Saturday, May 24, 2003

2003 NCAA DIVISION I SEMIFINALS TODAY

I am sitting here on a Saturday morning watching The National Bass Fishing League on ESPN 2. Seeing these Anglers overcome with emotion after catching a six-pounder is a new experience for me. Wait…Here it comes. I will spend the next while watching Hopkins play Syracuse in lacrosse National semi-final #1. There are supposed to be 40,000 at the Stadium in Baltimore today.

I will tape both semi-final games. I have already decided that I will watch a lot of lacrosse videotape this summer. Last summer I didn’t watch any.

GAME 1, JOHNS HOPKINS AND SYRACUSE

The game was great for a half, but then the team cream rose. Hopkins blew the foam off the Orangemen in the second half, doing everything but making them say, "Uncle", before the merciful end came to this onslaught. The final score was 19-8 for the Blue Jays and coach Dave Petriemala. Syracuse had actually started great, and led 4-1 after one quarter and 7-6 at the half. Still, I don’t think Dave was mad at his troops at halftime even as they trailed an over-achieving unseeded Syracuse team. JHU is the #1 seed. I think he liked the trend he was seeing. Maybe I should reconsider my whole "angry at the half is good" thing. Anyway, after halftime it was buh-bye, a Jay fast break after a Jay fast break, many coming right off the face-off. Those face-off things are huge. They always come right after a goal, too……For the first time in forever there will be no Princeton and no Syracuse in the final game.

GAME 2, VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND

UVA leads 5-2 at the half. The Cavalier goalie (Tillman Johnson) has been the team saver and Savior, as Maryland has dominated the shot count, but not the scoreboard. It looks a little like the way Alex saved us more than a few times in big games.

Virginia wins all the early second half face-offs, and then builds an 11-3 lead by the end of three. Possessions are everything. Face-offs lead to many of those possessions. Maryland came in with a strong defensive reputation, but Virginia has continuously broken that defense down to get a plethora of great scoring chances, especially as the game wears on. The only thing in question now is if Maryland will completely unravel or not.

They (Maryland) did not unravel, playing hard to the end, but they were overmatched, 14-4. I hope the final on Monday with UVA and JHU is closer at the end than either of these semis.

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