NCAA Tournament Preview Who’s Already In CAC AQ – Salisbury EMPIRE 8 AQ - Ithaca If the Conference tournaments were to end like the regular season… These teams would get the AQs. North Commonwealth Coast Conference – Endicott Empire Eight Conference – Ithaca Liberty League – St. Lawrence Little East Conference – Eastern Connecticut New England Small College Athletic Conference – Middlebury North Atlantic Conference – Mt. Ida Pilgrim League – Springfield Skyline Conference – Montclair State State University of New York Athletic Conference – Cortland South Capital Athletic Conference – Salisbury Centennial Conference – Gettysburg Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation – Messiah Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Lynchburg Pennsylvania Athletic Conference – Cabrini Pool B – Three make it Denison Kenyon Ohio Wesleyan/Wooster/Goucher Top At-Larges – Four make the Tournament – Washington College Haverford Villa Julie Geneseo Wesleyan Clarkson WNEC Union *these are based on the national rankings, which are theoretically based on regional rankings/records first, and strength of schedule, which would probably not change this list much. Top Bracket Busters *These are all at-large teams that can shake up the at-large scene by winning their conference tournaments forcing one of the country’s top teams to take an at-large bid. Villa Julie is the best at-large that no longer has a hand in their fate, they have to be hoping for no upsets. Virginia Wesleyan – A win in the ODAC Final would create a problem in the South. It would challenge the overall ranking vs. the in-region ranking. Currently Lynchburg is tied for fourth in the country according to the USILA poll, but they’re sixth in the South Regional Ranking behind Cabrini and Haverford thanks to an early season overtime loss to Haverford. Both Haverford and Cabrini are behind Lynchburg in the national poll. A Virginia Wesleyan upset by itself or coupled with a SUNYAC or NESCAC upset, and it’s possible that Lynchburg (the fourth-ranked team in the country according to the coaches) is left out of the NCAA Tournament. Winner of Washington vs. Haverford – Gettysburg showed their vulnerability in a 11-9 loss to F&M. Gettysburg would definitely get an at-large if they were to fall in the Centennial Final. Geneseo – The past two years Geneseo and Cortland split games. If Geneseo knocked the Red Dragons off in the SUNYAC final, Cortland is a lock at-large. Williams/Wesleyan/Bowdoin – Middlebury is basically a lock at-large regardless of the NESCAC outcome. Wesleyan most likely needs a NESCAC championship. Play any of these games any day of the week and who knows who comes out on top. However, Middlebury knows how to win championships. Winner of Clarkson vs. Union – St. Lawrence will have their hands full with either of these teams, though St. Lawrence won’t likely get an at-large, though they would move ahead of Geneseo in the pecking order. Keene State and Western New England – last year’s darling teams haven’t quite lived up to the hype this year. To be fair, they are both a multiple-overtime loss away from being the top seeds in their respective leagues. Endicott and Eastern Connecticut better not look past either. On the Fly 4 – The number of teams from lax.com’s preseason Top 20 Poll whose seasons are already finished, either by losing in their conference’s tournaments, failing to make their conference tournaments, or by falling in their regional rankings. Roanoke, Tufts, W&L, and RIT all will be watching the 2008 NCAA tournament from afar. 4 – The number of 2007 NCAA tournament teams (Merchant Marine, Nazareth, Roanoke, and Tufts) that have already been eliminated from the NCAA tournament before the final week of the season, with more to likely fail in their repeat attempts. 26 – The number of saves that the Ithaca College Bombers needed from junior goalie Ben Connery in a 12-9 win over RIT in the Empire 8 Championship game last Sunday. Connery was named tournament MVP for his performance. His 26 saves were one short of this year’s single-game high by one goalie. 19-of-25 – Williams junior goalie Michael Gerbush stopped 19 of the 25 shots he faced against the 18th-ranked Tufts Jumbos in the first round of the NESCAC tournament that saw Williams win 14-6 last Saturday. Gerbush had a large hand in ending Tufts season, as the Jumbos were eliminated from the NESCAC tournament. 