NCAA TOURNAMENT 2024

[jknezek]

Rate Final Four combatants from best to last in the following categories...

Best Academic Institution
Amherst
Best Coach/Coaching Staff
Amherst
Best GK
W&L? Maybe. He's had a heck of a tournament.
Best Striker
Amherst
Best CB/CB Combo
Middlebury
Best Playmaking Midfielder
No idea
Most Attractive Style of Play
I hate to say it, but none of these teams are all that attractive to watch. Effective, absolutely. Attractive? Not really.
Most Resilient Team
W&L - ability to find ways to progress despite a tough start to the season, with a new staff. Won the ODAC final on the road, progressed through all road tournament games. Kind of defining resilient this year.
Best Past Decade
Conn -- In 2014 they were 7-9-1, had never been to the NCAA tournament, and never made a NESCAC final. In 2017 they made the NCAA, first round exit. 2018, second round. 2019, quarters, 2021, national title. That kind of improvement? Best of the 4 without doubt.
Best Coaching Tree
Middlebury
Most Impressive (Toughest) Road to Final Four
W&L -- on the road the whole time
Best Partisan Poster

Best Alumni/Support Base
Amherst. W&L was out in force at the last Final Four, but it was just down the road. I was impressed with how many Amherst people came from much farther.
Best Town/City Where School Located Very tongue in cheek with this one
Lexington, Va. VMI is a historic and architectural interesting neighbor to W&L, UM Amherst is a hideous campus full of blocky, unattractive buildings, knocks out Amherst. Lexington is rich in history, architecture, and restaurants with a walkable downtown accessed by the campus, knocks out Conn where if you walk too far one direction you fall off a cliff into a river and too far the other direction gets you run over by an interstate. Plus the city of New London is ugly. Lexington's warmer winters knocks out Middlebury. If you like the cold, a more urban campus, or being above a freezing river, feel free to choose different.
Best Home Pitch -- I don't know. But I doubt the northern fields can hold up to W&L's in Oct/Nov if they are real grass. And if they aren't, they don't belong on this list.
W&L -- excellent grass field, holds up until late in the season depending on weather. Upper class housing next door usually adds enough fans to create an atmosphere. Beautiful views from the field back toward the football stadium and of House Mountain in the distance.
Best Mascot/Nickname
Camels. It makes no sense to me for Conn, but Camels are mean SOBs. They spit, bite, kick. They are way bigger than you think. And most of the time they just don't give a crap about anything and just do their own thing. Plus they are taking over parts of Australia. Literally invaded another country, with some human help, and are making a mess. Mammoths got wiped out by  humans, we've pretty much killed off Panthers, and Generals are a dime a dozen in every country in the world.
Most Feared Mascot (Generals, Mammoth, Camel, Panther)
Generals. Nothing in this world is scarier than human beings. Let alone those in charge of militaries.
***List is fluid so please add categories as you like


******BONUS ESSAY COMPONENT.....Should Vassar become the 12th member of NESCAC?  Why? Or Why not?

[Little Giant 89]

Looks like there is no great solution on a host site for the championship.

I think any field not made
of grass should be ruled out as a site for NCAAs.

IMO Fields like Hopkins/ Wis EC (lined for 4-6) are an embarrassment to the sport and should never be be permitted to host unless they can find a nearby proper grass field.

The NCAA needs to come home to Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. 

We have plenty of fields in doors and out.  We are centrally located with a great airport nearby in Indy.  Most of your student athletes have likely played a tournament or two at Grand Park in their club career.  Plenty of modestly priced hotel and eating accommodations.

Return to the Hoosier Heartland!

[PaulNewman]

Nicely done, jknezek.

Only one I would quibble on is Conn for best decade.  Maybe most improved decade. I hope I picked Amherst in my post, but imo it is clearly Amherst with minimum of Sweet 16 literally every year (and several years into the prior decade), a national title, and now 4 F4s (or is it 5?). Anyway, Amherst arguably is the most dominant program of the past decade other than I suppose Tufts.

[PaulNewman]

I assume Midd would take the SuperSub category...with a sub being their leading goals and points guy. Conn has some great subs.  I assume W&L does as well. I'm guessing Amherst has the weakest bench of the four, although when he does play guys who rarely play they seem to be really good lol.

Where is Cubeddu???

[SKUD]

Cubeddu is the best injured D3 player in the country.

[jknezek]

Nicely done, jknezek.

Only one I would quibble on is Conn for best decade.  Maybe most improved decade. I hope I picked Amherst in my post, but imo it is clearly Amherst with minimum of Sweet 16 literally every year (and several years into the prior decade), a national title, and now 4 F4s (or is it 5?). Anyway, Amherst arguably is the most dominant program of the past decade other than I suppose Tufts.

You didn't define best. To me, they have the same National titles as Amherst, 1, and rose from essentially a mid-tier NESCAC to a National Title Holder and multiple Final Fours in the span of a decade. Sure, Amherst was more consistently good, but they were consistently good before. Not as good, but really good. Conn was not. So I'd say Conn had the best decade, followed by W&L, who became and stayed nationally relevant over the 10 years, then Amherst with the most dominating decade, but not much improvement, and then Midd. Who was very good the whole time, but seemed to struggle to get over the post-season hump from very good to great. A lot of that due to having to get past Amherst or Tufts, but those are the breaks.

Anyway, just depends on how you define "best". But I'll die on the Conn hill because coming from relatively nothing post-season to National title in nearly a straight line is amazing. And now back again, so not a one hit wonder, or a one class wonder. Not even a one coach wonder to be honest.

[Newenglander]

I t

Cubeddu is the best injured D3 player in the country.

I think he is a great player but Amer Lukovic probably takes that title.........

[paclassic89]

Yeah, it's Lukovic.  Who is in the transfer portal btw...

[SKUD]

Can anyone 1st hand confirm that Lukovic is/was injured?  I had him on a different list.

[PaulNewman]

Welp, I'm gonna die on the hill of best decade nationally...not best decade for a program compared to past performance. You gonna put St Olaf over Amherst too?

[PaulNewman]

Duratovic wouldn't win I suppose if Lukovic is eligible for the award, but he at least would qualify for being invited to the ceremony.

[PaulNewman]

A better question might be whether jknezek and PaulNewman will ever reach a consensus on anything in the next decade. The outlook appears grim.

[Newenglander]

Yeah, it's Lukovic.  Who is in the transfer portal btw...

Yes - assume a medical redshirt for D3.

Its interesting that D3 has different rules - curious if anyone knows the exact medical redshirt rules (think it's playing less than a 1/3 of the season with the college's support for petition)?

I do know D3 eligibility counts the whole year the minute you practice during the regular season regardless of minutes played if you don't have a qualified circumstance.

[PaulNewman]

So I take it Cubeddu is injured (again). Speaking of decades, how many years ago did he score the GW in a national semi? For whatever reason, 2021 seems like a very long time ago. It's been a hard three years.

[SKUD]

Yeah, it's Lukovic.  Who is in the transfer portal btw...

Yes - assume a medical redshirt for D3.

You are assuming or can actually confirm it is an injury?