Once again we saw the number one team in the nation fall this weekend as the Syracuse Orange beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in an 11-10 game. Syracuse has now played in a program record seven one-goal games. The Orange were rewarded with the second spot in the polls while Notre Dame falls but remains in the top five of every poll.
Say what you will about this Syracuse team, but the Orange clearly know how to win in tight games, something that will help them tremendously in the post-season.
I know that a lot of you thought SU should be the overall number one ranking, but after watching Penn State last night it is hard to argue the 10-0 Nittany Lions as the number one after their on-field performance. Syracuse did pick up nine first place votes in the Media poll and two first place votes in the USILA poll. The Hofstra Pride are also undefeated sitting at 9-0. The Pride picked up a first place vote in the Media poll which I think is ridiculous given what we’ve seen out of PSU and SU. I have no problem with a vote to Penn State, but come on, Hofstra is not the best team in the country.
The Duke Blue Devils beat the North Carolina Tar Heels in a 12-8 game after a fourth quarter in which Duke had a 5-0 goal advantage. The Dukies move to the tenth spot in each poll while UNC remains in the bottom of the USILA Coaches poll and the Media Poll but continue to be left out of the US Lacrosse Poll. The Heels are 5-5 overall and are in danger of being left out of not only the ACC Tournament but also the NCAA Tournament. UNC finishes out its season with games against Virginia, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. Remember, to make the NCAAT a team has to be .500 or better.
The final ACC team, the Virginia Cavaliers, beat the Richmond Spiders 8-7 on Saturday and avoided falling out of the polls. The biggest win UVA has is either against the Spiders or an early season victory over the Loyola Greyhounds, other than that the Cavs don’t have a signature win yet. That being said, its losses are to Penn, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Johns Hopkins and all are one-goal losses.
Of note, the 8-1 Binghamton Bearcats move into the 20th spot in the Media poll after a 14-8 win over the Lafayette Leopards.
Maverik Men’s Division I Media Poll
Ranked Teams by Conference: ACC (5/5), Big Ten (5/6), Ivy (2/7), Colonial (2/6), Big East (2/6), Northeast (1/7), Patriot (1/9), SoCon (1/8), America East (1/7), Metro Atlantic (0/7), Independent (0/2)
Biggest Movers:
Syracuse, Yale +3
Ohio State -4
Exiting the Poll:
Boston University
Michigan
Entering the Poll:
Binghamton
Villanova
Syracuse Opponents in the Poll:
Albany (7), Johns Hopkins (11), Duke (10), Notre Dame (4), UNC (19), Virginia (12), Army (6), Binghamton (20)
Maverik Media Poll - Week 8
Rank | Maverik Media Poll | Previous Rank |
---|---|---|
Rank | Maverik Media Poll | Previous Rank |
1 | Penn State Nittany Lions (24) | 2 |
2 | Syracuse Orange (9) | 4 |
3 | Hofstra Pride (1) | 3 |
4 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 1 |
5 | Denver Pioneers | 6 |
6 | Army Black Knights | 7 |
7 | Albany Great Danes | 8 |
8 | Maryland Terrapins | 9 |
9 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 5 |
10 | Duke Blue Devils | 12 |
11 | Johns Hopkins Blue Jays | 13 |
12 | Virginia Cavaliers | 14 |
13 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 10 |
14 | Richmond Spiders | 11 |
15 | Princeton Tigers | 17 |
16 | Towson Tigers | 15 |
17 | Yale Bulldogs | 20 |
18 | Villanova Wildcats | N/R |
19 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 18 |
20 | Binghamton Bearcats | N/R |
Also Receiving Votes: Loyola Greyhounds, Boston University Terriers, Michigan Wolverines, Providence Friars, Marquette Golden Eagles, Air Force Falcons, Pennsylvania Quakers, Navy Midshipmen, Bucknell Bison
Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20
Ranked Teams by Conference: Big Ten (5/6), ACC (4/5), Patriot (3/9), Colonial (2/6), Big East (2/6), Ivy (2/7), America East (1/7), SoCon (1/8), Metro Atlantic (0/7), Northeast (0/7), Independent (0/2)
Biggest Movers:
Rutgers -7
Syracuse +3
Exiting the Poll:
Delaware
Marquette
Entering the Poll:
Loyola
Villanova
Syracuse Opponents in the Poll:
Albany (8), Johns Hopkins (14), Notre Dame (5), Duke (10), Virginia (15), Army (4)
Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 - Week 8
Rank | Team | Previous Rank |
---|---|---|
Rank | Team | Previous Rank |
1 | Penn State | 1 |
2 | Syracuse | 5 |
3 | Hofstra | 3 |
4 | Army | 4 |
5 | Notre Dame | 2 |
6 | Maryland | 6 |
7 | Denver | 8 |
8 | Albany | 10 |
9 | Ohio State | 7 |
10 | Duke | 11 |
11 | Yale | 13 |
12 | Princeton | 14 |
13 | Towson | 15 |
14 | Johns Hopkins | 16 |
15 | Virginia | 17 |
16 | Rutgers | 9 |
17 | Richmond | 12 |
18 | Villanova | N/R |
19 | Loyola | N/R |
20 | Michigan | 18 |
Also Considered: Air Force, Binghamton, Boston University, Marquette, North Carolina, Providence
USILA/Nike Division I Coaches Poll
Ranked Teams by Conference: Big Ten (5/6), ACC (5/5), Patriot (3/9), Colonial (2/6), Big East (2/6), Ivy (1/7), America East (1/7), SoCon (1/8), Metro Atlantic (0/7), Northeast (0/7), Independent (0/2)
Biggest Movers:
Rutgers -5
Maryland +3
Exiting the Poll:
Boston University
Entering the Poll:
Loyola
Syracuse Opponents in the Poll:
Albany (7), Johns Hopkins (11), Notre Dame (3), Duke (10), UNC (20), Virginia (14), Army (8)
USILA Coaches Poll - Week 8
Rank | Team | Previous Rank |
---|---|---|
Rank | Team | Previous Rank |
1 | Penn State (14) | 2 |
2 | Syracuse (2) | 3 |
3 | Notre Dame | 1 |
4 | Hofstra | 6 |
5 | Denver | 4 |
6 | Maryland | 9 |
7 | Albany | 8 |
8 | Army | 10 |
9 | Ohio State | 5 |
10 | Duke | 11 |
11 | Johns Hopkins | 13 |
12 | Rutgers | 7 |
13 | Princeton | 15 |
14 | Virginia | T16 |
15 | Towson | 14 |
16 | Richmond | 12 |
17 | Yale | 19 |
18 | Villanova | 20 |
19 | Loyola | N/R |
20 | North Carolina | T16 |
Also Considered: Michigan, Boston University, Binghamton, Providence, Marquette, Delaware, Air Force