NCAA Lacrosse Tournament: Semifinal Saturday Open Thread

There is no better day of games than Semifinal Saturday. Parking lots filled with tailgaters, a mosaic of fanbases coming together to watch college lacrosse's biggest moments, and four of the best teams in the nation smacking each other in the face for the right to play for a national championship on Memorial Monday. Take out the fancy bottle of bourbon today, pals and gal pals: These are the good times.

If you've missed anything this week, checking out College Crosse's NCAA Tournament hub (it's a window into your soul) is the best way to achieve total consciousness. If that's too much to handle, these are your necessaries:

• Final Four Stategories: An illustration of what college lacrosse is going to shove in your face this holiday weekend.
• The Look of a Champion: Which of the remaining teams look most like a national champion?
• THE FACEOFF: Bill Tierney v. Syracuse.
• THE FACEOFF: Revisiting Cornell-Duke 2007.
• My favorite painting, and also what you can call Cornell's attack.
• NCAA Tournament Final Four Tailing Recommendations: Enjoy yourself. You deserve it.

Otherwise, here are your highlights for today:

• Cornell v. (7) Duke: Goalsplosion! There are likely two focuses here: (1) Which team will earn the highest volume of possessions (to turn the opposing goalkeeper into a pile of mush); and (2) How much defense will Duke play. The Red are the favorite, but the Devils are capable of denying Cornell their first championship since 1977. The undercard is just as interesting as the headliner this evening.
• (4) Denver v. (1) Syracuse: Denver is chasing its first championship; Syracuse is chasing its 12th (11th, if you're the NCAA and believe in pretend reality). It's all about execution in the night cap, and Syracuse's ability to withstand pressure from the Pioneers' offense may dictate the outcome of the game.

This is your open thread for Saturday's semifinals games. If you're not in Philadelphia, throw batteries at your television so that you can pretend to have the full Philadelphia sports fan experience. People will be around to yak about whatever is tickling their fancy.

Also, if you haven't yet, give a "like" to College Crosse over on Facebook and make sure to give a follow @SexyTimeLax.