With a 3-4 record and in search of a trademark victory, Johns Hopkins might be running out of time – and chances – to enhance its profile for an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament.
The No. 20 Blue Jays will make their Big Ten Conference debut in a home game against Rutgers on March 28 with an eye on qualifying for the league tournament and getting a shot at the championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. But they will first tangle with No. 7 Virginia (5-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Homewood Field in their final nonconference games of the season.
"There's a lot of lacrosse left," coach Dave Pietramala said Wednesday. "There's a lot that can happen. This is why we joined a conference. … Those conferences afford you a bid to the NCAA tournament. Does it take away your at-large opportunity? Sure. That's certainly a disappointing thing, that you didn't make the most of some opportunities that you had. But a year ago [as an independent], we didn't have this opportunity. If we hadn't won some of these games, we didn't have the opportunity to get in. Now we do."
Despite losses in three of its last four games, Johns Hopkins can cite some history as back-up. The 2010 squad earned a spot in the tournament despite a 7-7 record. Conversely, the 2013 team went 9-5, but wasn't invited to the postseason.
The Blue Jays can burnish their resume if they defeat the Cavaliers, who beat No. 7 Cornell and No. 14 Loyola Maryland and lost to No. 1 Syracuse and No. 3 Notre Dame.
"Anytime you beat a quality lacrosse team, a top 10 lacrosse team, it's a boost, but maybe more importantly, it means you played well," Pietramala said. "You played well, you did the things you needed to do. So for us, we're close, but we're just not over the hump."