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The Hofstra Game:

• As anyone reading this knows by now, the Terps will host Hofstra in the first round of the NCAA tournament at noon on Saturday at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. There are a few of things fans should know that will make for a better experience on Saturday.

1. The No. 1-seeded Maryland women's lacrosse team is hosting its first round game vs. Marist at Ludwig Field at noon on Saturday. The two fields share the same main parking lot (Lot 1), so fans should plan ahead and try to arrive EARLY.

2. The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is having its commencement ceremonies at Comcast Center at 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come EARLY and avoid using Rt. 1 or Rt. 193. Here are alternate routes fans are encouraged to use:

From Northbound I-95; Southbound I-295; and points South and East

- From I-495 / Beltway take Exit 23 (MD 201 / Kenilworth Ave South).

- Drive approximately 2.5 miles on 201 / Kenilworth Ave South and make RIGHT onto Paint Branch Parkway.

- Drive approximately 1.7 miles, cross Route 1 and enter campus through main gate / Campus Drive.

- Continue on Campus Drive, through "Circle M", to park in Lot 1.

From Southbound I-95; Montgomery County, and points West

-From I-495 / Beltway take Exit 28 (New Hampshire Ave South).

-Drive approximately .3 miles on New Hampshire Ave South and make LEFT onto Adelphi Rd.

-Drive approximately 2.5 miles on Adelphi Rd., continue across MD 193 / University Blvd, and make LEFT on Campus Drive.

-Drive approximately .2 miles and make LEFT to park in Lot 1.

3. The best way fans can make it easier on themselves is to purchase tickets in advance on-line (CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS!). That will avoid any chance to getting caught in ticket lines at the gate. The will call window is always a quick way to get your tickets.

• The Pride come into Saturday's game with a 9-4 record and winners of four of their last five games. The lone loss in those five came at Penn State, 11-10 in overtime, in the lone game Hofstra has played on natural grass all year.

Hofstra's offensive numbers are eye-popping. The Pride is averaging 13.3 goals per game and is shooting 36% on the year. Leading the way for Hofstra are a pair of Canadians - Jamie Lincoln and Jay Card - who have combined for 102 points on 60 goals and 42 assists. Lincoln is no stranger to Capital One Field. He was a member of the 2008 Denver team that played Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament and had one goal in the Pioneers' 10-7 loss.

Defensively, Hofstra's numbers are equally impressive on the surface, but they are a little more pedestrian if given a little bit more scrutiny. Six of the Pride's 13 games were against teams ranked at the time of the game, according to Hofstra's website. In those six games the Pride surrendered 11.5 goals per game. In Hofstra's seven games against unranked opponents, the Pride gave up just 6.6 goals per game.

Andrew Gvozden has secured the starting goalie spot for the Pride and has a 4-1 record with a 9.06 goals-against average and a 51.4 save percentage. But, over the Pride's last four games he has allowed 42 goals and made just 30 saves for a save percentage of 41.7 and a goals-against average of 10.5.

One thing to never forget is that this Pride team has the talent to play with everyone. As Coach Cottle puts it, "they have Final Four talent." This is a tough match-up for the Terps and they will have to be at the top of their game to advance to next week's quarterfinals at Princeton.

• There will be a lot about the Hofstra game in the game notes, which will be posted to umterps.com on Thursday, but one that stands out is the connection with Hofstra and Maryland through the Bernhardt family. Terp fans know Jake and Jesse Bernhardt are on this year's team, but many won't know that their father, Jim, played lacrosse at Hofstra. In fact, Jim was a midfielder and face-off man on the 1975 Flying Dutchmen team that played the Terps in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Maryland won that game, 19-11, en route to the national championship. That game between the Terps and the Dutchmen still holds the record for most shots taken in an NCAA tournament game - 130! - with the Terps taking 80 of the 130 shots.

