Time for the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four

As usually happens around every Memorial Day, in addition to the Indianapolis 500 (about which I have heard nary a word), the NCAA reaches the Final Four for lacrosse.  Being a Marylander and living nearby Washington D.C., I've become accustomed to championship losses.  The wins are few and very far between.

Especially for Maryland and lacrosse. Despite regularly being very good, and frequently ranked in the top 5, Maryland has repetitively come up short in the championships.


So let's see what is up for these semifinals.  Maryland will play Brown in the first semifinal, and North Carolina will play Loyola of Maryland in the second.  Loyola of Maryland features a super freshman named Pat Spencer who could truly be the X-Factor.

Given that both Maryland and Loyola of Maryland are in the Final Four, odds are decent that a school from Maryland will win it.  But what about U. Maryland itself?

Before I go any further, let me note that the U. Maryland women are strong favorites to win the championship.  Doesn't mean they will, of course, but they're ranked and seeded No. 1.  And they've won it before, most recently in both of the last two years.

And the Maryland men are ranked and seeded No. 1 as well.  Which likely means another weekend of heartbreak for them.  Let's review the recent history:

The Terps last won it in 1975.  Since then, they've lost in the final -- get this -- in 1976, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, and 2015.   In 2012 they lost to Loyola of Maryland.  In 2011 they lost 9-7 to Virginia. And other than the years in which they lost in the finals, since 1975 they've lost in the semifinals 10 other times.

All of which says:  I wouldn't bet on them to save my house.  But I sure would like to see them kick all that bad luck in the teeth and win the damn thing.