7 – The number of goals by Salve Regina junior attackman Ryan Comerford in a 14-13 overtime win in the CCC quarterfinals over Gordon on Tuesday. Comerford’s final goal came 45 seconds into overtime off a Brandt Nelson feed to seek revenge on the third seeded Gordon Scots who beat Salve Regina less than a month ago 9-8 in 61 minutes. 28-of-39 – The amount of faceoffs that Lycoming sophomore Michael Doherty won against Widener in a 17-19 MAC Semifinal loss to Widener on Wednesday. Doherty also scooped 18 groundballs while junior goalie Kyle Gilfoy stopped 18 Widener shots. Unfortunately, Widener had a pretty accurate day shooting the ball as they had 37 of their 41 shots on net, with 19 crossing the goal line. The Pioneers only had seven different scorers involved in their 19 goals with four different players scoring five or more points. Sea Gull Perch 1 – The amount of wins that Salisbury head coach Jim Berkman needs to move into sole possession of the NCAA record for wins by a men’s lacrosse coach. With the win at the War on the Shore over WAC, Berkman tied former Army coach Jack Emmer at 326 career wins. Berkman’s ultra-impressive record at Salisbury is 317-30, which over his 20 year career on the shore is good for a yearly average of 15.85 wins and 1.5 losses. “We’re going Streaking!” – This section is dedicated to the many, many impressive streaks that the Salisbury Sea Gulls are currently riding... 5 – The number of seasons in a row that Salisbury has entered the NCAA tournament with a perfect record. The only loss they suffered in that stretch, was the 2006 National Championship game in overtime to Cortland. 3 – The number of seasons in a row that Jim Berkman was named CAC coach of the year (seventh overall). 14 – Number of CAC championships that the Sea Gull men’s lacrosse team has won in a row and also the number of years in a row that a Sea Gull was named conference player of the year. 99 – Number of conference games that Salisbury has won in a row since entering the CAC in 1995. 71 – Number of games the Sea Gulls have won in a row at Sea Gull Stadium since 2003, where they will likely play every game of the DIII NCAA tournament until the championship in Foxboro, MA, provided they continue their winning ways. 41 – The current overall win streak by the Sea Gulls. 4 – The number of first team All-CAC players that the Sea Gulls had this year: senior attackman Matt Hickman, junior midfielder Kylor Berkman, senior defender Ben Sandlin, and sophomore LSM Connor Burgasser. They added another three players to the second team: senior attackman Greg Titus, sophomore midfielder Mike Von Kamecke, and junior defender Kevin Maynard. 9 –The number of first team All-CAC players that the Sea Gulls had in 2007. 1st – Kylor and Jim Berkman became the first father-son combo to be named the Capital Athletic Conference Coach and Player of the Year for any sport in the conference’s history going back to 1991. 2,975 – Number of fans that saw this year’s version of the “War on the Shore” which pitted #4 Washington on the road against #1 Salisbury. This attendance was the most ever for the Salisbury-Washington series which dates back to 1974. It was the second most to ever see a game at Sea Gull Stadium. The record for Sea Gull Stadium overall was the 1991 DIII National Championship which saw Hobart beat Salisbury in the last championship game held at a campus site. 16 – The number of saves by Washington’s junior goalie Gordon Cohen against the Sea Gulls. Cohen’s play was integral in giving the Shoremen a chance. Salisbury dominated the time of possession while the Shoremen took advantage of their opportunities. Shots-GBS-Faceoffs – These are often the statistical categories that represent which team controlled the pace of the game. Salisbury held advantages in each of these over the Shoremen: 44-to-34 shot advantage, a 34-to-23 gb advantage, and a 19-to-11 faceoff advantage. Despite these discrepancies, the Shoremen, thanks to the play of Cohen and an opportunistic offense, managed to cut the lead to 9-8 and 11-10 late in the third quarter before finally succumbing to the Sea Gulls for the 15-11 Salisbury win. Games of the week

