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The playoffs were last week, so there's plenty of shake up. Lots of quality teams fill out our top 10, even though at least one (LSU) won't make the Sweet 16.
There's no reason to knock Davenport from the top perch. The Panthers have been testing themselves against DI men's competition this spring, and for the most part, passing with flying colors.
San Diego State hops three spots up the list after not just beating UCSB for the Pacific Mountain West title, but doing so by 23 points in Santa Barbara. The Aztecs appear to be peaking at the perfect time under first-year coach Matt Hawkins. For the lopsided loss, UCSB slips past Dartmouth, Florida and Tennessee. The Gauchos are still a legitimate title contender, but so are the five teams ranked directly above them.
Dartmouth handled business as the Big Green were supposed to against Princeton and Harvard in the Ivy tournament, but SDSU's win was enough to bump the Ivy champs one spot. Outside of the Cayman National Team, Dartmouth hasn't played anyone particularly challenging this spring. One wonders if that will have consequences come playoff time.
Florida beat Tennessee in the SCRC final, but Tennessee won the regular season meeting, so it would appear either one of these teams could win on any given day. Florida won most recently, so the Gators get the nod.
Stony Brook, along with Florida State, made the biggest leap this week, after beating St. Bonaventure in the Empire Conference final. The Seawolves could be a sleeper in the Hanover, NH regional. The Seminoles have shown the potential to knock off the likes of Florida before, so they can't be looked past, either.
The true dark horse at Nationals? Missouri. This player-coached bunch flies under the radar, but has a really talented crop of seniors. Their depth is a possible pitfall, but they will make anyone who beats them work very hard for it.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Won 31-11 over the Indianapolis Impalas 2 (5) San Diego State 6-1 Won 29-6 over UCSB. Won Pacific Mountain West 3 (2) Dartmouth 9-0 Won Ivy Tourney 50-3 over Princeton, 51-7 over Harvard 4 (6) Florida 14-1 Won 22-14 over Tennessee. SCRC champs 5 (4) Tennessee 9-3 Beat Alabama 32-21, lost 22-14 to Florida. 2nd in SCRC 6 (3) UC Santa Barbara 7-4 Lost 29-6 to San Diego State 7 (9) Oregon State 8-0 Won 43-12 over Washington State 8 (7) LSU 6-4 Lost 35-17 to Florida 9 (8) Northeastern 7-0 Idle 10 (11) Maryland 7-2 Won 32-10 over North Carolina 11 (13) Wisconsin 10-1 Won 53-14 over UW-Whitewater 12 (12) Santa Clara 5-1 Idle 13 (21) Stony Brook 8-1 Won 29-19 over Binghamton, 34-20 over St. Bonaventure. 14 (22) Florida State 12-4 Won 46-17 over Kennesaw State, 22-12 over Central Florida 15 (17) Missouri 8-1 Won over Kansas State and Oklahoma State by forfeit 16 (10) St. Bonaventure 10-2 Won 37-26 over Iona, lost 34-20 to Stony Brook. 2nd in Empire 17 (14) Sacramento State 4-3 Idle 18 (15) Bowling Green 8-3 Won over Ohio 19 (16) Miami (OH) 5-2 Won 24-5 over Michigan 20 (18) Indiana 3-4 Finished 2nd at Gateway Ruggerfest to Lindenwood 21 (19) Minnesota 5-1 Idle 22 (23) Clemson 7-2 Won 41-24 over Wake Forest 23 (24) Central Florida 12-5 Won 32-14 over MTSU, lost 22-12 to Florida State 24 (20) Texas 7-1 Idle 25 (25) Iona 6-1 Lost 37-26 to St. Bonaventure
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