Schooling Schooler: Weekend of Feb. 27
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Coyne Archive | Twitter
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| John Paul and his Wolverines start their quest for
three consecutive national championships this weekend. We couldn't
include them in the competition because they should handle Arizona,
but we'll give Michigan its deserved time in the
spotlight. © Ryan Mckee |
We've been doing the competition for nearly three weeks now and
the defending national champs have finally decided to grace us with
their presence. After increasing its NCAA Division III street cred
by dispatching Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan in scrimmages over the
past two weeks, Michigan finally starts "Operation 3:60" on
Saturday in Tucson.
The Wolverines game this weekend didn't make the cut for the
Scho-Scho as the UM-Arizona tilt isn't exactly a brain-buster. But
since John Paul loves the limelight and Michigan has won
40-straight games, we'll give the champs their due and make them
the lede.
A 4-1 week by yours truly has managed to tie this competition up,
as both Nick and I have dueling 6-4 records heading into the
weekend.
To the games...
Indiana (1-0) at
Tennessee (4-0), 7
p.m., Saturday
COYNE: I think both of these programs are on the
rise and I also believe both of these teams are hovering in the
same vicinity - always competitive in the league, but just outside
of national consideration for now. Former Notre Dame standout Matt
Karweck and Matt Synowiez have done nice jobs building the Hoosier
and Vol programs, respectively.
It will be the little things that determine the winner of this
one.
The one "little thing" that pops out at me is Tennessee will be
playing a game on Friday night, while Indiana will be fresh for
Saturday. Granted, the Vols will be playing Georgia and the Dawgs
haven't put up much of a fight this year, but I think it will give
the Hoosiers just enough edge to take this one down.
SCHOOLER: I'm not going to try to B.S. here. I don't know
anything about either of these teams. I can't recall either team
having any national success in the past and have only heard a few
good things here and there about Tennessee, so I am going to have
to go with the Vols in this one. They play in a tougher conference
and have a few more games under their belt, including a win over
conference rival, Clemson.
No. 2 Chapman (3-0) at No. 8 Cal Poly (3-0),
1 p.m. PT, Sunday
COYNE: There is typically a gap between the Top 5
teams and the next tier, and I think that gap will be on display
Sunday. Cal Poly is definitely a strong program, but there are
holes that will keep the Mustangs from being one of the elites.
Those holes will be exploited on Sunday. Chapman has been tested in
the crucible of the MCLA the last two campaigns, both in the
regular season and tournament, and that experience will be evident
on Sunday.
This game will be a little closer than one might expect only
because Chapman has to play a San Diego State team that has been
challenging a lot of high-end programs on Friday night. I like the
Panthers by four.
SCHOOLER: I actually had an opportunity to see Cal Poly
play this year. They didn't seem as good as they were last season,
but I was a bit inebriated, so the game is a blur. Chapman, on the
other hand, seems to be just as good, if not better, than last
year. I think they are the number two team in the country at this
point in the season. While I think that Cal Poly will give them a
very good game, I think Chapman will sneak away with a close
victory.
No. 14 Texas (4-0) at No.
21 Lindenwood (1-2), 1 p.m. CT,
Sunday
COYNE: Lindenwood needs this game badly. After
the debacle against Minnesota and the clean sweep in the Twin
Cities last weekend, the Lions are reeling and need to get their
confidence back. Troy Hood and the boys did receive some good news
when it became clear that the sleeping giant that is Wisconsin is
still fast asleep, keeping LU as the favorite in the GRLC. But if
the Lions lose to Texas, they'll be heading to Denver as the No. 16
seed. Good night. Lindenwood takes the desperation win at home.
SCHOOLER: My two least favorite conferences, the GRLC and
the LSA, face off in this game for the title of ‘Worst
Conference in the MCLA.' After losing to Minnesota last week,
Lindenwood is showing some signs of a tough season ahead. Texas, on
the other hand, has had a good showing early in the season and
actually caught my attention. I'm going with the Longhorns in this
one.
Coyne's Pick
Stanford (0-4) at Chico
State (1-0), 1 p.m.
PT, Saturday
COYNE: We'll see if Nick takes the bait on this
one. If you look at the scores and records, you might think this
game is a mismatch. It is, but in favor of Stanford. The San Diego
and Washington losses aren't good, but the Cardinal showed they can
play with a couple of sure-fire tournament teams in UCSB and
Oregon. Chico destroyed a Nevada team that was pounded earlier by
D-II bantamweight Willamette. Experience counts. Stanford by a
deuce.
SCHOOLER: Drew Virk went out on a limb and scheduled some
tough early season games for Stanford. It didn't pay off and they
are off to an 0-4 start. Chico has not been tested yet, and the
Reno game was an easy victory. I'm struggling with picking this
game and I think this will be the key to beating Jac this week.
Because I was born and raised to hate everything Stanford, I'm
picking Chico in this one.
Schooler's Pick
No. 19 UC Santa Barbara
(2-3) at San Diego
(1-2), 5 p.m. PT,
Sunday
SCHOOLER: Some may look at this game and wonder
why I chose it. It might be my Left Coast bias, but the game also
means a lot for the large-headed, Charlie Weis look-a-like Michael
Dewan, USD's head coach. Dewan played for UCSB back at the turn of
the century. He is also a close friend of mine and I know that he
has had this date circled on his calendar since scheduling it
months ago. It is probably the only reason they lost to Chapman and
Claremont this season. Add ASU to that list after Saturday.
This will definitely be a low scoring game. Both teams take
defensive strategy very seriously. Dewan has his over-the-top
defensive schemes while the Gauchos stack their coaching staff with
defensive-minded coaches. It is unclear where UCSB stands. They
have a double overtime loss to BYU, but also have two losses to Cal
and Cal Poly. I don't think this game will clear anything up. UCSB
will win this game by 3 or 4 goals.
COYNE: Obviously, the Santa Barbara alumni council has
instructed Schooler to pick a game in which the Gauchos are
prohibitive favorites, because you can book the outcome of this
game. The bromance between Schooler and Dewan warms my heart, but
UCSB will win it, 10-5, in a snoozer.
Previous Schooling Schoolers
Weekend
of Feb. 13
Weekend
of Feb. 20
