Maryland is the Final Four team with the most connections to Michigan and Detroit.
Memorial Day has long been the culminating weekend of the college lacrosse season, and this year’s Final Four has plenty of connections to the programs from the Great Lax State. Three of the remaining programs played Michigan this year, the Wolverines have opponents in common with all of them, and Detroit had opponents in common with three of the four, as well.
In a world where we’re years from seeing either of the in-state teams make it to Memorial Day weekend themselves, let’s look at those who have achieved it in 2016 through the lens of our most familiar squads.
North Carolina v. Loyola, 12 p.m.
North Carolina played Michigan in the Wolverines’ season opener, with… not so great results for the boys in the winged helmets. The Tar Heels also had three opponents in common with Detroit, and two with Michigan.
Head-to-head: d. Michigan 20-10
| Team | North Carolina score | Detroit score | Michigan score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins | W 15-11 | N/A | L 19-13 |
| Manhattan | W 18-2 | W 9-3 | N/A |
| Maryland | L 11-8 | N/A | L 8-7 |
| Notre Dame | W 17-15, W 13-9 | L 14-5 | N/A |
| Marquette | W 10-9 | L 10-8 | N/A |
Loyola is the only final four team that the Wolverines didn’t play, in addition to being the only one without an opponent in common with Detroit. Loyola beat one program that U-M also defeated in Colgate, while squeaking past a Hopkins team that took care of Michigan.
Head-to-head: DNP
Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision
| Team | Loyola score | Detroit score | Michigan score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins | W 10-9 | N/A | L 19-13 |
| Colgate | W 12-4 | N/A | W 9-8 |
Rooting interest: North Carolina winning this game is certainly the outcome that makes both Michigan and Detroit look (slightly) better. Given that the Heels’ game with Michigan wasn’t even competitive, there’s only so much it can do, but being blown out by a national finalist is better than being blown out by just about anyone else.
Maryland v. Brown, 2:30 p.m.
Maryland is Michigan’s Big Ten brethren, and played the same four teams in the conference. Outside of the conference, Notre Dame and Quinnipiac are common opponents with UDM, while UNC and Penn are with Detroit. Maryland nearly swept the schedule, while those teams did sweep the in-state teams.
Head-to-head: d. Michigan 8-7
| Common Opponents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Maryland score | Detroit score | Michigan score |
| Notre Dame | L 9-4 | L 14-5 | N/A |
| North Carolina | W 10-8 | N/A | L 20-10 |
| Penn | W 13-8 | N/A | L 12-10 |
| Penn State | W 11-10 (OT), W 16-9 | N/A | L 14-9 |
| Rutgers | W 11-8, W 14-8 | N/A | L 13-6 |
| Ohio State | W 10-8 | L 16-5 | L 10-7 |
| Johns Hopkins | W 11-8 | N/A | L 19-13 |
| Quinnipiac | W 13-6 | L 14-4 | N/A |
Brown treated Michigan… basically the same way North Carolina did about a month earlier. The only opponent in common with Detroit was MAAC champion (and Brown first-round tournament opponent) Quinnipiac, and Michigan played a pair of Ivy teams, and the Bears also beat Big Ten foe Johns Hopkins.
Head-to-head: d. Michigan 22-8
| Common Opponents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Brown score | Detroit score | Michigan score |
| Quinnipiac | W 20-7 | L 14-4 | N/A |
| Penn | W 17-6 | N/A | L 12-10 |
| Dartmouth | W 16-3 | N/A | L 13-12 |
| Johns Hopkins | W 17-8 | N/A | L 19-13 |
Rooting interest: Once again it’s an easy choice. Conference superiority plays a (small) role in lacrosse, and the stronger the Big Ten looks, the better for the second and third teams in the league. In addition, the Terps had the most opponents in common with Detroit (tied with Carolina) and Michigan.
The Final
Depending on who makes it past Saturday, the rooting interest in the final should either be quite easy, or a little trickier. Michigan wants Maryland to win, no matter what (leaving aside petty “rotting against” – talking strictly in terms of what looks best for the program), and both U-M and UDM would prefer Loyola lose, no matter what. A Brown-Carolina final is the only one that’s tough, and there’s no wrong answer there.
For Detroit, Maryland and Carolina have the same number of opponents in common, so it’s a toss-up there (knowing Detroit, rooting for Carolina since a Maryland win looks slightly better for Michigan would probably be the choice). If either of them plays the other squad opposite the bracket, it’s easy to root for the former ACC conference-mates. There’s not particular reason to root for Loyola in any matchup.