There is a lot of optimism – and expectations – for Rutgers men’s lacrosse heading into this weekend’s opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Rutgers is 13-3 on the season. They advanced to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament where they lost to Maryland. On Sunday, they will host Harvard at Yurcak Field in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last season, Rutgers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to North Carolina in overtime.
Big Ten lacrosse analyst Mark Dixon thinks the Scarlet Knights are a good, balanced team. Dixon said “This is a very sound Rutgers team.”
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The inclusion of Rutgers in the NCAA Tournament as a sixth-seed wasn’t a surprise. But Sunday’s opponent, Harvard, is a bit of a shock to the lacrosse ecosystem.
“Wow, this was the one that had the lacrosse world on fire with the Harvard Crimson getting into the NCAA Tournament with an 8-4 record and an RPI of 15. They do have quality wins over Brown and Princeton. They also beat Boston University who is in the field,” Dixon said on the Big Ten Network.
“This is the team that everyone is really questioning getting into the field. That being said, Rutgers is going to have their hand’s full. This is a Harvard team that really doesn’t know any better. They are incredibly young and when you factor in that they didn’t play in the 2021 season. They have a number of players who are freshmen who are supposed to be sophomores
“It is still a very, very young team. You look at Rutgers, perhaps the most-experienced team age-wise in the NCAA Tournament.”
Harvard finished the season 8-4 and 3-3 in the Ivy League. They started their season 6-1, a stretch of games where they beat ranked teams in Michigan, Brown and Boston University.
Rutgers beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals then lost to Maryland in the championship game.
The Terrapins hosted the conference tournament this season.
“An uneven weekend that saw Rutgers trailing at halftime to Ohio State; they came out like gangbusters in the second half to knock off the Buckeyes in the Big Ten semis,” Dixon said.
“But again, came up short against their archnemesis Maryland.”