Schooling Schooler: Conference Tourney Blowout
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Coyne
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MCLA-1
Conference Tourneys | MCLA-II
Conference Tourneys
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| It's been a rough regular season for Nick, but we're now into the postseason, so maybe he'll have a little more luck. It starts this week with a conference tournament showdown. |
'Schooling Schooler' is a Men's Collegiate Lacrosse
Association pick 'em competition between LMO's Jac Coyne and Nick
Schooler, a current marine biology Master’s candidate at UC
Santa Barbara as well as a former All-American and two-time
national champion for the Gauchos. Coyne and Schooler will be
picking five games from the MCLA every week during the course of
the season.
As we look back on the regular season competition of Schooling
Schooler, which I won by some absurdly large margin, Nick’s
biggest problem was his dated views on the strengths of the various
MCLA conferences and an inability to put aside the blinders about
the leagues that were dominant during his bygone era.
What better way to illuminate this fact than starting off the
postseason edition of Schooling Schooler by predicting the winners
of the remaining eight conference tournaments that will be finished
off this weekend?
I’m betting you’ll likely see that Nicky gets trapped
by a lot of the same hang-ups that have been plaguing his selection
process all season.
He won’t do too poorly because several of the conferences are
going to be slam dunks, but he’ll bungle a couple as he peers
through his 2004-colored glasses.
In addition to choosing the winners in the Division I tournaments,
I’ll briefly be adding my choices in Division II, as well.
That’s just the kind of guy I am.
On to the games…
Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association
COYNE: Some of the electronic missives I’ve
been receiving out of Ann Arbor have tacitly accused me of being a
shill for Michigan State. While I certainly like Sparty's team this
year, I think the last week has proved that MSU is not
quite ready to assume the mantle of CCLA champs quite yet. And
don’t forget: MSU’s exam schedule conflicts with the
league tourney, and it showed last year when Buffalo knocked off
the Spartans in the semifinals. I think Dwayne Hicks'
troops get to the finals, and might even stay close, but the
crown stays with the Wolverines.
The CCLA-II tourney is going to be a dogfight with five of the Top
14 teams in the country participating, including three –
Grand Valley State, Dayton and Davenport – in the Top 5. I
think if Davenport had the bye, they’d win it, but three
games in three days is too tough. I’ll take Dayton.
SCHOOLER: I don't think the CCLA has had an at-large since
Oakland back in 2006. They lost in the first round and got kicked
out of our hotel for being too rowdy. It must have been for putting
coffee in the hot tub. However, Michigan State is turning some
heads this season. Could we see the rare instance in which Michigan
loses the CCLA? Not going to happen. Michigan dominates, as
usual.
Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference
COYNE: At what spot did we pick Wisconsin
again in the preseason? No. 18? I guess it was Illinois who was the
actual contender for the crown, and they showed it by dumping
Lindenwood in the regular season finale. These two will meet again
in the finals of the GRLC, but I think you’ll find the score
will be flipped in favor of the Lions. The Illini will make it
close – I’m calling overtime – but Lindenwood
heads to Denver.
On the Division II front, Missouri Baptist jumped up and grabbed
the No. 1 seed, but look for Missouri State to get its act together
and earn the bid.
SCHOOLER: Lindenwood and the ghost of Justin Combs has
haunted the GRLC for what seems like a lifetime. The only other
team that I can think of winning the GRLC was Washington University
back in 2003 or 2004 when the NC was in St. Louis. However, a new
team has emerged from the GRLC and I have been talking them up all
year. Jac was sure that Lindenwood would destroy Illinois, but I
knew better. I'm picking Illinois again in this one. But really, no
team from the GRLC is a threat at nationals.
COYNE: Destroy Illinois? I picked Lindenwood by two.
Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League
COYNE: Boston College has drifted through the
conference schedule in very unconvincing fashion and I think they
are going to get spooked twice in the PCLL tourney, but the Eagles
should be there in the end. I think where you’ll see the
problems arise is at nationals, where BC is likely to be playing a
Top 3 seed. Growing up in Metrowest, I don’t particular care
for BC in general, so I’ll be rooting for UNH to pull the
upset.
Briarcliffe could be the most intriguing team in the D-II field if
they get through, and I think they will rather comfortably. Even
though they have an MCLA schedule that will likely net them a No.
14 or 15 seed, they play a bunch of NCAA teams and could spook a
highly-ranked program in Denver.
SCHOOLER: This is actually my least confident pick. I
think Boston College, New Hampshire, Northeastern, and UConn could
all win it. BC is usually the favorite here, but has not done too
much this season. UNH turned some heads and would be my surprise
pick for the PCLL. But...I'm going with another shocker. I'm
picking UConn. They played BC to a close game in the regular
season, and I could see that happening again, but with the reverse
outcome. The Huskies take home their first PCLL championship.
COYNE: That UConn game was in Storrs on Friday night with
Buffalo awaiting in Chestnut Hill the next day, but I still like
your pick. With the school and its location, the Huskies should be
an MCLA power.
Rocky Mountain Lacrosse
Conference
COYNE: The champion is a no-brainer: it’s
CSU. The most important game of the RMLC tournament – and
perhaps for the MCLA as a whole – is the Colorado-BYU game.
If CU wins, they will be difficult to keep out of the nationals
even with a .500 record. But if CU loses and finishes with a 6-7
mark, it would be a setback to the league if they were still chosen
as one of the six at-large teams.
Let me start by saying there’s very little question about
Colorado’s potential – I’ve spoken with a number
of coaches who think the Buffs have the talent of a Top 10 team
– but if CU is admitted with a sub-.500 record, it sends the
message to the rest of the association that it doesn’t matter
who you beat (i.e., results), it’s who you play (scheduling).
