#1 Princeton made it to the Final Four after cruising through Marist and Penn State, finding their offensive groove in the second half of both games. The Tigers are the most complete team this year and have shown through two games why they are the favorite to win it.

#2 Notre Dame comes in just behind Princeton as their top threat. They have wins over Jacksonville and Hopkins, and have used transition and phenomenal goalie play to wear down opposing offenses.

#6 Syracuse took down North Carolina over the weekend after their tight win over Yale two weeks ago to make their second straight final four. Syracuse is the most experienced team left in the field, with a deep senior class who now knows what it feels like to lose in the Final Four.

Duke barely made it into the tournament field and are now sitting in the mix at championship weekend. They have played their best lacrosse of the season at the perfect time. They took down Richmond and Georgetown on their way to Charlottesville. Michael Ortleib and Liam Kershis have stepped up to help in a big way offensively and with Maguire can put pressure on opposing offensive units.

All four teams have a player who won some sort of “Player of the Year” award. Duke’s Aidan Maguire won the USILA Player of the Year. Joey Spallina broke Syracuse’s point record this season and in the process won the Turnbull Award for Most Outstanding Attackman. Notre Dame’s Shawn Lyght won the Defensive Player of the Year and Princeton’s goalie Ryan Croddick was a co-winner of the Most Outstanding Goalie award.

Charlottesville, VA and Scott Stadium on the University of Virginia will be the host for the Final Four for the second time (1982).

The weather looks brutal for Memorial Day weekend. Saturday is showing rain with a high of 60 degrees. Monday looks like the rain should clear by late morning and cloudy skies should get the temperature into the low 70s for faceoff. A lot of teams are physically worn down by Memorial Day and you see teams with rest advantages and bigger final four wins have more legs on Monday afternoon. This weekend I expect both games to be relatively close but the weather won’t provide the heat factor.

In terms of rematches, Syracuse has played all three other teams and everyone else has just played Syracuse. Results of those games were a Princeton 11-7 win over Cuse, Notre Dame 16-11 win over Cuse and a Cuse 16-15 win over Duke.

Duke is the first unseeded team to make the Final Four since Towson in 2017. They are one of 11 unseeded teams to make the Semifinals, and could join 7 other unseeded teams with Final appearances. North Carolina in 2016 was the first and only unseeded team to win the National Championship. On the other side, 36 number one seeds have advanced to the National Championship game since 1971 and 22 of them ended up on the winning end. So Duke will have their hands full on Saturday.

Duke vs Princeton (-1.5) – Saturday, 12pm

If Duke wants to have a shot in this one they are going to have to rely on their defense to make stops. A tall task against a Princeton offense that has weapons all over the offensive side of the field. Palumbo and Kabiri are two of the best attackmen in the game and Tucker Wade is the most versatile offensive midfielder to provide offense off the dodge up top.

Numbers wise, the comparison between these two teams is as even as could be. Both score about 14 goals a game and give up 8-9. Both teams faceoff very well so I could see the X not providing an advantage either way. The edge will lie with each teams’ role players to see who can provide a spark. Neither team wants to see the opposing second midfield unit get on the board.

I see this game a bit lower scoring than these teams like to play simply because of the stakes and both teams wanting to value each possession. I think Princeton’s firepower offensively will give them the upper hand in a one goal win. Princeton 11, Duke 10.

Syracuse vs Notre Dame (-2.5) – Saturday, 2:30pm

The Orange sitting at a 2.5 goal underdog on Saturday afternoon may be due to their 16-11 loss just about one month ago. It also could be because Syracuse loves to improvise in the middle of the field, often getting themselves into sticky situations. If they do that on Saturday, the Irish will feast in the open field and in transition like they have done throughout the tournament.

The Notre Dame offense is so well balanced and they really don’t have 1 or 2 guys to slow down. Their midfielders are small but mighty, quick in transition and will make you pay for mistakes. For Syracuse to have success, they need to avoid Notre Dame runs by possessing the ball, staying even at the faceoff x and avoiding turnovers into transition opportunities for ND.

Unless the goalies play out of their minds I don’t see this game settling down like the Duke/Princeton game might. Run and gun is both of these teams’ identities. Like I said earlier, the Syracuse senior class knows what it feels like to lose these games. I am going to stick with my guns from the preseason and go with the Orange. Syracuse 15, Notre Dame 13.

That would make Monday’s National Championship game between Syracuse and Princeton, two of the teams who were thought of as preseason championship contenders. To stick with my gut from January I would be a Cuse fan on Monday, but it will take everything they have to knock off the two hottest teams back to back for their 11th National Championship. Enjoy the last weekend of college lacrosse in 2026!

The post 2026 NCAA Lacrosse Championship Weekend appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

UNC 24, Albany 6

North Carolina raced out to an early lead and didnt look back without Tewaaraton finalist Owen Duffy who was sidelined by a hamstring injury. Dom Pietramala scored an NCAA record 10 goals in the win and UNC is moving on. The Heels did not start Josh Marcus in goal and went through three goalies in Saturday’s game. Notably the defense kept Albany star Silas Richmond without a point.

Penn State 10, Army 6

Complete offensive domination by the Nittany Lions in this one, as they outshot Army 55-29. Sean Byrne had to make 20 saves and Army still was never really close here. Fueled by going 16-20 at the faceoff x, Penn State played make it take it in the third quarter to extend their lead from 6-4 to 10-4. I thought the Army offense could have kept this one closer but they were sloppy early and couldn’t overcome the late deficit.

