Q&A with CBS Sports Network's Steve Panarelli
CBS Sports Network analyst and former Syracuse All-American defenseman Steve Panarelli will provide commentary on Saturday’s Patriot League showdown between No. 12 Bucknell and No. 14 Colgate. On Sunday, he discussed his choice to replace Syracuse as the country’s No. 1 team, Johns Hopkins’ odds to win the national title and his favorite to win the Tewaaraton Award.
Were you surprised that top-ranked Syracuse was upset by No. 9 Cornell, 11-6, on Tuesday night?
A little bit surprised. I was fortunate to see Cornell play against Harvard that previous Saturday, and they looked good. Harvard did some stuff to lock up Pannell, and it kind of kept them in the game. But I knew Syracuse wouldn’t do. they weren’t going to lock up someone because they’ve got too much pride on defensive end to do that. And when [senior] John Lade went out of the game, that’s a match-up problem for anybody when you lose your best defenseman. And Syracuse has played in a lot of close games, but they haven’t really taken that next step, especially offensively, to where they put people away. So did it surprise me? No. I still thought they would’ve won at home, but Cornell’s definitely a good team, and Syracuse has been kind of up and down, wining some close games, but not being as oimpressive as they should have been by now.
If Lade, who did not play in Saturday's 13-3 win against Providence, is out for an extended period of time, how will his absence impact the Orange?
I think that would be huge for them because right now, they’re not dominating the faceoffs. So they’re playing a little more defense than usual, and they’re not putting up the goals that Syracuse is accustomed to. I think if they’re going to make a run and win it this year, they’re going to do it from the defensive end, which is kind of different for them in years past. They used to ride their offense and win close games, 16-15, or something like that. So if he’s out for an extended period, I think that’s going to have a huge impact, especially when they play these teams that have a dominant attackman. That’s when he needs to be playing.
So with Syracuse losing, who is the No. 1 team in the country in your opinion?
I think you have to go with Notre Dame. At the same time, I think it’s a tough call because right now, there are at least eight or nine teams that you could make an argument for that can make a run and win the whole thing. I don’t think there’s been a clear-cut No. 1 where one team is 100 times better than everybody. The parity this year has been unbelievable. I was talking about this with somebody recently, but I think the quarterfinals [of the NCAA tournament] are going to be the best we’ve ever seen because there are eight or nine teams that can legitimately win the whole thing. So when you get down to the quarterfinals, you’re looking at Final Four-type match-ups in that round, which is going to be interesting.
Should it matter that No. 2 Notre Dame isn’t winning with style or by wide margins?
They’re undefeated. A win’s a win, and you take it any way you can get it. I’ve had a chance to see them play a few times, and their defense is unbelievable. They play such a great, fundamental system, and everybody’s on the same page. Do they blow you away with their offense and score a lot of goals? Not really, but that’s not their style. That’s not their game. They’re a defensive team, and they play pretty good defense. So if it’s a tight game and a big game and you know your defense is going to be there and is going to hold it down, you always have an opportunity to win. So for them going down the stretch, they’ve got a chance in every game they play – no matter who they play. And if one or two guys get hot towards the end, they might be the favorite.
With the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning on Friday, is No. 5 Duke – as the tournament’s top seed – the best team in the ACC?
That’s a tough call. It will be very interesting to see what goes on down there [in Durham, N.C.]. They’ve been inconsistent at times where they’ve looked great and then you look at them and think, “Who is that team?” I think you could make the same argument for Virginia, and then Maryland and North Carolina. All four of them have been up and down. So it’ll be very interesting to see who plays well in that tournament and comes out on top. I think Virginia has been dealing with a lot of distractions. They don’t want to talk about the court case [involving George Huguely, who is charged with murdering Virginia women's lacrosse player Yeardley Love] that’s going on. It might not directly affect them to where they’re getting asked about it, but don’t think that the guys aren’t talking about that stuff in the locker room or in the cafeteria. That’s on their minds. So I think that’s had a huge effect on them. The Brattons have been suspended, and that’s another distraction. I think they’ve had a lot of stuff to go through as a team, and I think they need to really get focused. But if they can make a run, hats off to Coach [Dom] Starsia because I think there are lot of things going on in that locker room that he’s dealing with right now and he’s got to get them focused on lacrosse. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top among those teams.
With No. 3 Johns Hopkins starting eight sophomores and freshmen, are the Blue Jays too young to contend for a national title this season?
No. I was talking with somebody about this, too, and the Hop’s back. [Coach Dave Pietramala] has got them believing, and hats off to Coach Pietramala, who has done a great job with these guys. I had an opportunity to see them play against Syracuse in The [Carrier] Dome, and I thought they were unbelievable. They looked like they might have been – if not the best defense – at least one of the top two or three defensive teams in the country. When they win faceoffs and can control the ball, they’re tough to beat. I think they can make a run. Coach Pietramala has been there before, and sometimes when you’re young and you get into those moments, you don’t even realize what you’re doing and you just go with it and play well. Sometimes when you’re older, you begin to think, “This is my last opportunity, my last chance,” and there’s a little more pressure. I think those guys go into games with a lot of confidence, they feel good about what they’re doing, and I don’t think they even realize what’s going on. They’re just going to play and do what they do. they keep following the plan every week, and if they keep doing that, they have as much of a chance as anyone.
Is there one team lurking as a potential upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament?
Depending on what goes on in the Patriot League tournament and who gets in, I think the team that comes out of there is the team you don’t want to see. Colgate’s played very well, Bucknell, and Army’s been there and done that with last year’s upset of Syracuse. If they can win that tournament, they’re another group of guys that you don’t want to see. I think anyone from that Patriot League is a team you kind of want to stay away from.
Who is your leading candidate to win the Tewaaraton Award?
It’s [Cornell junior attackman] Rob Pannell. I just think he’s so dynamic. If you look at his goals-to-assists ratio, it’s unbelievable. If you slide to him, he finds the open guy. If you don’t slide to him, he sticks it in the corner. His ability to dodge and make his teammates around him better makes him – by far – the best player in the country. When the game’s on the line, give him the ball and he can make a play.
