Big Ten Perils Shake Up USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

It was a perilous weekend around the Big Ten.

Unless you were Penn State.

The Nittany Lions were one of Saturday’s most emphatic winners, clobbering Cornell 20-9 behind Matt Traynor’s seven-goal outburst. The Penn State defense stymied the Big Red on all five of its extra-man chances.

And Penn State wasn’t threatened beyond the opening minutes, scoring the first four goals and leading 10-1 deep into the first half. It was a thorough drubbing.

Elsewhere in the league, Ohio State lost 13-10 at home to Notre Dame, Rutgers fell 14-8 at home against Princeton and Michigan dropped a 13-11 decision at home to Harvard. In what would have been the most startling result of the bunch, Maryland was pushed to overtime by winless Brown at home before surviving 14-13 on Daniel Maltz’s overtime winner.

Toss in Johns Hopkins’ 14-13 loss to Syracuse in Charlotte, N.C., and the Big Ten collectively took a hit with losses that aren’t terribly damaging on their own but collectively will probably push the league’s ceiling down a bit.

But thanks to Penn State, it wasn’t a complete loss.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Notre Dame, 4-1 (Prev: 2)
2. Army, 6-0 (Prev: 5)
3. Duke, 6-1 (Prev: 4)
4. Penn State, 5-1 (Prev: 9)
5. Denver, 5-1 (Prev: 1)
6. Johns Hopkins, 5-2 (Prev: 3)
7. Virginia, 5-1 (Prev: 6)
8. Yale, 3-1 (Prev: 14)
9. Maryland, 5-1 (Prev: 7)
10. Syracuse, 6-2 (Prev: 11)
11. Georgetown, 4-2 (Prev: 10)
12. Penn, 4-2 (Prev: 13)
13. Princeton, 4-2 (Prev: 15)
14. Harvard, 6-0 (Prev: 17)
15. Cornell, 3-2 (Prev: 8)
16. Richmond, 4-2 (Prev: 18)
17. Michigan, 5-2 (Prev: 12)
18. Delaware, 3-2 (Prev: 19)
19. North Carolina, 4-2 (Prev: 20)
20. Rutgers, 5-2 (Prev: 16)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Boston University (4-2), Colgate (5-3), NJIT (7-0), Ohio State (4-3), Quinnipiac (5-0), Towson (4-3)

HOT

Yale (+6)

The Bulldogs offered more insight on the unrelenting pressure they bring to bear, peppering Denver with 57 shots in a 15-13 victory in the Mile High City. Yale had seven players with multiple goals, and it won more faceoffs than it lost (19 of 32). It’s a good combination.

Based on what was perceived coming out of last season and what Andy Shay’s bunch has shown on its first four games, one constant is the necessity to score goals against the Bulldogs. Getting to 11 or 12 simply isn’t going to get it done, and even 13 — as previously unbeaten Denver learned — is far from guaranteed to be enough.

Penn State (+5)

The Nittany Lions have won five in a row, four with varying degrees of a cushion and the other in overtime against Yale, since its opening loss to Colgate. So, what is there to make of what seemed like a total headscratcher at the time?

Well, Colgate (5-3) has acquitted itself decently since then, so immediately labeling it a dubious loss was a major jump to conclusions. But Penn State has also improved, and even including that game has scored at least 12 goals in every outing. There’s plenty of time left, of course, but the Nittany Lions have settled into a consistent (not to mention productive) groove.

NOT

Cornell (-7)

Saturday’s 20-9 loss at Penn State was a missed chance to start building a postseason resume. Defeats of Hobart and Lehigh already in the bank for the Big Red probably won’t help much on that front, while a triumph over Ohio State could have value before season’s end.

A team like Cornell, though, has plenty of opportunities left. Its next seven games: at Princeton, Yale, at Penn, Syracuse, Brown, Notre Dame on Long Island and Harvard. But the Big Red is also going to have to play much better than it did Saturday to make any hay during the upcoming stretch.

Michigan (-5)

A slow start doomed the Wolverines in their 13-11 loss to Harvard on Sunday. The Crimson scored the first four goals and led 7-1 late in the first half. Try as they might — and Michigan certainly tried, spraying 55 shots but only 20 on goal — the Wolverines were left with their second loss of the season.

The same analysis used for Cornell applies to Michigan. It has a lot of resume-building to do, and a trip to Notre Dame, the five-game Big Ten regular season schedule and the Big Ten tournament to do it in.

Denver (-4)

It was a short stay at No. 1 for the Pioneers thanks to the 15-13 loss to Yale, but they still own a victory at Johns Hopkins (which has largely retained its value) and another against Cornell (the value of which is in flux).

Sunday marked the start of an intriguing three-week stretch. The Pioneers visit Ohio State on Sunday, then head to the Baltimore suburbs to face Duke on March 24. Those are chances for Matt Brown’s bunch to get back on track prior to Big East play.

Rutgers (-4)

The Scarlet Knights’ second test against a Top 20 team went only a bit better than their first. Last month, they were blitzed 16-7 by Army. On Sunday, they fell 14-8 to Princeton in a game they never led.

Rutgers’ offense played better than it did in its first loss, but the 21 turnovers are an issue that require improvement over the next six games — a neutral-site meeting with UMass, followed by five conference games.