Hopkins 9, Cornell 8 (OT)

The Jays and Big Red played an instant classic on Saturday evening in Ithaca. The Jays needed OT and a big defensive ground ball at the midline to get the ball back to their offense and into the net. Cornell jumped out to an early first half lead and scored a halftime buzzer beater to make it 6-3. But Hopkins does what they did best all year and grinded out a second half comeback with lock down defense to secure the win. Oran Gelinas did not make a second half save. Cornell had zero shots on goal in the third quarter and Hopkins was able to cut the deficit and take the lead in the fourth quarter. Another defensive stop in OT led to a Jimmy Ayers goal to propel the Jays to the quarterfinals. Coach Peter Milliman won his first game against the team he last coached.

Duke 14, Richmond 12

Behind a record-breaking crowd in Richmond, Duke was able to pull off the upset with a fourth quarter comeback. After leading 7-4 early in the third quarter, Richmond was able to claw back in the game with a couple of crazy plays including a full field heave and Aidan O’Neill third quarter buzzer beater. But After Richmond took a three goal lead in the fourth, Duke relied on stellar defensive midfield play to run down the clock on Richmond possessions and a major faceoff advantage to score five straight late to win it. After barely squeaking into the field, Duke took down the #4 seed behind a huge crowd and will be moving on to the quarterfinals.

Notre Dame 18, Jacksonville 5

Jacksonville had an awesome year and I thought they would be able to keep it close. The Irish proved their dominance via the transition game, lockdown defense and 16 saves from All American Tommy Ricciardelli (7 in the first quarter). Early in the game Jacksonville controlled the ball offensively but couldn’t break through and every defensive stop for ND ended up in a transition goal on the other end. The deficit continued to climb and climb for Jacksonville. In the end the Irish hung their hat on a solid defense and awesome transition play.

Princeton 17, Marist 8

Marist was able to hang around for the first half before Princeton pulled away. The Red Foxes outshot Princeton in the first half and only saw a deficit of 8-4 heading into halftime. The three headed monster at attack for Princeton didn’t like that and came out firing in the second half with an 8-0 third quarter before their day was complete midway through the fourth. The Princeton attack line combined for 12 goals and 8 assists.

Syracuse 16, Yale 15

A back and forth battle in the dome went the way of the Orange after Jimmy McCool made a kick save with under a minute to go to seal this one. This game was tied seven times after 0-0 and included five lead changes. The Yale defense locked in during the second half and only allowed 14 total shots for the Orange. It allowed them to build a third quarter lead and make a late comeback when they saw themselves down 4. Unfortunately McCool had 12 second half saves and his biggest one with under a minute to go and Syracuse will end up with what seems like a home game up in Long Island.

Georgetown 14, Virginia 10

This was the craziest game of the weekend. Virginia looked like they were in cruise control early on, building a 6-3 lead shortly into the second quarter. However after there the wheels fell off offensively. The Hoos turned the ball over 19 times in the final three quarters including a stretch in the fourth quarter with 4 or 5 offensive offsides in a row. Georgetown turned a three-goal deficit into a three goal lead. After Virginia cut it to one, Georgetown scored four straight late to seal it. The defensive duo of Ty Banks and Robert Plath held the Millon brothers to only 2 goals and 4 assists after the duo led the ACC in points during the regular season. Virginia didn’t get their standout game from goalie Jake Marek who finished with 9 saves to Anderson Moore’s 15. They have a tough matchup coming up with Duke but dont sleep on the Hoyas.

Quarterfinals Preview

Four awesome games coming our way this weekend from Hofstra (Saturday) and Delaware (Sunday) equipped with a bunch of interesting storylines and four tickets to Charlottesville for the Final Four.

Hopkins vs Notre Dame – Saturday, 12pm

Hopkins has not made a Final Four since 2015.

Notre Dame (5th) and Hopkins (17th) both rank in the top-20 defensively, giving up under 10 goals per game.

Hopkins senior captain Quentin Kilrain is expected to be out again for Hopkins. In his absence Luke Martin caused five turnovers and scooped up the game winning ground ball in OT

Next man up for Notre Dame. 14 players recorded a point for Notre Dame in the first round. Luke Miller had five goals. They have one player with 40+ points this season. Who will step up Saturday?

Pick: Notre Dame 9, Hopkins 8

Syracuse vs North Carolina – Saturday, 2:30pm

Third meeting between Syracuse and UNC this season. UNC is 2-0 with wins 14-9 and 12-10.

Owen Duffy is reported to have a hamstring injury and it is uncertain if he will play.

Syracuse is undefeated at home this season and 4-5 on the road. With a large contingency of players from Long Island, this may have a home atmosphere for Syracuse.

Syracuse won their quarterfinal matchup last season 19-18 against Princeton at Hofstra.

UNC started senior Kent Goode in cage against Albany, benching freshman Josh Marcus.

Pick: Syracuse 13, UNC 11

Penn State vs Princeton, Sunday 12pm

Penn State is looking to advance to its third final four in four seasons; Princeton hasn’t been to the final four since 2022.

Princeton is 3rd in the nation in scoring offense while Penn State sits at 7th in the nation in scoring defense.

Matchups to watch: Nate Kabiri vs Alex Ross and Hunter Aquino vs Jack Stahl.

Extra possessions: Penn State ranks fifth in the nation in faceoff win percentage. A big reason they won against Army.

Pick: Princeton 14, Penn State 9

Duke vs Georgetown, Sunday 2:30pm

The winner of this game will be the first unranked team to make the Final Four since Towson in 2017.

Duke has not made the Final Four since 2023 when they advanced to the championship game due to a controversial call that introduced instant replay to college lacrosse.

Cal Girard gave Duke a big advantage at the faceoff x against Richmond, winning 21 of 27. Georgetown ranks 60th of 75 nationally at the x.

