It's May. The NBA and NHL are in playoff mode. Many of the country's sports fans are trying to correlate success or failure at this point to their teams' fate 5 months and 130 games down the line in America's Pastime. For me, it's the pinnacle of college lacrosse season.
As I sit and type this in Greensboro, NC, I am well aware that that's far from the norm, at least here. ESPNU just started televising lacrosse nationwide when they began a few years ago, but this is my first year actually having it at home. This time last year, I had to head to Buffalo Wild Wings to see UMBC defeat the Terps in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This season, I've been able to spend my Saturdays in front of a pretty full slate of college lacrosse, not unlike football season.
I've gotten to catch a few UMBC games on TV this season, and had to rely on internet radio or score/stat updates for a few more. In case you've missed it, the Dawgs are in the midst of an 11 game winning streak and just captured the America East championship. Tonight, on ESPNU's selection show, each team will learn its placement in the NCAA Tournament. Based on this season's performance, ranking, and a healthy dose of bias, I think that UMBC deserves to be one of the seeded teams in this year's tournament, getting a home match in the first round. I'm secretly wishing however, that in lieu of a seeded position, we get matched up with either Carolina or Duke for a Saturday night game to which I could travel.
As a native mid-Atlanticker (Delaware, plus school at UMBC) I'd love for lax to have more of a presence both here in the Southeast and nationwide. Perennially ranked teams at UNC and Duke help, as well as the expansion on the MCLA level and a NCAA Div. I team being added at Jacksonville U. Hopefully soon, my Monday morning "did you see that game?" will be met with more than blank stares.
As I sit and type this in Greensboro, NC, I am well aware that that's far from the norm, at least here. ESPNU just started televising lacrosse nationwide when they began a few years ago, but this is my first year actually having it at home. This time last year, I had to head to Buffalo Wild Wings to see UMBC defeat the Terps in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This season, I've been able to spend my Saturdays in front of a pretty full slate of college lacrosse, not unlike football season.
I've gotten to catch a few UMBC games on TV this season, and had to rely on internet radio or score/stat updates for a few more. In case you've missed it, the Dawgs are in the midst of an 11 game winning streak and just captured the America East championship. Tonight, on ESPNU's selection show, each team will learn its placement in the NCAA Tournament. Based on this season's performance, ranking, and a healthy dose of bias, I think that UMBC deserves to be one of the seeded teams in this year's tournament, getting a home match in the first round. I'm secretly wishing however, that in lieu of a seeded position, we get matched up with either Carolina or Duke for a Saturday night game to which I could travel.
As a native mid-Atlanticker (Delaware, plus school at UMBC) I'd love for lax to have more of a presence both here in the Southeast and nationwide. Perennially ranked teams at UNC and Duke help, as well as the expansion on the MCLA level and a NCAA Div. I team being added at Jacksonville U. Hopefully soon, my Monday morning "did you see that game?" will be met with more than blank stares.
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