Lacrosse Insider: Hofstra faces Johns Hopkins

RODERICK BOONE | roderick.boone@newsday.com

May 6, 2008

We're not going to waste time bashing the NCAA selection committee and trying to explain the rationale for leaving deserving teams such as Army and Georgetown out of the field of 16. At this point, it's all about who's in, not who's out.

So without further ado, we'll get right to it. Let's take a look at the matchups and predict who's going to be playing in the quarterfinal round in Ithaca or Annapolis, Md., come May 17-18, shall we?

Hofstra (10-5) at No. 5 Johns Hopkins (8-5): Common sense says there's no way the Blue Jays are going to lose to the Pride twice in a season; Hofstra shocked then-No. 1 Johns Hopkins, 8-7, in overtime in early March. But you can't underestimate the special vibe surrounding Hofstra. The players feel the presence of former Pride player Nick Colleluori, who succumbed to non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2006, and maybe it's enough to pull off another stunner. Still, Hopkins is the defending champ and is virtually unbeatable in the postseason at home. How can you ignore that? Prediction: Hopkins.

Loyola (7-6) at No. 1 Duke (16-1): Many have the Blue Devils pegged to win the whole thing; that opinion is shared from this perspective. They have too much firepower with Farmingdale product Matt Danowski and Zack Greer, who are one-two nationally in scoring. Prediction: Duke.

Ohio State (10-5) at No. 8 Cornell (11-3): The Buckeyes are back for the first time since 2004 and will have a daunting task against a team that's 6-1 at home and 45-9 there the last eight years. The Big Red surely will be motivated to win so it can play on its home field again next week in the quarters. Prediction: Cornell.

Navy (9-5) at No. 4 North Carolina (8-5): This marks the 13th straight season these two have met. It's a rematch of last year's opening-round contest, won 12-8 by the Tar Heels. Navy has revenge on its mind and gets it. Prediction: Navy.

Canisius (10-5) at No. 3 Syracuse (12-2): Consider this basically a scrimmage for the Orange. The Golden Griffins are making their inaugural appearance and can't come close to matching SU's experience. Prediction: Syracuse.

Colgate (11-5) at No. 6 Notre Dame (13-2): Colgate has won seven straight, which includes four consecutive victories over ranked opponents, and few teams are hotter than the Raiders. The Fighting Irish has won 18 in a row at home, but don't be surprised if that streak ends this weekend. Prediction: Colgate.

Denver (10-6) at No. 7 Maryland (9-5): Two years ago, the Terps took down Denver, 16-8, in the Pioneers' only other NCAA Tournament bid. After being upset by UMBC in the first round last year, the Terps won't be taking anyone lightly this year. Prediction: Maryland.

UMBC (12-3) at No. 2 Virginia (12-3): Ask Stony Brook how good the Retrievers are (they've won 11 straight). Then go ask Syracuse, Hopkins, and Maryland how good the Cavaliers are. Prediction: Virginia.

For all the followers of Division II and the NJCAA out there, we didn't forget about you. On the women's side, Adelphi (16-0) and C.W. Post (16-1) will meet in the D-II semifinals May 15 at Memorial Park in Houston.

The NYIT men's team also is a win away from playing for the D-II championship. The Bears (11-1) will host Limestone (12-1) in the semifinals May 17.

Don't forget the NJCAA championships are at Mitchel Athletic Complex this weekend. Fourth-seeded Nassau CC will face No. 1 Onondaga CC at noon Saturday for the right to play in Sunday's championship game.