Georgetown is currently on a 8 game winning streak after starting the season 3-4.

Will Duke send Aidan McGuire down low to match up with one of the Connor brothers?

Pick: Duke 13, Georgetown 12

Next week the Final Four will be set. Memorial Day weekend is almost here. Enjoy the games this weekend!

The post First Round Review, Quarterfinal Preview appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The preseason #1 ranked team in Maryland is out of the tournament. My other preseason frontrunner in Syracuse has looked up and down all season and is sitting at the #6 seed. The only team in the nation who has lost 1 game is #4 Richmond. They lost to #3 Notre Dame who has two losses all year, both to #5 Virginia. The most complete team at this moment is the #1 overall seed Princeton, who had two losses all year both to tournament teams. They have already avenged their first loss by dominating Cornell in the Ivy League Championship and could take on their other loss Penn State in the quarterfinals.

If you missed the action this past weekend, there were a few bits of chaos to report on.

The #4 seed in the ACC in Virginia went on and won the ACC Championship, and it wasn’t necessarily close. Jake Marek looked dominant in the cage for the Cavaliers and be on the lookout for Virginia if they can get this kind of goalie play next week.

Two #1 seeds went down in their championship game on Saturday. Siena (MAAC) got out to a slow start and saw Marist take home the MAAC crown, while Towson (CAA) also came out slow and couldn’t claw back in time in a loss to Stony Brook.

Penn State and Princeton put on dominant performances to win the Big Ten and Ivy League. After suffocating Maryland on Thursday night, Penn State went out and dropped the offensive hammer on Hopkins. Princeton did somewhat of the same, gutting through a semifinal win over Yale and then went out and dominated Cornell on Sunday to win the championship.

And so there we have it, the bracket is set. 18 teams remain and it will take 17 games to decide the 2026 National Champion. Without further ado, the bracket.

1. Princeton vs Marist/Stony Brook
8. Penn State vs Army

5. Virginia vs Georgetown
4. Richmond vs Duke

6. Syracuse vs Yale
3. North Carolina vs Albany

7. Cornell vs Hopkins
2. Notre Dame vs Robert Morris/Jacksonville

Printable bracket for those who like the pen and paper method linked here. Let’s get into the games.

Albany @ #3 North Carolina – Saturday, 12pm

North Carolina sits as a heavy favorite but don’t discount the Great Danes who have pros across their roster including Silas Richmond on offense. The past two weeks have not been kind to UNC and they have had up and down goalie play lately. Duffy and Pietramala are banged up which could lead to a slow pace in this one which would favor Albany. The x factor is Brady Wambach, who could steal a ton of possessions for the Heels. Don’t overthink it, give me UNC 15-8.

Army @ #8 Penn State – Saturday, 2:30pm

The question for me in this game is which Penn State team will show up? The one who dragged out a win over Maryland in the Big Ten semis or the one who rolled offensively over Hopkins in the Big Ten championship. Army has a tendency to drag teams into the mud with them. That being said the Army offense can and will get to the goal. If Army can keep the cap on Hunter Aquino they can upset the Nittany Lions. Army 10-9.

Hopkins @ #7 Cornell – Saturday, 5pm

Two storied programs will go at it in Ithaca for the first time in 39 years after both getting blown out in their conference championship game. After losing CJ Kirst, Cornell surprised me by staying competitive this year. Led by Ryan Goldstein and Tewaaraton finalist Willem Firth, their offense lacks a big physical dodger they had last year, but these two have a connection unlike anyone else in the country. Hopkins on the other hand hasn’t really impressed me this year. Their biggest win was a Penn State choke job. Their best dodger is a midfielder and their best attackman is a catch and shoot guy. If you stop Collison and Chauvette you will beat Hopkins. I also have concerns with goalie Oran Gelinas whos had a few very cold streaks. Give me Cornell 14-9.

Duke @ #4 Richmond – Saturday, 7:30pm

Duke has snuck into the tournament after their win over UNC a couple weeks ago and lots of help. That being said they haven’t played in almost 2 weeks. Can they stay hot? They have the talent to play with anyone in the country. Robbins Stadium under the lights should be quite the environment on Saturday night. Richmond also has the talent all over the field so I expect this to be a close game. I think this thriller goes to Duke, 14-13.

Jacksonville @ #2 Notre Dame – Sunday, 12pm

Outside of their 16-10 loss to Duke, Jacksonville lost four other games this season (Rutgers, UNC, Navy, Utah) by a combined four goals. Warning for Irish fans, Jacksonville can hang with Notre Dame and they will. Attackman Jack Taylor leads the nation in points and that matchup with Shawn Lyght will be must watch. Jacksonville faces off very well and saves the ball very well. The Irish offense concerns me because of how balanced they are. There really isn’t a #1 option for them so they need to hope a midfielder steps up to contribute with Yago, Miller and Behrman at attack. Notre Dame 10-7.

Marist @ #1 Princeton – Sunday, 2:30pm

The Red Foxes are moving on after taking down Stony Brook on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, they will take on the most complete team in the field. Princeton has studs all over the field and at every position. Nate Kabiri and Chad Palumbo are dangerous on the offensive

end. Andrew McMeekin is one of the top faceoff men in the country. Jack Stahl and Ryan Croddick hold it down defensively. A loss before the final four is a failure of a season for Princeton, who should have national championship aspirations. They are my pick to win it all. Princeton rolls here 19-6.