Thursday, May 1, 2008

COMMONWEALTH COAST CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS #4 Roger Williams @ #1 Endicott, 7:00 pm – Roger Williams just had their best offensive output of the season, which they’ll need to continue to overcome the dominance that Endicott has displayed this season in the CCC, winning by an average of 9.8 goals per game in the CCC. #6 Salve Regina @ #2 WNEC, 4:00 pm – The Golden Bears won this handily a couple of weeks ago. Salve Regina needed a seven-goal-one-assist performance by junior attackman Ryan Comerford to overcome Gordon. They’ll need a bunch of players to step up like that to overcome the Golden Bears.

Friday, May 2, 2008

CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS – Gettysburg, PA #1 Gettysburg vs. #4 Muhlenberg, 1:30 pm – Muhlenberg made it to their first Centennial Playoffs. Don’t expect the Cinderella story to continue as Gettysburg has only lost one game in the Centennial Tournament since the conference started it in 2001. #2 Washington vs. #3 Haverford, 4:30 pm – 12-2 and a #4 ranking is the most successful that the Shoremen senior class have been since hitting the Shore. It’s the best Haverford team ever on the Main Line as they sit 11-3 and ranked #9. It’ll be a shame if either team is left out of the NCAA tournament. If they don’t win the Centennial, it’s possible both get left out. Expect everyone to play fully aware of that.

LIBERTY LEAGUE SEMIFINALS #3 Union @ #2 Clarkson, 4:00 pm – Not too many expected Clarkson or Union to wind up in the Top 20 poll, but they’re both there are at 17 and 20 respectively. Both teams have a chance to be a Cinderella story by winning this game and then the Liberty Championship. Union rallied from three goals down only to lose in overtime just under a month ago to Clarkson. Expect similar drama for this game. #4 RPI @ #1 St. Lawrence, 4:00 pm – Since starting out 0-2, St. Lawrence has won nine straight. RPI is the only one to get close to beating the Saints in nearly two months as they dropped an overtime game three weeks ago.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY

NESCAC SEMIFINALS @ Middlebury, VT #6 Williams vs. #1 Middlebury, 12:00 pm – 12-1 Middlebury has won seven straight NESCAC Finals. All five of Williams losses are in the NESCAC, three of them were by one goal each. Expect a close one, but the playoff experience that Middlebury has will be invaluable. #4 Bowdoin vs. #2 Wesleyan, 3:00 pm – Wesleyan won this easier than expected. Four of Bowdoin’s five losses have been to ranked teams. Wesleyan most likely needs the NESCAC championship to make it to the NCAAs. The Cardinals have made it to the last two NCAA Final Fours, but have lost the last two to Middlebury.

Geneseo @ Cortland, 3:30 – SUNYAC CHAMPIONSHIP – These two teams have a history of splitting the regular season and the SUNYAC championship over the past two years. Cortland will almost definitely make the NCAA tournament with a loss, whereas Geneseo will have a painful 24 hours waiting for the NCAA tournament seedings as they are a bubble team as an at-large. An upset in a couple of conferences might leave Geneseo out of the field of 21.

Ohio Wesleyan @ #13 Denison –Not a tournament championship per se, but an Ohio Wesleyan win creates a three-way tie for the North Coast Athletic Conference. It also gives Ohio Wesleyan a boost in the race for a Pool B berth. OWU needs this game more for the tournament, but don’t expect either team to take this rivalry game lightly.

LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP – Keene State certainly wants a rematch after their triple overtime loss at Eastern Connecticut on April 19th. Eastern Connecticut is undefeated at home in eight years of conference play. Their only four conference losses in that span have been to Keene State (2005 and 2007 regular-season and playoffs).

Wheaton @ Springfield, 1:00 pm – PILGRIM CHAMPIONSHIP – The Wheaton Lyons hadn’t won a Pilgrim tournament game since 1998 until Wednesday’s win over Babson, and they haven’t played in the championship game since 1996. Springfield dominated Wheaton the first time around 14-5 and are primed to do so again to get back to the NCAA tournament. They’ve won six of their last seven games.

