Weekly Pick 'Em: 3/26

What's going on YB? I hope everyone is having a good week so far, it's Wednesday so we're halfway to the weekend and it's already been a busy week so far. My JV boys had a big game against Cedar Park last night and we came out with a 6-1 win. We have made great strides in learning about the benefits of good ball movement and possession time, now we just need to work on shot placement. If I had a dollar for every one we put on the goalie's chest I'd be writing this from my time share in the Caymans. But I'm proud of them and I'm glad they are reaping the rewards of their hard work. You can check out the team site at http://www.andersontrojanlacrosse.com/

So last weekend was a monkey wrench! Big wins, big upsets and good times at the casa (I do love ESPNU).

Reparations:

- Do I think that missing Walterhoefer caused the Tarheel offense to struggle? Not really. Michael J. did just fine, winning more than 50% of the face offs. You can't have 6+ mins of penalties!

- Beware of the Terp offense. The veteran midfield has shortened the learning curve for their young attack and they are setting the example of how to win.

- When you lose almost twice as many ground balls as you win. . . . you're going to lose. If someone could please see to it that Harvard gets the memo.

- I'm so glad that Albany waited until this weekend to turn it on. I will not lie in admitting that if the Princeton game had been a pick I probably would have bet against the Danes. Congrats on the win.

- I'd be interested in getting my hands on Danowski's stick. If you want to tell me that his pocket's too deep or the heads too pinched, I'd buy that. But to say that the reigning Tewaaraton winner would be careless enough to chop a stick down to below 40 inches, I'd have to see it to believe it.

- Miles Kass: Unorthodox? Maybe. Ridiculous? Absolutely!

Perfection:

I would like to congratulate my wife, Mrs. Jman, who went a perfect 7-0 this week! The last few weeks she's been quietly putting together a quality record and picking some of the big upsets; including Fairfield over Dartmouth and Maryland over Georgetown. Way to go babe, I'm so proud of you. *Terry, has anyone else gone 7-0 this season? Maybe Dixon needs to schedule a conference with her before he submits this week's picks.*

We've got some big games this week, so let's get after it

UMass @ Penn State

I was hopeful for the Minutemen at the start of the season, a good start, a few loses and then back in the win column, but it's looking as though the lack of offensive production is starting to take its toll. PSU has put up some big number in a few of their games, but Drew and Co. have been fantastic, averaging less than 5 goals against per game. I expect the reigning ECAC Goalie of the Year to continue his hot streak

Edge: Penn State

Virginia @ Maryland

The Terps have shown that they can get it done against even the topped ranked defensive units. Both Young and Catalino will be familiar with what it'll take to beat Ghitelman. The Bratton's made a statement against Hopkins and (not like they were before) are no longer flying under the radar. I haven't been impressed with either teams face off units. Shooting percentage will weigh more heavily than possession time in this one.

Edge: Virginia

Georgetown @ Navy

The Hoyas did everything right against Duke. They shut down Greer, they scored on Man-up and the midfield is finally getting in sync. My unsung hero was Andrew Baird, great on the ride and can get open to shoot. This is the first big test for the Mids since Cornell. They need to push transition and keep the Hoyas middies on the field. Both of these teams can go deep to keep the legs fresh. I give the advantage to the Brendan Cannon and the Hoyas attack.

Edge: Georgetown

North Carolina @ Hopkins

In a rematch of last years shoot out in Chapel Hill, both teams are looking to rebound from tough loses. It's make or break time for Hopkins! One more overtime loss and Petro's head will literally explode. The Bluejays are stacked with guys who know how to win the close ones and they've been playing very well as a team, they just need to "finish the drill". Carolina will need to figure out how to get possession in order to control game tempo. Shane, you feeling any better yet?

Edge: Hopkins

Loyola @ Syracuse

16 saves aside, if 31 shots yields 4 goals there is a serious problem. But they Hounds rebounded from their loss to Siena by shooting 15 of 32 (10 saves for UMass) against the Minutemen. I think that Syracuse has hit their stride over this 3 game stretch and despite the big numbers that Loyola put up last week, I don't see that happening against the Orange.

Edge: Syracuse

Hofstra @ Drexel

These are two teams that have been really impressive this year, but if you look at the quality of wins you have to give the edge to the Pride. Despite their current skid, a win over Hopkins is still a win over Hopkins, I don't care who you are. Even in their loss to Princeton, they played well and were very crisp. Have to go with quality play over records in this one

Edge: Hofstra

Providence @ Siena

This is a hard one; you can never be sure about those pesky MAAC teams. Despite winning its last two games (after dropping 5 straight to open the season), the most impressed I've been with the Friars is a 6-8 loss to UNC. A 17-15 loss to Stony Brook and wins over Harvard and Loyola put the Saints in position to make a run for the Metro Atlantic title and a tournament AQ.

Edge: Siena

So there you have it. Hopefully The Jman will be posting better than a 3-4 come Monday morning.

Plano West (Dallas) will be coming to Austin on Sunday and the JV game starts promptly at 11am. Hope to see you there. You can't miss me, I'm the guy who looks exactly like me.

Don't miss the MD/UVA and UNC/JHU games this Saturday on ESPNU and be sure to check out InsideLacrosse.com for up to the minute scores and highlights from all your favorite teams from around the country

*Brand, the first one's free, the next one will cost you*

See you on the field.

-Jman