Yale @ #6 Syracuse – Sunday, 5pm

Syracuse is undefeated in the dome this season but have looked all sorts of off the past few weeks. Jimmy McCool is streaky in the cage and to the untrained eye looks like he is guessing on shots more times than not. This Yale team can put up a fight and showed they mean business in a close loss to Princeton last weekend. The Syracuse senior class has been everywhere except the National Championship game and I think the experience here will push them through. Joey Spallina and this senior class will not let the ship go down in the first round. Syracuse 14-11.

Georgetown @ #5 Virginia – Sunday, 7:30pm

The committee saved the best for last in my opinion. Everyone knows about the Millon brothers on Virginia’s offense. The question is if they also know about Ty Banks and Robert Plath who have been two of the best defensemen in the country all season. Georgetown cruised through the Big East and is flying under the radar. Virginia is the nation’s hottest team. If the Virginia defense can hold up against the Connor brothers and Jake Marek has another good game in the goal, Virginia moves on. In a close one, Virginia 13-12.

I have my final four as Princeton, Virginia, Cornell and Syracuse, with Princeton over Syracuse 14-12 in the National Championship. Either way, I know this tournament will produce some chaos. In a year as wide open as ever I feel foolish for picking the #1 seed. Princeton and Syracuse are the most complete teams, even though they haven’t played like it all season. Seventeen games to go this season, enjoy!

The post NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Preview appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

End of Regular Season Top 20:

1. Notre Dame
2. Princeton
3. Richmond
4. Syracuse
5. Cornell
6. UNC
7. Virginia
8. Hopkins
9. Georgetown
10. Duke
11. Maryland
12. Army
13. Penn State
14. Yale
15. Harvard
16. Towson
17. Ohio State
18. Loyola
19. Jacksonville
20. Rutgers

Bracketology

A lot of discourse has been tossed around the past week or so regarding a few teams sitting on the bubble. The top-20 is generally weaker this year than in previous years. In my opinion there are four teams as true “contenders”, a couple of teams with Cinderella potential, and then a bunch of junk that may lead to lopsided first round games.

The three teams on the forefront of everyone’s minds are Duke, Penn State and Maryland. All three have some good wins and bad losses. After Duke’s blowout of UNC this past weekend they jumped all the way to #8 in RPI. Penn State is down to #15 and Maryland sits right in the middle. Duke’s season is over. Maryland and Penn State play on Thursday in what some believe to be a play-in game. Let’s get into the prediction. Assume for the automatic qualifiers that the highest RPI is used.

1. Notre Dame vs Albany/Siena
8. Virginia vs Duke

4. Syracuse vs Army
5. Richmond vs Georgetown

3. North Carolina vs Towson
6. Cornell vs Maryland

2. Princeton vs Jacksonville/RMU
7. Hopkins vs Harvard

First Two Out: Penn State, Yale

I think the committee will value Duke’s recent victory over UNC and RPI ranking and give them the last spot. Penn State does have five top-20 wins but only 1 (same as Duke) in the top-5. The strength of the 11-20 teams is weaker than in past years so I don’t see much in those wins. Things could switch this week after the games are played.

America East – Semifinals Thursday, Final Saturday

Vermont vs Bryant (+1.5)
UMBC vs Albany (-3.5)

Silas Richmond isnt going to squander his last chance to make a NCAA tournament especially as the host of their conference tournament. Albany is also undefeated in conference with their closest win a 3-goal defeat of UMBC. My pick: Albany

ACC – Semifinals Friday, Final Sunday

Virginia vs Notre Dame (-2.5)
Syracuse vs UNC (-1.5)

Two very intriguing matchups in a league that could get all five teams in the big dance. Notre Dame’s only blemish this season is to Virginia back in March. Syracuse didn’t have any close games to the other three teams, losing handily to ND and UNC and beating Virginia by a few. Notre Dame has been the best team so far this season but the best team usually doesn’t win here. My pick: UNC

Atlantic Sun – Semifinals Friday, Final Sunday

Mercer vs Jacksonville (-9.5)
Air Force vs Utah (-2.5)

A three-way tie atop the ASUN between Air Force, Utah and Jacksonville gives us a rematch of an OT win for AF over Utah this past weekend. Can lightning strike the same spot twice? I think the two better teams in Utah/Jacksonville will meet on Sunday for the championship. My pick: Jacksonville

A-10 – Semifinals Thursday, Final Saturday

UMass vs Richmond (-8.5)
St. Joes vs High Point (+2.5)

At this point, the AQ is all Richmond. The Spiders have enjoyed their best season in program history and roll into the postseason ranked #3. Richmond fans should expect nothing less than a final four. High Point should be a pesky underdog to St. Joes and could make the upset run. They already have a win over St. Joes this season. My pick: Richmond

Big East – Semifinals Thursday, Final Saturday

Denver vs Georgetown (-3.5)
Villanova vs Providence (+1.5)

Georgetown is another runaway in the Big East, who couldn’t find a team on the same level as the Hoyas this spring. Georgetown has put together a solid second half of the season and could be a dark horse team to get rolling down the stretch. My pick: Georgetown

Big Ten – Semifinals Thursday, Final Saturday

Hopkins vs Michigan (+1.5)
Maryland vs Penn St (-1.5)

A lot at stake here so let’s get the first game out the way. Hopkins could lose their first round home game. Michigan has been hot in May lately and needs to win out to make the tournament. Onto Maryland/Penn State which I have as a play-in game. The loser should be out but I think Maryland will have an argument still if they lose. The Big Ten was not strong this year and all of these teams have simply lost too many games. My pick: Maryland

CAA – Semifinals Thursday, Final Saturday

Monmouth vs Towson (-7.5)
Drexel vs Stony Brook (+2.5)

