NCAA Men's Lax Opening Weekend Wrap Up

So I wound up going 5 for 8 on the first weekend of the Men's Lacrosse Tournament. My five safe picks (UVA, Duke, Syracuse, Princeton and Cornell) all worked out great. My two upsets (Brown and UMBC) fell just short by a combined 3 goals. And then there was Maryland, the psuedo upset I failed to pick. Maryland is basicially the Indiana basketball of lacrosse-- they haven't won it all in a while but their location ensures an obscene amount of talent on their roster every year, so they are never an underdog in the first round regardless of rank. My bad.

So what did we learn this week?

1. Billy Bitters Told Tim Tebow to Suck It- So you think you know what it means to dominate a college sporting event? No you don't. Billy Bitters redefined it by going Chuck Norris in Chapel Hill. This attackman from North Carolina scored 8 goals and assisted another in UNC's 15-13 win over UMBC. Not only that, he scored on his first 8 shots of the game-- and only missed his ninth when a UMBC defender jumped into the goal to block the shot with his chest after his goalie was juked helplessly to the ground. Oh yeah, he is also only a sophomore. He's going to win multiple Teewaraton's (the lacrosse Heisman).

2. Brian Christopher is the new Mr. Big Shot- The last three games, Johns Hopkins was tied in the closing minutes of their game. They needed to win all three to qualify and then advance in the NCAAs. Twice, like on Saturday, the game went into overtime. All three times, Brian Christopher scored the game winner out of the Johns Hopkins midfield. His goal was unreal on Saturday, a right handed laser that clocked at least 100 mph. If Hopkins is tied next week against Virginia, you better believe Coach Dave Petriemala is giving the ball to Christopher.

3. Only Maryland Plays Defense- Only three teams held their opponents to under 7 goals, and only one of those games was against a legitimate offensive team. Maryland played high scoring Notre Dame and their star attackman Ryan Hoff. The result? Three Notre Dame goals, Hoff was held to a stunning zero shots, and Maryland won 7-3. Maryland shut down Hoff, and their slides on defense were quick and perfect angles to prevent Notre Dame from ever getting a shot within 10 yards of the cage. Impressive performance

4. You Never Want to Be on an ESPN Poll- ESPN had a poll going all weekend, "Which Goalie Would You Want On Your Team In The NCAA Tournament." The choices were: Notre Dame's Scott Rodgers, Brown's Jordan Burke, UMass' Doc Schneider, or Princeton's Tyler Fiorito. The answer was apparently Fiorito, because he was the only keeper who won. Remember this for your picks next weekend.