break for them. Their only top 10 victory was against UMass back in February. They play Duke on Friday in what will probably be a must-win game for their season. If they do make the tournament, their prospects are similar to Massachusetts'.
10. Maryland (7-4)
Maryland has four one-goal losses and no victories over teams in the top 10. If the Terps could have beaten one or two of those teams — all in the top five — they would have probably made the tournament. As is, though, they will likely be on the outside looking in.
11. Loyola (8-2)
The Greyhounds have made 13 straight NCAA tournament appearances and have been ranked in the top 10 for 14 years in a row, but have yet to cross over to the list of elite teams. Entering the tourney this year, Loyola will have one simple goal — win a national championship.
12. North Carolina (7-4)
Recently, the rivalry in the Tar Heel state has extended past the hardwood and out onto the lacrosse field. With Duke and Virginia still dominating the Atlantic Coast Conference, however, North Carolina remains on the outside looking into the group of elite teams.
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