Towson has dominated CAA play this season and have been bouncing around the bottom of the rankings. Mikey Weishaar was selected very high in the PLL draft. Drexel should be hanging around on Saturday to challenge the Tigers but Towson has a fun, fast, solid squad this year. I could see them taking a top seed to the wire in a couple weeks. My pick: Towson

Ivy League – Semifinals Friday, Final Sunday

Harvard vs Cornell (-2.5)
Yale vs Princeton (-4.5)

Do not count out the underdogs here. The Ivy League has shown to have some parity this season with both Harvard and Yale having some big OOC and in conference wins. Princeton and Cornell are locks for the tournament, maybe even a home first round game. Harvard and Yale are sitting on the bubble with Penn State, Maryland and Duke. My pick: Princeton

MAAC – Semifinals Thursday, Final Saturday

Merrimack vs Siena (-6.5)
Sacred Heart vs Marist (+1.5)

Merrimack snuck into the field with their play in win, and now has to face undefeated Siena who is playing for their late coach, Liam Gleason. Sacred Heart is favored as the #3 seed and will look to play upset to the favored Siena Saints. My pick: Siena

NEC – Semifinals Thursday, Final Saturday

VMI vs Robert Morris (-6.5)
Cleveland State vs LIU (-3.5)

Robert Morris ran through this league in the spring and they have not lost since mid-February. Their closest win was four goals. I think LIU can hang tougher with a championship on the line. Give me the Sharks to keep it close. My pick: Robert Morris

Patriot – Semifinals Friday, Final Sunday

Lehigh vs Army (-3.5)
Colgate vs Loyola (-1.5)

The league of utter chaos saw both road teams pick up quarterfinal wins last night in OT. Army has wins already over the rest of the field. They are the most experienced team left and have professional talent all over the field. I am intrigued to see the young Loyola team fight this weekend but dont think it will be enough.  My pick: Army

The final spots in the 18-team bracket will be set this Sunday during the selection show. We are on to playoff lacrosse in 2026.

These are the best few weeks of the season for lacrosse fans. Enjoy!

The post Conference Championships Preview appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Despite it being the last weekend of the regular season there is still a lot to be settled in each conference. A few top seeds up for grabs and more teams clinging to hopes of making the big dance.

Let me quickly run through the highlights from this past weekend and my updated rankings before getting into each conference and what is yet to come.

April 22nd Top 20

1. Notre Dame

2. Princeton

3. UNC

4. Syracuse

5. Richmond

6. Cornell

7. Ohio State

8. Virginia

9. Hopkins

10. Georgetown

11. Army

12. Maryland

13. Yale

14. Harvard

15. Penn State

16. Duke

17. Towson

18. Utah

19. Loyola

20. Rutgers

Ohio State 9-8 over Michigan. One of four (Hop, MD, PSU) to claim Big Ten regular season title. Ohio State won with under five seconds left on Friday night.

Hopkins 9-8 over Maryland. Jays grit out a win on Saturday at Homewood due to Gelinas’ 14 saves.

Princeton 15-14 over Harvard. Cambridge might be the toughest place to play in the country. Harvard has been struggling lately and need to win one down the stretch.

UNC 16-15 over UVA. Heels almost blew a late lead as Virginia scored with :01 to tie it.

Notre Dame 7-6 over Duke. Defensive battle in Durham with a couple of goalies playing very well. Duke comeback was too little too late.

Syracuse 14-7 over Colgate. Joey Spallina broke all time points record at Syracuse, passing Mikey Powell.

Lets fly under the radar with Georgetown and Cornell. Both of which have been overlooked multiple times this year, but down the stretch have been solid. Teams that can win in April are teams that you can trust in May.

Ill update my bracket prediction next week once the conference tournament fields are set. There is still a bit of work for some teams to get done this coming weekend. Let’s quickly run through each conference.

America East

All four teams are locked in. Albany is the top seed. UMBC, Bryant and Vermont all have two conference losses and will battle for seeding this weekend.

ACC

Duke has been eliminated from contention which most likely means their season is over. Notre Dame, UNC and Syracuse all sit at 2-1 and can take the top spot, however Notre Dame controls their destiny there. Virginia is also in.

Atlantic Sun

Utah, Air Force and Jacksonville are alive for the top spot and Mercer is also in. There are some tiebreaker scenarios for this weekend if Air Force and Jacksonville both win. This would put three teams at 4-1 in conference and give the #1 seed to Jacksonville based on goal differential between the tied teams.

A-10

Richmond-High Point this weekend for the #1/#2 seeds. The Spiders are currently a 7.5 goal favorite. Umass and St. Joes will round out the field next week in Richmond.

Big East

Like I said earlier, Georgetown is quietly rolling along right now. They will have their biggest game in a while Saturday against Villanova for the 1 seed. Providence is hosting this year and they will be in, sitting at 2-2 right now. Denver has been struggling so far in the conference season and plays Marquette for the final spot. Denver is favored by 4.5 on Friday night.

Big Ten

These guys are already into the conference tournament with all six teams getting in. Four teams tied atop the Big Ten this year, but Hopkins came away with the tiebreakers and 1 seed. Penn State received the other bye. Ohio State has a rematch with arch rival Michigan this weekend while Rutgers “hosts” Maryland.

CAA

The CAA is tricky when it gets down to it. Towson (1), Drexel (2) and Stony Brook (3) are all locked in. The 4 seed could be a three way tie between Fairfield, Hofstra and Monmouth. Here’s how that shakes out: Monmouth win and in vs Fairfield. Monmouth loss and Hofstra win, Hofstra in. Hofstra and Monmouth losses means a three way tie which goes to goal differential. Long story short the goal differential will probably go to Hofstra.

