Toughest 2006 schedule

[benji]

As the caliber of the MDIA and WDIA increase, we might see a trend of NCAA teams avoiding our leagues. It would be less advantageous for them to play a M/WDIA team and lose and potentially face being dropped by the athletic program.

Has this actually happened before?

I agree with you, though, in that we might expect to see some NCAA teams avoiding the M/WDIA. I wonder how NCAA teams prepare themselves for games against M/WDIA teams?

[laxcd1]

I posted the entire schedule because I was in a huge hurry, but I definitely wanted to contribute to the thread. I never once said that we had the toughest schedule, but we feel that we have a quality schedule from top to bottom.

*9 Teams who finished in the 25 of the final poll ( #1 UCSB, 4 FSU, 9 UCSD, 12 Arizona, 13 Utah, 15 Chico St, 21 Cal Poly, 22 Texas Tech, 24 Michigan St)

*3 Teams who finished with votes in the final poll (Washington, Arizona St, Florida)

*All 20 regular season games are against Division A opponents

[KevinSchoneck]

benji, in regards to how your question on how NCAA teams prepare themselves for m/wdia play......i can confidently tell you that the answer is they don't.

M/W DIA games are just scrimmages for the NCAA pure and simple. With the possible exception concerning some D3 teams in Colorado or California, where the games seem to be of more importance to those involved, NCAA teams treat these match ups as scrimmages and will not put in any special preperation aside from a normal week's practice.

In response to the other topic (of NCAA teams avoiding M/W DIA) play...that seems unlikely given the information I said above. If there is a decent MDIA team nearby or on the way for a spring break or road trip, NCAA will pick them up for scrimmages because its all about getting live game experience against players you don't normally see at practice.

Again, the exception might be with some of the Colorado and Cali programs where, from my knowledge, these match ups might take a greater emphasis.

[Bluevelvet]

MIT came out to play UCSB every year until last year. They got their heads handed to them so often that they dropped UCSB from their California schedule last year. Many of those games were extremely lopsided (even the closer ones were blowouts until UCSB went to the bench). After one game, I heard an MIT player tell his parents that "they were just too big and fast for us."
BTW, MIT was a .500 team those years against NCAA D3 competition.

[SElaxalum]

When CW Post played FSU last year, they played their regular roster until the 4th quarter. In fact, some of their players mentioned that FSU was better than some of the teams they had played that season. I think you will see more NCAA/MDIA matchups as the MDIA continues to get better.

[John Paul]

It's usually wrong to generalize about any topic. (Notice I wrote "usually" so as not to generalize.) There are very few MDIA / NCAA games that take place in the spring. The two California teams play a few. Colorado College plays two or three. We might get an Ohio D3 or two. NY Tech has played a couple, and FSU has recently started drawing some games since Coach Harkins has become involved. It's usually very clear which are scrimmages and which are games. If they are listed and played as games, by both teams, then you better believe the NCAA team prepares. If they are listed as scrimmages, then probably both teams approach it that way. Certainly all of the fall scrimmages are approached that way, by both teams.

[lil lady lax fan]

MIT came out to play UCSB every year until last year. They got their heads handed to them so often that they dropped UCSB from their California schedule last year. Many of those games were extremely lopsided (even the closer ones were blowouts until UCSB went to the bench). After one game, I heard an MIT player tell his parents that "they were just too big and fast for us."
BTW, MIT was a .500 team those years against NCAA D3 competition.

Last year MIT played two of the B division teams-Pepperdine and Claremont. MIT won both, though the MDIA teams put up a good fight. I was at the Claremont game and, believe me, it was close all the way to the end. Even though they lost, it was one of the best games I saw them play last year. Hopefully there'll be a rematch this year.

[KevinSchoneck]

John Paul, I was not aware that any NCAA teams aside from Colorado College or maybe Wittenburg (sp?) in you're area played spring games against MDIA opponents.

I did assume (and generalize) that all interaction between NCAA/MDIA occured in the fall or preseason, as a regular season game would not benefit the playing teams in their respective rankings/conferences (even though it would be beneficial competitively). I also posted above with personal knowledge. When I played D1 and we matched up against a D2 team in preseason, it was business as usual at practice. So I assumed, moving down the ladder to D2/D3 vs. MDIA it would apply.

