More from ESPN's Mark Dixon on Navy's postseason chances
Friday’s edition of The Sun included an article on the state of Navy’s program. With the team currently sitting at 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League, there’s some concern that the Midshipmen will stay home instead of partaking in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year.
Navy isn’t even guaranteed a spot in the four-team Patriot League tournament, which the school has qualified for every season since joining the conference for the 2004 campaign.
ESPN analyst Mark Dixon said one factor in rivals catching up – and surpassing – the Midshipmen is the emphasis on lacrosse as a year-round sport.
“Navy used to have the advantage in the early part of the season, particularly in February and early March because the Navy guys are always in shape. That’s just the way of life in Annapolis,” Dixon said. “But now with more emphasis on physical fitness and year-round training regimen, they lose that advantage. So maybe that’s a reason why they’re not sitting at 6-2 or 5-3.”
Still, the season isn’t over yet for the Midshipmen, who have upcoming contests against Georgetown on Friday night, No. 9 Maryland, No. 3 Army and No. 6 Johns Hopkins in successive weekends before the start of the Patriot League tournament.
Dixon said it would be a mistake for opponents to count Navy out.
“They’ve got a great opportunity this Friday when they play Georgetown, which is a great game for them,” he said. “But they’ll have an opportunity to make it in to the tournament. We just have to see how the other teams do. And it’s a disappointing year for Navy. They’re 2-3 in the Patriot, but they still have Army left to play. That’s a huge game. And they can beat the Black Knights. This isn’t a situation where you can say, ‘Well, they’re just going to roll Navy.’ I think they can beat Army, and if they get that win, they’ll be in the semifinals of the Patriot League. So we’re going to have to see what happens with Navy.”