Ivy League

Cornell hosts and is the #1 seed with a win over Harvard. If Harvard wins then Princeton is the #1. Yale and Penn are battling it out for the last spot in the tournament. Both also are squarely on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. A couple of additional games (and maybe a win) could help their cases.

MAAC

A weird format with five teams making the tournament and a play in game on Thursday. Siena and Marist have clinched semifinal spots. Quinnipiac has a fast track to the last bye into the semifinals, only needing to win against Manhattan. Sacred Heart has dropped three straight after starting 10-0 and Merrimack will likely join them in the play in game.

NEC

Robert Morris will host LIU and Cleveland State. VMI, Wagner and Detroit are still alive and if VMI are to beat Detroit they are in. A loss brings into question tiebreakers.

Patriot

Save the best for last or it may have just been alphabetical order. Pretty much every team has beaten each other in the Patriot League. Army, Boston U and Loyola are all 5-2 and have a chance to host the tournament. All three beat each other in the regular season. The tiebreaker scenarios are a mouthful so let’s just leave it at all three should want to win this weekend and all need help to host the tournament. Colgate has also clinched a spot and Bucknell, Lehigh and Navy remain alive. Expect mayhem on CBS Sports Network.

Folks we are almost there. Selection Sunday is near and the games are higher stakes. Seasons will end this weekend and for others it will continue. Enjoy the weekend of lacrosse. The field will shrink this time next week.

The post The End of the Regular Season is Here appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

It is a long season and we still have a full month until selection Sunday. Teams still CAN bounce back from April conference losses. We will run through the results but first lets update the Top 20. A lot of movement in the Top 10 this week including another new #1.

1. UNC
2. Princeton
3. Notre Dame
4. Syracuse
5. Richmond
6. Harvard
7. Maryland
8. Virginia
9. Cornell
10. Hopkins
11. Penn State
12. Duke
13. Georgetown
14. Ohio State
15. Army
16. Towson
17. Yale
18. Penn
19. Rutgers
20. Loyola

North Carolina jumps up to #1 in the rankings after their beat down of Syracuse. The UNC offense jumped all over Syracuse in the middle part of the game and Brady Wambach provided them with make it take it lacrosse all afternoon. Cuse didn’t get great goalie play out of Jimmy McCool and their offense was stagnant. North Carolina is a clear front-runner right now to make Championship weekend.

Notre Dame got out to an 8-0 lead over Richmond in Chicago over the weekend and didn’t look back. It was an unexpected beat down in my eyes. I really thought Richmond would be able to hang and maybe even take down Notre Dame. They will have to survive through the A-10 schedule and hope nothing crazy happens in the conference tournament. Meanwhile the Irish pick up a must needed non-conference win before going back to a crowded ACC.

Speaking of the ACC, Virginia and Duke flip flopped after the Hoos took it to Duke in Durham. After starting the season undefeated, Duke has lost two straight and have three ACC games to finish the season. They are on the bubble now and on the verge of missing the tournament if they don’t pick up multiple wins–and they will not be favored to win any games. Meanwhile, Virginia’s season has done a complete 180. Their defense and goalie play has improved dramatically and it allows the nation to see the real power of their offense. Brendan Millon is a star and he has shown it over the past few games. The freshman is second to his brother on the team in points (McCabe 54, Brendan 53). Virginia was unranked a couple of weeks ago, they now sit at #8.

Lets head over to the Big Ten, a conference that is up for grabs this year. All six teams have a conference loss after Penn State blew a 9-3 lead on the road at Homewood. Hopkins left no doubt who wanted it more after a slow start. Maryland senior defensemen Riley Reese turned into a crease attackman on Saturday night in overtime to beat Ohio State and Rutgers saw a second half Easter Sunday lead vanish in Ann Arbor.

Elsewhere around the country Loyola and Army took big steps forward in the Patriot League, taking down the #3 and #4 teams by decent margins. Loyola jumped out to a 11-1 lead at halftime over Boston U. Mason Cook continues to impress, he had 6 goals Saturday. Army was up 7-2 over Bucknell at halftime on Saturday as well. The Patriot League will be a 1-bid league this spring. Navy is lurking in the Patriot League, could see them making a run as well.

Cornell took it to Penn in Philly. Harvard narrowly beat Brown. Yale hung 18 on Dartmouth in a win. The Ivy League should get at least three teams in the tournament, but what Yale and Penn do down the stretch could increase that number. Both remain on the bubble.

Bracketology Update

1. UNC vs Albany/Siena
8. Virginia vs Maryland

2. Princeton vs Utah/Robert Morris
7. Harvard vs Cornell

3. Notre Dame vs Army
6. Hopkins vs Georgetown

4. Syracuse vs Towson
5. Richmond vs Penn State

Bubble: Duke, Rutgers, Ohio State, Penn

I’ll make updates to this as we continue through April and towards selection Sunday on May 5. Seems like a good time to remind the readers that this is going to get flipped upside down in a couple weeks. There are a lot of awesome conference matchups this weekend and the rest of the spring.

This Saturday’s slate starts with Hopkins at Ohio State. The Buckeyes season is hanging on by a thread. The thread is having a good defense/goalie. Their offense stinks and the loss of Russell Melendez tells me its going to be tough to see Ohio St make any noise in May. Hopkins however is coming off a big win at home and would love to stack another one. They are rising up the polls and have a good hold on RPI with their tough OOC schedule. Staying in the Big Ten Maryland has looked like Maryland of old the past few weeks. They have grinded out tough, low scoring wins. Rutgers just suffered a bad loss to Michigan and needs to bounce back. I think the Terps will shut down Rutgers offense again this weekend. John Tillman has his team looking dangerous heading into the spring.

