College Lacrosse Schedule for March 8, 2014

There are 25 games today, putting about three-quarters of Division I's members in action. There aren't a ton of big ticket matchups today, but there are a bunch of really solid games wrapped in intrigue and consequence.

Here are your three highlights for today:

• Albany at Massachusetts: The Great Danes -- while remaining competitive -- have spit the bit in its two games against notable competition: A one-goal, overtime loss to Syracuse opened Albany's season and a one-goal freak show loss to Drexel followed the Danes' date against the Orange. Albany recalibrated its universe with a win against Harvard, but the team's trip to Amherst this afternoon marks a return to playing a strong opponent that can create all kinds of problems for the Great Danes. Albany needs a win against a team of the Minutemen's caliber; a loss today would put Albany at only 1-3 on the season, creating questions around whether the Great Danes have the balance to contend with the nation's better concerns.
• Denver v. Notre Dame // St. John's v. Syracuse: Two the day's biggest games will happen at neutral site locations in non-traditional areas: In California, the Pioneers and Irish will clash in a contrast of styles; in Georgia, the Orange and Johnnies will attempt to melt the scoreboard. Denver-Notre Dame holds bigger top-of-the-polls impact, but Syracuse-St. John's is arguably a more pressing matchup for both teams: The Orange are bleeding and St. John's smells blood in the water. Syracuse is in the midst of a horrifically difficult slate and the Johnnies are entering a stretch -- after facing the Orange -- that features Georgetown, Hofstra, and Stony Brook. This is a big spot for both teams, and both desperately need a victory.
• Lehigh at Bucknell: The situation at Lewisburg is pretty simple:

  PATRIOT LEAGUE STANDINGS: AS OF MARCH 7, 2014

  TEAM	CONFERENCE RECORD
  Loyola	2-0
  Army	1-0
  Navy	2-1
  Lehigh	1-1
  Colgate	1-1
  Bucknell	1-1
  Lafayette	1-2
  Holy Cross	0-2
  Boston University	0-1

  There are all kinds of implications in Lehigh-Bucknell: Two teams attempting to climb the table to the positions they were expected to hold; tiebreaking ramifications; and simply creating some forward momentum with each team seemingly punching the accelerator while the transmission is in neutral.

Here's Saturday's full schedule. If there are errors, please let me know. I'll fix/populate links to live stats and video as the day progresses (if necessary).

This is your open thread for Saturday. I'm thinking about writing a book only on sticky notes. 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.