The Reverb: Mighty Misses
Opinion
| Air Force
| Boise State
| Bridgewater
| Chapman
| Coastal Carolina
| Florida
| Georgia Tech
| Liberty
| Loyola Marymount
| Montana State
| San Diego State
| St. Thomas
| Tennessee
| Texas
| Texas A&M
| UNC-Charlotte
| Virginia Tech
by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us
LA CROSSE, Wis. – I live about two miles from the Mississippi River. On the good side.
Despite its magnitude, it’s a rather inviting waterway. Boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing. Except for the occasional flooding, the river is generally viewed in positive terms.
This spring, the Mississippi has acted as the Geofence of Doom for pretty much any team that tried to jump the country’s main shipping artery.
It was really ugly this last week.
RESULTS: FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY
Colorado gave formerly top-ranked Virginia Tech the gas face on Monday. Cal dismissed current No. 1 Georgia Tech on Friday. The Yellow Jackets got dumped again by Texas on Saturday. Chapman breezed past No. 11 Florida in SoCal, likely giving the Panthers an uneasy spot atop the poll.
Go back another interval and Northeastern felt the effects of the Mighty Miss. Ranked No. 6 with a 2-1 record as they crossed the watershed on the way to Utah, the Huskies returned 2-4 after being outscored by a combined 44-17.
It’s not just a westward curse. Colorado, currently riding the wave after the Hokies win, hopped the stream on its way to the southeast. They proceeded to go 0-2, getting wiped out by Georgia Tech.
Next weekend Brigham Young heads to both Liberty and Florida to test its undefeated record. In a couple of weeks, Utah Valley will crack the Mississippi barrier in hopes of staying unblemished against Liberty and Virginia Tech. Chapman is going to attempt the same feat in 10 days.
Obviously, this really has nothing to do with the Curse of the Middle River.
#monday : @jodivosika pic.twitter.com/sIvaiJ3wmx
— MCLA (@MCLA) March 11, 2024
There are a lot of factors built into cross-country difficulties. The first is self-evident: the travel. The cat-herding logistics of getting a team two or three time zones away takes its toll, especially when multiple flights are involved.
The coaches likely have their own reasons for laying road eggs, and would probably prattle on about injuries and fatigue, among other crutches. And those factors may be part of the overall equation, but all the teams in question this year have undoubtedly benefitted when opponents had to jostle with those issues.
It could just be good, old-fashioned home field advantage. It’s tough to quantify the advantage of sleeping in your own bed on gameday, but it certainly makes a difference. Or maybe the teams aren’t ranked appropriately? It’s still early.
Lastly, you just never know what is racing around the gray matter of 18-to-22-year olds on any given day. It's the ultimate wild card.
Alas, the willingness to take on these challenges is the key reason why the committee looks so favorably on highly-ranked travel excursions, and knits that advantage into its selection/seeding criteria.
Are we going to see more of these cross-country collapses? Let's be honest: while located on the left side of the Mississippi, Texas’ travel time and costs were essentially the same as Georgia Tech’s, and the Longhorns did just fine this weekend. Sometimes it's just not your day.
The Mississippi is going to be here long after we're all gone, so you might as well get used to it.
MY TOP FIVES
Division I
1. Texas (9-0) – Fear the LSA! The Longhorns are going to be a problem all year.
2. Chapman (6-0) – Panthers will now get to protect the New Balance throne. Good luck.
3. San Diego State (7-0) – Bryan Bome is the midseason Coach of the Year.
4. Tennessee (8-0) – Road Top 10 victories goes a long way. Vols are an interesting group.
5. Virginia Tech (8-1) – They took an L, but the schedule is still unmatched for now.
Division II
1. St. Thomas (7-0) – Tommies need to stay sharp for an early April gauntlet.
2. Air Force (7-0) – Falcons will be undefeated heading into the RMLC tourney.
3. Montana State (6-1) – Bobcats and Air Force on an RMLC collision course.
4. UNC-Charlotte (6-0) – Showdown with Kennesaw State still a week off.
5. Coastal Carolina (5-1) – FGCU looks like the only tester left on the schedule.
SLIDES & RIDES
Since the implementation of a 16-team field for the Division I tournament in 2001, the Lone Star Alliance (LSA) has not been a power player at nationals. The conference as a whole is 1-21 in the postseason, with Texas A&M advancing to the quarterfinals in 2003. The highest seed that an LSA squad entered nationals with was No. 6 by A&M when the field expanded in ’01. The Aggies were upset in the first round.
It's a grisly history, but one that just might be in for a makeover this spring judging by the way Texas is playing right now. The Longhorns looked solid in their opening seven-game tour of Oklahoma and their home state, but they proved they travel well. UT dispatched Stanford, top-ranked Georgia Tech and No. 13 Cal with relative ease by the Bay. If the season ended today, they would be looking at Top 8 seed for sure. You can never erase history, but it can always be revised.
- Beating No. 10 Florida State was one thing, but hanging a 19-burger on the Seminoles was just downright impressive by Tennessee. A 2-1 finish to the season would give the Vols a two-seed in the ALC tournament and likely a Top 15 ranking, but honestly, Tennessee might just be good enough to run the table. On the flip side, the loss highlights the fact that FSU’s best win now is No. 20 Auburn.
D-I NOTES: Kind of got lost with the loss to Texas, but Cal’s win over Georgia Tech will play nicely with the committee…congrats to Liberty’s Keaton Mohs, who eclipsed the 100-goal mark…nice bounce back win for Boise State beating No. 23 Colorado State after bowing to Colorado Friday night.
D-II NOTES: Congrats to Jonathan Serrell, who hit the 100-goal mark for Montana State… Loyola Marymount came up short against SLC heavyweight Cal State San Marcos, but it gives the Lions a taste of what awaits an improving team like itself…Bridgewater is starting to emerge as a postseason contender after knocking off Minn.-Duluth on Friday, 12-8. They still probably need to upset URI for an at-large.
- As always, head coaches get your nominations for the Warrior Player of the Week and PEARL Goalie of the week to [email protected] by noon on Monday (your time zone). If you need help filling out your rosters’ hometowns and high schools, send a list of the missing information to the same address to get it updated.