Two conference championship previews this weekend as Sacred Heart travels to Siena to preview the MAAC championship. Both teams have been impressive so far this season, but Siena will have to play without star attackman Patrick Radomski. Utah makes the cross-country trek to conference foe Jacksonville. Both of these squads have been teetering on the edge of the rankings all season and have a handful of losses to ranked teams. Should be a good one in the Florida sun.

Two Ivy teams who would love a win this weekend are: Penn who is at Princeton and Yale who hosts Harvard. Either one of these two underdogs winning would flip the Ivy League on its head going into the last few games. Duke and Cornell play a rare April non-conference neutral site game. At this point Duke needs simply one win. They are out if they continue to lose. Defensively the Blue Devils have looked flawed and Cornell has begun to hit their stride offensively.

America’s game takes to the lacrosse field when Navy travels to Army. The Black Knights were top-5 to start the year and now sit on the edge of the rankings. I expect this to be a close game. Navy has looked like an offensive juggernaut lately. The Patriot League is up for grabs this year, and the winner of this game will make a statement across the conference.

Finishing this weekend’s preview with the ACC. Virginia is red-hot heading into the dome. Syracuse’s stagnant offense and lackluster goalie play last week are worrisome. Virginia will get up and down the field and so will Cuse. John Mullen will need to control the possession game for Syracuse and create offense through winning faceoffs. This has the makings to be a tight game. I side with the experienced Syracuse roster, but I think Virginia could test them if they get to Jimmy McCool early and get a solid outing from goalie Jake Marek.

North Carolina also takes their red-hot team out to South Bend this Saturday. Nobody in the country is playing better than UNC right now, led by Brady Wambach who leads the nation in faceoff win percentage and the two-headed monster in Dom Pietramala and Owen Duffy at attack. Getting to play make it take it lacrosse and handing it to those two

is dangerous. I can’t wait to see the matchup between Duffy and Shawn Lyght. On the other end, Notre Dame played really fast last weekend against Richmond. Curious to see how they adjust against UNC given they may expect to be playing a lot of defense in this one. When they slow down their offense, I think that is when they begin to struggle. On paper, this seems like a good one but I give UNC the edge.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy another beautiful weekend of college lacrosse!

The post April Begins in College Lacrosse – 1 Month Until Selection Sunday appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

My two two preseason teams in Syracuse and Maryland were coming off losses and teams coming out of left field were sitting in the top-5 in Richmond and Harvard. A Notre Dame team that had questions without any Kavanaghs had just beaten Georgetown and looked powerful. Duke and UNC were unbeaten (and Duke still is). Needless to say, things have changed quite a bit since then. I have a pretty good hunch at who I think we may see in late May.

First, I want to give some props to the newest #1 team, the Richmond Spiders, who is in the top spot for the first time in program history. The Spiders are unblemished so far to start the season but face their toughest test this coming weekend, in Chicago against #6 Notre Dame.

UNC and Syracuse have bounced back into the top-5 after dropping down a bit earlier this month. Duke follows Syracuse after losing by just one this past weekend in an awesome ACC matchup. Princeton jumps back into the top-5 after their win over Brown.

Notre Dame dropped after losing in Charlottesville to Virginia who is back in the poll. Did not think anyone had Harvard losing by double digits to UNC over the weekend. Rutgers is up and Hopkins is down after a double OT win by the Scarlet Knights. To round out the big changes in this week’s poll Ohio State took quite the L to Penn State, losing at home after an underwhelming offensive performance. Let’s get into the rest of the rankings.

1. Richmond
2. UNC
3. Syracuse
4. Duke
5. Princeton
6. Notre Dame
7. Harvard
8. Penn State
9. Maryland
10. Georgetown
11. Rutgers
12. Cornell
13. Ohio State
14. Army
15. Virginia
16. Hopkins
17. Towson
18. Penn
19. Utah
20. Denver

Another thing about March ending is that the poll begins to mean less and less and folks start to look at RPI, which is the main metric that the selection committee will use to create the NCAA Tournament field in less than five weeks. Currently the RPI favors (you guessed it) the Ivy League, ACC and Big Ten with eight of the top-9 teams and twelve of the top-15. Richmond, Army and Georgetown round out the Top 15.

You can find the rest of the D1 RPI here.

Bracketology in NCAA Lacrosse is interesting to put together, with some weird quirks that come into creating the bracket. First off the committee tries their hardest to match up first round games by geography as to not incur so many travel costs because the first round games are at campus sites. This often pigeonholes teams to a couple different options for first round games. We see conference champions from New York visit Syracuse or Cornell. Same goes with teams like Denver and Notre Dame staying as west as possible for first round games.

Next is the amount of teams that get an AQ into the tournament by winning their conference. 10 of the 18 teams selected are conference champions. This really limits the amount of at-large bids given each year considering the special circumstances regarding the ACC. Since the ACC only has five teams they are not given a conference AQ, therefore the strongest conference in the sport taking up at least half of the at-large bids.

With four ACC teams in the Top 6, at this point they are all but guaranteed an at-large. The fun part comes when the conference tournaments start to wrap up and you get an eye at potential bid-stealers. The eyes this year are on the A-10 (Richmond), Patriot (Army), Big-East (Georgetown). All three of those teams are expected to win their conference, and are currently in a spot where a good next month puts them in a good position for an at-large. If they end up losing their conference and someone else gets the AQ, they would go into the pool of at-large bids with the ACC and others, giving the committee a tough decision to make.

That is where the confusion of bracketology comes into play. Just because Richmond is #1 in the polls does not mean they will be the #1 overall seed today or even in May. Below is my first look at what the tournament field might look like in a few weeks.

