FADEM: Which BU team could win it all?

My best guess is that people assume that year-to-year, the Boston University athletic team that has the best chance of winning a national championship is the men’s hockey team. They’re the only team to have won any national titles in Division-1 athletics for the school.

I know this must be news for some of you, so let me divulge. This school is the proud owner of four national championships ‘-‘- all in hockey. Sure this doesn’t seem like much, but it’s one more than that outhouse on the hill (Boston College) has in total. Comparatively, BU has 96 fewer titles than the outright leader, UCLA.

BU’s four national titles came in 1971, 1972, 1978 and, most recently, in 1995. The last two of these came while Jack Parker was the coach.

So, if you just look at the history, it tends to repeat itself, which is why the men’s hockey team is given the most confidence and the most pressure to perform at the absolute highest level.

This is a great year for the program, and it’s definitely the best I’ve seen a BU hockey team play since I got here. That includes being better than a team with Tom Morrow on it. That’s hard to believe, right?

Despite this, I believe there is another team at BU that has an even better shot at winning it all this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love it if BU had two national champions this year, and I legitimately think the hockey team could win hardware, but I’m banking more on this other team.

Of course, I’m talking about the men’s basketball team. HA! PSYCH! Just kidding.

The team that could do it is the women’s lacrosse team. And it’s not because they’re the hottest looking team on campus (next to the dance team, of course), but because they have the talent and experience to get to the NCAA Tournament and win their way through it.

I know that national championships don’t come like America East titles. It’s a tough thing to capture after a year, sometimes more, of preparation. Let me be real: I don’t really expect to see a BU team win a national championship in my time here. It’s not a common thing. However, it has been 14 years now. It wouldn’t be a shock to see the dry spell end.

The most important player returning to the Terrier team is Sarah Dalton. Dalton was an All-American and the Hot Dog and Jesus Award winner for best female athlete at BU last year. Dalton scored 71 goals in 19 games ‘-‘- almost four a game. With returning goalie Rachel Klein, the team might only need two players ‘-‘- forget the rest.

Actually, don’t forget the rest. I need some eye candy.

The Terriers are losing the enforcer and the leader of last year’s team, Lauren Morton. Beyond that, BU only lost one other senior ‘-‘- midfielder Molly Collins. I can kind of say it’s okay: Molly’s sister, Rachel, returns for another year.

Boston University was picked ninth in Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason poll. They were picked No. 10 in the coaches’ poll. Both of these are a little low if you ask me. BU will play five ranked teams during the season, including conference rival No. 14 UNH.

On top of all this, 10 of the 12 Terrier starters from last year return, including six America East All-Conference selections. There was no doubt that BU would be the preseason No. 1 selection to win the conference.

Coach Liz Robertshaw has never missed the NCAA Tournament, and has won the America East championship every year while coaching at BU. She’s an impressive 64-16, and has gotten this team as high as third in the national polls. She knows how to win (80 percent of the time), and unless something catastrophic happens, it’ll be the same old routine for another year.

Finally, lacrosse has been on the team’s mind the entire year. Do you know how I know this? Because they’ve been at almost as many BU sporting events as I have, trying to sell whatever they can for money.

This money they make is planned to go to a huge trip for the team to play lacrosse in Australia. That’s what they’ve been telling me for a whole semester, at least. I wouldn’t really mind if they’ve been lying to me. With collective looks like theirs, even with the goggles on when they play, how could I possibly be mad?

Regardless of all this, I only see one major obstacle that BU runs into: seven home games to nine on the road. I’m very confident that this won’t stop the Terriers. They can and will win the America East, earning them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They have experience in the tournament, and putting together a very competitive non-conference schedule should benefit them come May.

I have faith and confidence in women’s lacrosse, whose quest for a title begins tomorrow at 4 p.m. on Nickerson Field. And hey, if they can’t do it, there’s always men’s hockey. Or men’s basketball!