Wooster @ #19 Kenyon, 1:00 pm – A win by Wooster would give them a chance in the Pool B berth. Kenyon would likely wrap up a Pool B berth to the NCAAs with a win. Kenyon has beaten Wooster by an average of 10 goals each of the past two years.

Widener @ Messiah, TBA – MAC CHAMPIONSHIP – Widener and Lycoming have met in this capacity in four of the last five years. Widener’s been victorious three of the four times. Messiah senior attackman (former Salisbury transfer) Nick Ricucci is one of the best pure scorers in DIII with 50 goals this year, good for sixth in the nation. In what will likely be a tight, high-scoring game, every goal will count.

#3 Kean University @ #1 Montclair State, 6:00 pm – SKYLINE CHAMPIONHIP – Wasn’t much of a contest the first time around as Montclair dominated 14-5 and has run through the Skyline Conference. Kean appears to be a different team from the first time these two teams met nearly a month ago.

COMMONWEALTH COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP – Will this be the game that everyone predicted when Western New England switched conferences, pitting WNEC vs. Endicott? If so, expect fireworks again as their battle three weeks ago was a double overtime Endicott victory.

Castelton State @ Mount Ida, 1:00 pm – NAC CHAMPIONSHIP – This is the fifth-straight year that the Mount Ida Mustangs have advanced to this game and the fifth-straight year that these two teams have faced off with Mount Ida winning handily nearly every time. Expect Mount Idea to build on their 10-2 victory a month ago and go to another NCAA tournament.

#2 Goucher @ #1 Drew, TBA – LANDMARK CHAMPIONSHIP – Not for an NCAA tournament bid in their inaugural season for the Landmark Conference. The last time these two teams played, Drew goalies Brad Mendelson and Michael Celentano combined for a ridiculous 32 saves in their 11-10 victory.

#2 Eastern @ #1 Cabrini, 3:30 pm – PAC CHAMPIONSHIP – Two months ago the nationally ranked #7 Cabrini Cavaliers shut out Eastern 13-0. They might be even better now. Eastern is definitely moving in the right direction. After a two year hiatus, they went 3-11 in ’06, 7-10 in ’07 and 8-8 in ’08.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Virginia Wesleyan @ Lynchburg, TBA – ODAC CHAMPIONSHIP – The coaches of the ODAC expected Virginia Wesleyan to finish 5th in the league and out of the playoffs. Instead they beat everyone but W&L and Lynchburg in the regular season. They managed to get revenge over W&L in the semifinals and now have their shot at the Hornets. Lynchburg is in good shape for an At-Large bid if they lose, but the only guarantee is a win here.

NESCAC CHAMPIONSHIP, Middlebury VT, 12:00 pm – Middlebury has won this game all seven times that they’ve had a conference tournament. Anything can happen in the NESCAC regular season, but so far Middlebury has been a safe bet in the playoffs. All four teams in these semifinals can knock each other off on any given day.

CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP, Gettysburg, PA, 4:30 pm – Whichever two teams make it to this will likely be in the NCAA tournament. Gettysburg has beaten Washington in this game for the first four years of fifth-year senior attackman Trip Dyer’s career. The winner of the WAC-Haverford game will be playing like this is their ticket to the NCAA tournament, because it very well may be.

LIBERTY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP – These teams have a penchant for playing tight one-goal games. Who knows what sort of noise any of these teams could make in the NCAA Tournament, but all are well-coached and play tough schedules, and when those two combine anything can happen in May.

NCAA Tournament Seeding – Stay tuned to lax.com on Sunday night to get the tournament brackets. The seeding show will also air live on ESPNU at 9 pm. See which teams won and get to continue the run to a national championship and which teams get a head-start on summer break.

Wednesday,May 7, 2008

NCAA Tournament begins

These games aren’t always the most competitive, but there’s always one or two that live up to the hype. For five teams, their seasons end in disappointment, but for another five, the dream continues for at least a few more days.