Quarterfinals set for Johns Hopkins, Maryland
Johns Hopkins and Maryland found out Sunday whom they will meet in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals next weekend.
The Blue Jays, the third seed in the tournament, will face No. 6 seed Denver on Saturday at James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y., at 2:30 p.m. The contest will be the back end of a doubleheader featuring No. 2 seed Cornell (14-2) and No. 7 seed Virginia (10-5), which begins at 12 p.m.
The Pioneers overcame a 7-5 deficit at halftime to win, 13-10, against Villanova on Sunday evening.
Johns Hopkins (13-2) took care of Hofstra, 13-5, on Saturday and will meet the Denver (14-2) for only the second time in the schools’ histories. It will be the first meeting since Bill Tierney left Princeton for the Pioneers, and Tierney and Blue Jays coach Dave Pietramala are close friends.
Johns Hopkins has won eight games in a row, not having lost since March 19 when it was edged by Syracuse, 5-4, in double overtime. But Denver has been even hotter, winning 11 straight contests since falling to Notre Dame, 10-9, on March 12.
The Terps will take on Syracuse, the top seed and prohibitive favorite, on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., at 12 p.m. That contest is the first of a doubleheader that includes No. 4 seed Notre Dame and No. 5 Duke clashing at 2:30 p.m.
The Orange (14-1) thumped Siena, 10-4, on Sunday night. Syracuse is 6-8 overall against Maryland, but 4-2 in the tournament against the Terps, including 4-1 in the last five meetings. The Orange defeated Maryland, 11-6, in the quarterfinal round of the 2009 tournament.
Maryland (11-4) routed No. 8 seed North Carolina, 13-6, on Sunday. The Terps, who were unseeded despite winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship, are the only unseeded team left in the tournament field.
Maryland is seeking its first appearance in the national semifinals since 2006.
