Cal at No. 8 Oregon – Saturday, 1 p.m. PT
COYNE: If you remember back to this game last year, a highly-regarded Oregon team traveled to Berkeley to open the season and got embarrassed by the Bears, 10-2. If that wasn’t bad enough, it sent the Ducks spiraling to a 1-5 start to the spring. They eventually righted the ship, winning seven of the final eight contests of the season, capturing the PNCLL title and advancing the national quarterfinals. But you can bet Joe Kerwin will remind his players how critical it will be for Oregon to get off to a better start in order to avoid a No. 8 seed (and a quarterfinal date with the top-ranked team). The Ducks should be helped with the game being in Eugene.
As easy as this pick is, Schooler may give me a freebie. While he’s a UCSB guy, he has a soft spot for Cal, and, somewhat miraculously, he even called the Bears win last year. I’ve got a hunch he’ll take his hometown team again, opening the door for me. Duckies, 14-9.
SCHOOLER: I am not falling for this trap and neither is Oregon. The Ducks were a young, inexperienced team last year, but they showed a lot of promise down the stretch. Look for the midfield tandem of Spencer Robertson and Kevin Clark to turn some heads this year and dominate the PNCLL. While Cal is looking great with the return of their top three scorers as well as the addition of my good friend, Ed Hill, to the coaching staff, I do not think they will be able to knock off a fired up Ducks team on the road. Oregon redeems themselves with a blowout, 18-7.
No. 1 Brigham Young vs. No. 18 Simon Fraser (at Boise, Idaho) – Saturday, 2 p.m. MT
COYNE: We can keep this short. Yes, we’ve got a couple of ranked teams, but in name only. Fraser may keep it close for a quarter or two, but the Clan will get overwhelmed. Cougars, 16-10.
SCHOOLER: This is pretty much the same BYU team that won the national championship eight months ago. There is no way that Calvin Craig can handle the Cougars on his own. BYU wins this easily, 15-6.
No. 21 Stanford at No. 11 UCSB – Saturday, 2 p.m. PT
SCHOOLER: No question who I am picking in this one. Mike Allan has returned to the land of beautiful women, great parties, endless summers, and best of all, great lacrosse. This is the same Gaucho team that gave BYU a run for its money in the first round of Nationals. They lost Dave Kurtmen on defense, but have returned the best midfield in the MCLA.
Stanford has always been a scrappy team and may come out with a heavy first quarter push, but the Gauchos will dominate this game and tortillas will be blanketing The Pit. UCSB wins, 12-3. Ole!
COYNE: Mike Allan returns and the Santa Barbarians assume its 2005 again. At this point, maybe they’re right. Thanks to talented recruiting classes amassed by Allan’s two predecessors, the Gauchos certainly appear to be a fearsome bunch. With that said, adjusting to three coaches in four years will take its toll on a program, especially early in the season when another new system is being perfected. UCSB may finish strong, but they’ll have some hurdles to overcome early.
Stanford is a solid team, and a really good test for the Gauchos. If this game was on The Farm, I might be tempted to take a flyer on the Cardinal. However, with the game in Santa Barbara, I think UCSB will pull this one out. It’ll be closer than people think, however. Gauchos, 8-6.
laxbuzz
