I would expect Drexel to look really good against Binghamton, Lasalle and Marist - assuming that's who they played, going off Inside Lacrosse fall ball article. Drexel was a good team last year with several players returning this year. Last season they beat Towson 3x, Hofstra and Temple, who all finished ranked in coaches poll and ranked/RV in media poll. They also almost beat JMU who ended the season easily beating a ranked Hopkins team in Round 1 and hung with UNC in Round 2 as well or better than majority of most ACC teams did last season. I have no ties to Drexel or new coaching staff, but would definitely not underestimate them this season. Their ranking in the polls is earned.
Not knocking Drexel but they beat 1 Top 20 team (Temple #19) in an odd season that for all intents and purpose did not have Maryland, Northwestern, Hopkins, Penn State, Princeton or Penn playing .... All of which are usually Top 10 - 20. We will see how they do this year with things back to normal.
Huh? Obviously ivies did not play, but NU made the final four. Sorry but Maryland and Penn State just weren't all that in 2020 and 2021, with or without covid. No one was saying Drexel would be top ten, just acknowledging they were a good team last season and well could be again this season. The only ranked teams Florida beat last season are Temple, Jacksonville and Louisville. The only ranked teams Loyola beat are Drexel and Hofstra. Were they also only ranked because things weren't normal? Don't know how Drexel will do this year, but you're implying they were only successful because it wasn't a normal year which seems unfair. Give teams credit when it's due, even if it's not an ACC or Big Ten team.
BC wasn’t all that in 2020 …. Can’t look at a season that was canceled and draw any conclusions because you don’t know how things would have turned out. Your reference is simply dopey.
The point is that Big 10 was not off to a great start in 2020, even NU actually, so it can be inferred from partial 2020 and completed 2021 results that the big 10 is (was?-we'll see) a little down. Like BC, NU rebounded in 2021 and made it to the final four in spite of covid, which is being used as an excuse for certain teams not performing as well in 2021 when most programs were impacted by covid. Let's not forget, though, that NU was beat handily in the final four. Maryland still finished in the top 10, and Rutgers and Hopkins top 20. A previous post implied lesser teams ended up ranked because of big 10/ivies not playing "for all intents and purposes" but it's really just a couple of ivies missing that opened up spots for other teams to move into the rankings. Getting back to the original conversation, Drexel was ranked because they were good, not because of all the ivies and big 10 teams missing from the rankings.
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