Lot of assumptions I know, but I would ask why NCAA would want to play these games?

And for the record (to relate to the topic) I don't think these NCAA/MDIA games should count in rankings or in a schedule's toughness, even though they are beneficial to the playing teams because their lacks a consistent measure for comparison.

[John Paul]

We have Kenyon on the schedule and had Denison as well until a scheduling/facilities mistake forced them to cancel that one. Both of those games, as well as our Whittier game, were suggested by the coaches of the varsity teams, so there's definitely interest out there amongst some NCAA coaches to play. Wittenberg also approached us for a game, but we're playing them in a preseason scrimmage. The Ohio State tournament we attended this fall and the Penn State one last year were both invitations from their programs, not the results of us looking for opportunities. I think the D3 schools we play are just looking for good competition. The D1 invitations come partly though personal relationships (same for what FSU has been able to do) and partly from some D1 coaches having a big-picture view of things. Some of those guys understand how the game is growing at the college level and see a benefit to including good IA teams in their events.

I don't disagree with you, but it's impossible to discount games from rankings. Voters are going to vote based on whatever criteria they choose. It's a personal decision. The poll has a large number of voters in order to make sure that one particular viewpoint can't sway the entire poll.

[KevinSchoneck]

Point well taken. Which I think is why the majority of people agree with the MDIA poll from ranking to ranking. We are having a similar discussion in the Women's Forum about the benefit of having a number of pollsters that is overlooking that offsetting fact.

[benji]

Just for clarification, what is the procedure for voters in voting the MDIA polls?

[Sonny]

Just for clarification, what is the procedure for voters in voting the MDIA polls?

Here is the info from last year:
http://forums.uslia.com/viewtopic.php?t=554

[Aaron Myers]

NCAA teams aside, Cal Poly certainly has scheduled one of the tougher, if not toughest schedules in the nation. They play the the #1,3,5,7,9,12,17,21,22, and 25 teams in the nation, respectively. That being said it must be remembered that this is club lacrosse. It is difficult to maintain a steady influx of talent for years on end. With little or no pull in the admissions department teams have difficulty getting who they want. The point being that teams can be devastated or rejuvinated by one recruiting class. The preseason poll is important because it establishes a basis for voting and recognizes teams that have a history of success, which I believe many voters take into account. However, it seems that some voters tend to jump the gun moving teams into the top 25 who were previously unranked if they upset a top 15 team. It is automatically assumed that the team beaten is the same as the the year before, talent wise. It would benefit the league and the championships as a whole if the voters did more backround research on the current status of teams that were upset and the teams that are up and coming. Whether they are the real deal or a steadily improving program that knocked off a team in a rebuilding phase is a decision left up to the voters.

[AO]

MIT came out to play UCSB every year until last year. They got their heads handed to them so often that they dropped UCSB from their California schedule last year. Many of those games were extremely lopsided (even the closer ones were blowouts until UCSB went to the bench). After one game, I heard an MIT player tell his parents that "they were just too big and fast for us."
BTW, MIT was a .500 team those years against NCAA D3 competition.

On the surface, this statement is at best misleading, at worst only part of the story. Furthermore, the subtext here is that MIT cried "uncle", never to return for want of not losing to a club team. In reality, when SB and MIT last met in '04, SB had already played 10 games; for MIT it was their first game and only their 2nd week of outdoor work. In 2003, they didn't play. In 2002, MIT lost by one goal to SB, 8-7 in only their 4th game of the season while SB was in their 10th. In 2001, they didn't play. How Bluevelvet equates this to an annual beheading is idiotic.

Having coached both D3 and club-ball, I can vouch-say that the majority of D3 programs see no shame or lost-face value in losing to a club program. MIT chose to go west coast over spring break during those years because, in the words of their coach, the school has an enormous alumni base in CA which happily boards their players during their stay at no cost.

Finally, in a perfect world it would fun to turn the situation around and have, say SB, come east and play an MIT (or similiar) when at mid-season form with 2 months of outdoor work under their belts.

[Bluevelvet]

Yes, UCSB had played several games before the MIT game and MIT had not.
The facts remain: MIT lost all their recent games against UCSB, some of them by alot. The close ones were after UCSB substituted freely. MIT also did not schedule UCSB in their last trip to Southern California.
Draw your own conclusions.