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News & Notes:

• Obviously the NCAA tournament selections have been made and the field is set. As with any tournament, there were going to be surprises. The biggest of which had to be that Georgetown, with an RPI of 9th, was left out. Rather than go into all of the whys and why nots here, I'll send you over to Patrick Stevens' D1scourse blog, where he has a plethora of information on the tournament and the selection process, including an interview with selection committee chair Tim Pavlechko.

• Are the Terps ready for a run to the NCAA title? Can Maryland claim its first national championship since 1975? Only time will tell, but one thing that's for sure is that the Terps are battle-tested. Maryland finished the season with the No. 1 strength of schedule, according to LaxPower, based upon the top 10 games played by each team. The top five was rounded out, in order, by: Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Duke and North Carolina.

 

• Maryland has nine players on its roster who have tallied a point in an NCAA tournament game. Leading the way is Grant Catalino with 10 points on seven goals and three assists in four tournament games. Ryan Young is next with seven points on one goal and six assists. But it's not just the offense that brings tournament experience. Brian Phipps has played in four tournament games and has a save percentage of 65.6% in those four games.

• We've been keeping fans updated on where the Terps rank among the NCAA leaders and we're pleased to announce that Maryland finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in caused turnovers per game. The Terps also finished among the top 10 in man-up offense (2nd), groundballs per game (5th), win percentage (5th), scoring margin (7th), assists per game (7th), points per game (9th), scoring offense (10th) and scoring defense (10th).

What might be even more impressive is that Maryland is one of just three teams to finish the regular season and be among the top 10 in both scoring offense and defense. It's probably not a surprise to learn that the other two teams are Virginia and Syracuse.

Individually, Ryan Young and Brian Phipps each finished the season eighth in assists per game and goals-against average, respectively. Grant Catalino finished just outside the top 10 in points per game, coming in at No. 12.

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The Colgate Game:

• This game may have been a homecoming for Ryan Young, since it was played at his high school field at Manhasset High School, but it was Travis Reed that looked right at home, setting career highs with seven points and five goals. Young didn't do too bad either, totaling four points on two goals and two assists.

• Proving that this is more family than team, the Terps decided to break out the "Power in Pink" shooting shirts once again in honor of Maria Young, mother of Ryan, who is battling cancer. Ms. Young showed her support by having "goodie bags" ready for everyone in the travel party when we got back on the bus to head back to College Park. I can't speak for anyone else, but the authentic NY bagel was truly appreciated.

• One thing you can count on when traveling with the Terps is that you will eat and eat well.

After getting to Manhasset and having a short practice at the high school, the team went to lunch with the choices being either Chipotle or the Coliseum Deli. Most of the team took advantage of being on Long Island and chose the Coliseum Deli and the only complaint that could be heard was that guys wished they had longer to look over the menu before they ordered.

Friday night the team headed to Piccola Bussola for a team dinner hosted by former Terp Dave Saunders, who played at Maryland from 1977-81. The team was treated to a four-course meal that started with a choice of Caesar or garden salad. That was followed by perfectly cooked penne pasta topped by a fresh tomato-basil sauce. The main course was a choice between chicken parmigiana, veal marsala or tilapia livornese. I had the chicken and I can tell you that I don't ever remember having better, or more tender, chicken parm that was topped with fresh mozzarella. The meal was topped off with each table receiving a tray of assorted desserts that included tiramisu, cannolis, chocolate cake and fresh fruit.

The post-game tailgate also didn't leave anyone wanting for more. The team parents and Long Island alumni pulled out all of the stops. The Terps were treated to whole boiled lobster, tender beef brisket, hot dogs, hamburgers, various salads and sides and a whole table filled with sweet treats.

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That will wrap things up for this week. Just a friendly reminder that you can keep up with the Maryland men's lacrosse team on Facebook and it's a great way to interact with other Terp fans. Game notes will be posted on Thursday. Set your DVR for that other tournament game being played at noon on Saturday and make your way to College Park, which is a lacrosse fan's only chance to watch live Division I lacrosse in the state of Maryland until Memorial Day weekend. See you at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium on Saturday.