Honestly, was anyone expecting this many great lacrosse games in the first weekend in March?

Well, we got them. Maryland over Duke in Overtime, Princeton over Hopkins in Overtime, Cornell over Army in Overtime, and Navy over Bucknell in Overtime--all highlighted excellent action on Saturday. There were also close games between Hofstra & Brown, UMass & Yale, and Notre Dame & Loyola.

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And then came Sunday and the best game of the weekend--#1 Syracuse vs. #2 Virginia. Virginia had a lead into the third and fourth quarters only to have Syracuse come flying back to make it close. In the end, Virginia was able to hang on and grab the win and the number one ranking in the country.

The LAXnews Rock-it Pocket NCAA Men's D1 College Lacrosse Ranking is as follows:

1. Virginia (3-0) In a game that lived up to all the hype and then some, Virginia was just a little better than Syracuse. The Cavs are the best team in the country right now. They have also won 7 of the last 8 against the defending Champs, Syracuse Orange.

2. Syracuse (2-1) The Orange were impressive against Virginia, especially in the 3rd and 4th quarters, but it was not enough to win it. These two will likely meet each other again in May.

3. Carolina (5-0) Carolina handled a talented UMBC team easily, winning by 5. They now have as big a mid week game as any this whole season--against Duke on Wednesday. With Maryland already having beaten Duke, the ACC feels as wide open as ever. Will it go to Virginia or Carolina? Duke and Maryland could both get it too. Keep watching.

4. Notre Dame (3-0) Notre Dame downed a strong Loyola team this weekend to give them 2 top 20 wins in their first 3 games. They now have a trap game coming on Tuesday with Drexel. If Notre Dame wins on Tuesday night, they could very well stay unbeaten for a long time--like they did last year.

5. Princeton (2-0) With wins over Hofstra and Hopkins, Princeton is now 2-0 for their new coach Chris Bates. It will be a long wait until May 1st for their game against 'Ivy Foe' Cornell, but with huge games in between against Carolina and Syracuse, the Tigers are a team to watch.

6. Maryland (3-0) Maryland chose to run and gun with Duke, and it worked out--even though they almost blew a 3 goal 4th quarter lead. The Terps are now 3-0 and have a win over a top 10, Duke, to go with a win over a top 20 team, Georgetown. With Towson, Penn and UMBC up next, Maryland could be 6-0 when they face Carolina on March 27th.

7. Cornell (3-0) Cornell did beat unranked Army, but the game was closer than expected. Still, a win is a win and Army has been playing close games. Congratulations to Cornell Head Coach Jeff Tambroni on his 100th career coaching win.

8. Hopkins (3-1) The Hopkins/Princeton game went as expected in some ways. The teams are close overall, so it was a close game that went to overtime. Hopkins now faces Hofstra on Saturday night.

9. Hofstra (1-1) Hofstra bounced back from the loss to Princeton to beat Brown this week. Hofstra has the offense with 14 goals scored last week and 15 this week. Steve DeNapoli was the MVP of the game for Hofstra. 2 goals and 7 ground balls, an excellent game on offense for the best short stick defensive midfielder in the country.

10. Duke (2-2) Duke had a big comeback against Maryland. They rallied from down 3 in the 4th to tie it will just seconds left, only to lose in Overtime. Duke has now beaten Bucknell and Penn, but lost to Notre Dame and Maryland. They face Carolina on Wednesday in an ACC match up not to be missed.

11. Loyola (3-1) Loyola lost to Notre Dame, but proved they belong on the big stage by playing them so close.

12. Georgetown (2-1) Georgetown beat St Johns, a team they have struggled against in the past, by 3. They also got a quality win over Harvard mid week. This is a familair script, though. Georgetown playing great early in the season? Yep, we have seen that before. We will see if it lasts through May.

13. Navy (2-2) Navy found a way to win over Bucknell in a slow methodical game. Navy plays their Patriot League Schedule in March while most teams have their league games in April. They have Lafayette up next in a game that will be a battle.

14. Harvard (2-1) Harvard beat Holy Cross this week and face UMass next. They proved they belong in the top 20 with a close loss to Georgetown.

15. Delaware (4-1) Delaware will be a in a shoot out with Stony Brook on Saturday. I like their chances with Curtis Dickson playing like he has been--Dickson alone has 19 goals scored in his last 3 games.

16. Bucknell (2-2) Bucknell lost to Patriot nemesis Navy in overtime after leading for much of the game. Bucknell has played Duke and Navy to Overtime and beat Ohio State and Towson so they stay in the top 20.

17. Lafayette (4-0) Lafayette got a great mid week win over Penn, and now the unbeaten Leopards face Navy on Tuesday night. Lafayette has some firepower so do not count them out against Navy.

18. Yale (2-0) Yale beat UMass by a goal to earn the #18 spot.

19. UMass (2-1) After a loss to Yale, Umass faces a slumping but dangerous Albany team on Tuesday. UMass needs the win to stay in the top 20.

20. Stony Brook (2-1) Stony Brook beat Towson and will travel to Delaware to play the Blue Hens this week. Right now, Stony Brook is looking like the favorite to win the America East over UMBC and Albany. This year have the defense and the goaltending to go with the excellent offense they have again this year and have had in the past.

Dropping Out of the Top 20:

Brown, Denver, UMBC

Teams to Watch:

Drexel, Brown, Robert Morris, and UMBC

Player of the Week

Just 2 weeks after he scored 7 goals to lead Delaware past UMBC, Curtis Dickson scored 8 goals to lead the Blue Hens past Albany. He also had 2 assists. Fans should keep an eye on him every week. He may lead all of D1 in scoring at the rate he is going.

Congratulations to Curtis Dickson on being named the College Beat Player of the week by the LAXnews writers.

Must See Lacrosse Next Week:

Carolina at Duke on Wednesday, March 10, 2010--A team that has been rising for the last few years, Carolina, against the biggest question mark in lacrosse (read: talented, but 2-2) this season, Duke. Don't miss it.

Virginia at Cornell on Saturday, March 13, 2010--Virginia is coming off a close win over Syracuse, and they take on Cornell team that went to Overtime with Army. Bet on a close one here.

Duke at Loyola on Saturday, March 13, 2010--Loyola is home and that helps. Also, Duke will be coming off the Carolina game earlier in the same week.

Hopkins at Hofstra on Saturday, March 13, 2010--Will this be the battle of the Gvozden Goaltenders--brothers Michael for Hopkins and Andrew for Hofstra? It could be if they both play. Even if they do not play, it will still be a good game.

Land's Picks:

(4-0 past week and 7-1 overall in the '10 season; 20-11 overall in the '09 season; 20-9 overall in the '08 season)

Carolina over Duke

Virginia over Cornell

Hofstra over Hopkins

Duke over Loyola

Thank You

The most sincere thank you possible to Rich Donovan for his input into this and every College Beat.

Watch Rich and listen to his expert commentary on the broadcasts of College Lacrosse games on Verizon Fios 1 in New York.

Questions or Comments?

Do you have a suggestion, question or concern? If so, write me, James Land, at laxnews22@hotmail.com and give your opinions.

The College Beat column and the LAXnews Rankings are brought to you by Rock-it Pocket