In doing so, the committee would inadvertently be creating this
insular group of teams who, through geography, tradition,
resources, etc., already play each other, essentially freezing out
all of the other teams who want to join the party.
The regular season would become a formality as we would know who
the six at-large teams are in January. So why would you have a team
spending all of its money traveling around the country when it knew
in advance that its only hope of a tournament bid was through the
conference AQ? From a competition and public perception standpoint,
the selection of any team under the .500 mark would send the MCLA
back to the stone ages.
There needs to be a balance of results and schedule, and
establishing that a team under consideration for an at-large bid to
the 16-team national tournament must have at least as many
wins as losses helps to do that. This is common sense stuff.
As for RMLC D-II, we’re going to have some great games, but I
see Utah Valley cruising to the AQ, however at least one other
team will make the at-large pool.
SCHOOLER: The RMLC is easily the strongest conference.
Some might argue differently, but you will always see BYU and CSU
in the Top 10. Colorado has had some ups and downs as usual, but is
always a tough opponent. And Utah surprises at least one team every
year. So the RMLC tournament is usually the toughest to predict.
But this year, I don't see anyone stopping the Rams. Alex Smith has
done a great job. They slowly moved up early in the season and
probably would have ended Michigan's streak if the Wolverines had
not lost to Colorado. It's hard for a team like Michigan to lose
twice in a row. That is why I am going with Colorado State as the
RMLC champs.
Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse
League
COYNE: The finals are predestined in the PNCLL,
but it should be a gem. I don’t think you’d necessarily
call either of these teams a lock for the tournament without the
auto-bid, but both will certainly be in the mix. That uncertainty
should provide for great theater in Bend, Ore. Fraser figured
something out about a month ago and clawed themselves back to a
winning record. While the Ducks have lost four of their last six,
the win over Chapman is a testament to Oregon’s potential if
it’s running well. Fraser’s the narrow pick.
Western Washington and Western Oregon will be slugging it out for
the PNCLL. I’ve seen WWU play, and they performed relatively
well against St. John’s, but my instinct is to go with WOU.
I’ll stick with that tentatively.
SCHOOLER: This crazy season started with Simon Fraser. The
Clan didn't necessarily have a slow start; they just had a tough
start. They got the message last season about strength of schedule
and scheduled tough. They have really turned it on, securing the
top spot in the PNCLL. Oregon has a lot to fight for. They are a
bubble team and need a win to secure a spot at nationals. It's
tough to beat a team twice, so I'm going with Oregon as the PNCLL
champs.
Southwestern Lacrosse Conference
COYNE: Chapman and Arizona State didn’t
play during the regular season, but they will in the championship
game. Both teams are heading to Denver either way, but when I spoke
with Chapman coach Mike Wood on Tuesday, he said he has all of his
players back from injury and a sturdy defense. That should be
enough to hurdle the Devils.
Fullerton and Biola are going to slug it out in the D-II finals,
but there’s little that leads me to believe the Eagles can
turn around the 13-7 beating Fullerton gave them in the regular
season.
SCHOOLER: Have I ever picked UCSB to lose? Never! The
Gauchos are fighting for their lives. They have made the tournament
every year since 2001, but they have a tough road ahead of them.
Arizona shocked the Gauchos in the quarters last year, but that's
not going to happen again. Then they have to play an ASU team who
is seeking redemption from last season and already laid the smack
down on the Gauchos in the desert. Gaucho victory. If they manage
to pull off that game, they have to get through "Chaptown," who
beat UCSB at home with a limited Small and Fiore. So it's a tough
road, but I think they can do it.
On another note, I think that coach Mike Dewan and San Diego will
pull off the upset over LMU. They came so close in the last
game.
COYNE: Going down with the ship. Kind of admirable in an
Edward Smith kind of way.
Upper Midwest Lacrosse League
COYNE: Borrrrrrrr-ing.
Duluth, easily.
Division II is slightly more interesting, but St. Thomas will get
the AQ and St. John’s will also be heading to Denver.
SCHOOLER: I don't even know who else is in the conference.
I remember playing Minnesota one year when Duluth had trouble
fielding enough players. So I only see the Bulldogs winning this
one. If they don't, they should lose their at-large for the simple
fact that their conference [stinks].
Western Collegiate Lacrosse League
COYNE: I’m not sure if there is a more
vanilla conference than the WCLL this year. Not even the top team,
Cal Poly, stands out (like Duluth in the UMLL does) in the national
crowd. I suppose this might lend itself to potential upsets in the
tourney, but even that prospect doesn’t excite me very much.
I’ll go with SLO just to get this over with.
Also, I’ll take Santa Cruz in the D-II playoffs, although the
WCLL does not have an automatic qualifier.
SCHOOLER: I would like to say that if Sonoma had made the
playoffs, they would have won the WCLL, but they were plagued by
injuries all season. This conference has really suffered since the
SLC split and is having a down year, but this could be one of the
most exciting playoffs. Unlike fair weather Lakers fans (I hate the
Lakers), I am a loyal fan. That can be seen by my SLC and WCLL
picks. I love Cal. I grew up watching them, and I think they will
pull off the upset over Cal Poly. Roll on you Bears!
COYNE: Since you're such a hardcore East Bay guy, I'll
assume you grew up going to Golden State Warriors games, right?
Previous Schooling Schoolers
Weekend of Feb.
13
Weekend of Feb.
20
Weekend of Feb.
27
Weekend of March
6
Weekend of March
13
Weekend of March
20
Weekend of March
27
Weekend of April
3
Weekend of April
10
Weekend of April
17
Weekend
of April 24
