ESPN’s Mark Dixon breaks down NCAA lacrosse tournament field
moncler saldi uomo ESPN analyst Mark Dixon took a spin through the 18 team field of the moncler saldi outlet NCAA tournament before joining The Baltimore Sun for this Q The former Johns Hopkins midfielder discussed moncler outlet online shop surprises in the bracket, the debate over the final at large spot, and the most exciting first round game. moncler saldi uomo
outlet moncler Who was your overall impression of the field? outlet moncler
moncler bambino saldi I think the selection committee did a pretty good job. I really don moncler uomo have any issues with the way the criteria are framed. It comes down to RPI [Ratings Percentage Index], strength of schedule, quality wins, all that good stuff, and I think the committee piumini moncler uomo for the most part got it right. I know there some conversation about Penn being at No. 4, but with an RPI of 8, you can fault that team for doing what they had to do and the numbers are strong. I really don have a problem with the way things shook out. moncler bambino saldi
moncler outlet trebaseleghe Were there any surprises in the bracket? moncler outlet trebaseleghe
moncler outlet serravalle When I saw Denver at No. 5, I thought, “Wow, that pretty high.” But when you look at their RPI, piumini moncler scontatissimi they [No.] 7, and they went ahead of Notre Dame, whom they beat and Notre Dame got [No.] 6. And they went ahead of Virginia, piumini moncler which ended up with No. 8. Denver at 5 at first blush was a little surprising, but other than that, no. I know a lot of people are saying, “Look at Loyola. Source https://www.moncleroutlet-i.org moncler outlet They won 15 in a row, they have been No. 1 for six weeks now. How are they not No. 1?” I know moncler outlet they beaten Duke, but the head to head is not the only criteria. There RPI, strength of schedule, quality wins, and when moncler saldi uomo you look at Duke body of work, they got seven really, really nice wins over Notre Dame, Syracuse, Carolina, Denver, Penn, Virginia moncler bambino outlet and Harvard all teams that made the tournament. I think at the end of the day, that propelled them up moncler bambino saldi to No. 1, and Syracuse is kind of in a moncler outlet trebaseleghe similar vein with some quality wins over Duke and Notre Dame. I think at the end of the day, I thought the committee did a pretty good job. moncler outlet serravalle
moncler outlet online uomo Do you agree with the committee decision to invite Harvard over Hofstra for the final at large spot? moncler outlet online uomo
piumini moncler scontatissimi I was mildly surprised, but not exponentially surprised. At the end of the day, Harvard ended up with a 16 RPI and Hofstra was a 14. The wins for moncler saldi Harvard just kind of carried them. Even though Hofstra had the win over Cornell, Harvard had the same win. And this is where people will say, they look at losses? I never knew they looked at losses. Yeah, they look at losses. I think Bucknell last year was hurt by a bad loss. So when you look at Hofstra, I think what hurt them at the end of the day was the loss to Marquette and St. John two teams that didn make the tournament, moncler outlet online uomo and I think both of those teams had RPIs lower than 21. So at the end of the day, we not talking about an RPI of 7 versus an RPI of 16. moncler outlet serravalle It was 14 and 16, and RPI is just one criteria. You have to look at the whole body of work, and at the end of the day, I guess the committee felt that Harvard body of work was more worthy of a slot than Hofstra seeded team has the toughest first round matchup? piumini moncler scontatissimi
moncler saldi I think it Denver versus North Carolina. That is a monumental game right there to have in the first round, and I know we saw that a couple years ago in Chapel Hill when the two teams met and of course last year in the quarterfinals. So to have those two high octane offenses playing in the first round, I think it great. I think the other intriguing matchup is Loyola versus Albany. That could be a game where it comes down to the wire or Loyola could blow them out. I think the toughest marquee first round game is Denver North Carolina. moncler saldi
moncler outlet So do you think sixth seeded Denver has the toughest path to the Final Four at M Bank Stadium in Baltimore on May 24? moncler outlet
piumini moncler I think you got to look at Virginia Hopkins as having a tough moncler donna road because they got Duke potentially sitting in the quarterfinal. The Blue Devils have piumini moncler outlet been to seven consecutive championship weekends. And that a terrific first round matchup as well in Virginia Hopkins. It was an overtime game back outlet moncler in March and these are two teams with such a rich history, and both didn make the tournament last year. So for them to meet in the first round, piumini moncler saldi I think that a pretty sweet first round matchup as well. But to have Duke sitting in the quarterfinal is a tough matchup for anybody. You looking at the winner of the Denver Carolina game getting the winner of [No piumini moncler.