1. UNC vs Robert Morris/Sacred Heart
8. Georgetown vs Notre Dame

5. Duke vs Rutgers
4. Syracuse vs Hopkins

3. Richmond vs Towson
6. Harvard vs Army

7. Penn State vs Cornell
2. Princeton vs Utah/Albany

Bubble: Rutgers, BU, Virginia, Penn

Of course, take this with a grain of salt as a lot will change between now and selection Sunday on 5/3. With only five weekends left before the tournament, I want to mention a few teams on my final four radar.

I have really liked what a few teams have been doing on the field lately. You might think this is simply a reaction to a few of the games last weekend, but to be in the mix for a Final Four in my opinion you have to start hitting your stride around now. The setup for a May run starts in late March and early April. Sometimes you see teams get hot in their conference playoffs but a lot of those teams fade in the tournament. Right now my eyes are on UNC, Princeton, Syracuse, Duke and Penn State. If I were a betting man I would pick three of those five to play in Charlottesville in the Final Four. In next week’s article, I will go a little more in depth into these five and maybe add a sleeper team or two.

There is a lot to watch for this coming weekend. Going to rapid fire through the big games coming up that have some implications.

Top four Big East teams in action against each other this weekend. Georgetown @ Providence and Denver @ Villanova. The Hoyas are favorites here but I have the Big East still wide open.

Four weeks left for Yale and Dartmouth to make a move in the Ivy. This weekend’s game is pretty much a loser leaves town game.

Cornell travels to Philly to play Penn. I slightly believe in both of these teams and after Cornell’s upset of Princeton two weeks ago, it makes me think one of these two will play for the Ivy League championship. Lean Cornell here but expect a dogfight.

Sacred Heart is 10-0. Their worthy competitor in the MAAC is Siena who they play in two weeks.

Boston in Baltimore to take on Loyola. The Patriot League is also wide open with a number of teams who could win that league. One bid league this year.

Rutgers has a big game in Ann Arbor Sunday. With them sitting on the bubble, they need to avoid the upset and pick up another quality win to vault into one of the last teams in.

Lots of ranked on ranked matchups. People are low on Duke coming into the ACC slate after playing nobodies. They lost their first game to Syracuse last weekend by 1 and now host a hot Virginia team who is looking to make some bubble noise.

Syracuse and UNC is my game of the week. This might be our National Championship preview unless Princeton or Richmond has something to say. If you like offense and goals, tune into this one on Saturday at 2pm (ESPNU).

The struggling Big Ten offenses in Hopkins and Ohio State are going up against two surging Big Ten teams in Penn State and Maryland. I am not too sure what to think of the Big Ten and their high RPIs but I do not like sluggish offenses in April.

Notre Dame “hosts” Richmond from Northwestern on Saturday afternoon. Chicago faithful will have their dark blue and gold on as they welcome the #1 team in the country. The Irish are the biggest thing standing in the way of Richmond and a perfect regular season. This Spider team has weapons all over the field. Notre Dame has to play a perfect game to win this one. I am siding with Richmond here.

Lots of games on linear cable this coming weekend. Tell your local bartender to put on ESPNU, Big Ten Network, ACC Network or CBSSN this weekend and do your part to grow the game. Enjoy the weekend!

The post College Lacrosse March Wrap Up appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

I have 11 teams with a legit shot to win the national championship. I usually believe in four or five. The depth of the country this spring is crazy. I am not sure if it’s related too much to the transfer portal or the fact that different schools are starting to invest more in lacrosse. Either way from the fan’s perspective there cant be a better time to be a fan of college lacrosse, or get into college lacrosse.

Early March Top 20 Poll

1. Princeton

2. Notre Dame

3. Richmond

4. Harvard

5. UNC

6. Duke

7. Ohio State

8. Syracuse

9. Penn State

10. Maryland

11. Georgetown

12. Johns Hopkins

13. Penn

14. Cornell

15. Army

16. Denver

17. St. Josephs

18. Rutgers

19. Jacksonville

20. Utah

Navy was in the poll a couple of weeks ago. They took down Jacksonville on Tuesday night in an awesome game that came down to a pole goal from Sean Gallagher to win it. The Phins havent beat a top team yet (Navy has a win over Penn St) but have played their tough schedule tight. Utah is a team that can have anyone on upset alert.

The Inside Lacrosse poll has seen up to 6 teams receive first place votes so far this season. I have had a different #1 ranked team each week so far. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another team at the #1 spot when my next article comes out.

Richmond is sniffing around their first ever #1 ranking and after graduating a lot on the defensive end they look like even more of a contender in 2026. Wins over Cornell and Georgetown show me their spot in the top five isn’t a fluke. They have experience in the quarterfinals from last season. I wouldn’t want to play the Spiders in May.

Harvard is also in the midst of their best season of all time. The Crimson also graduated a lot of talent (Sam King) but are getting a lot of young guys to step up. Can’t wait to watch them go up against Princeton later this year. The Ivy begins league play this coming weekend. Penn has a big test with Harvard to prove to a lot of people they belong in conversations about the postseason.

Virginia in a rough spot but the ACC is as deep as ever. The Hoos got blown out at home against a mediocre Towson team over the weekend. Seems like Lars Tiffany is going to need to make some adjustments fast or else his time in Charlottesville is winding down.

Notre Dame continues to impress me week in and week out. They just took down Maryland and Ohio State in back to back weeks on the road. The Irish have a top tier defense and their offense is able to keep them in games without a Kavanagh on the roster.

UNC really impressed me in last weekend’s doubleheader at Penn and Princeton. After beating a tough Penn team on Friday night, they hung in a game with Princeton where the Tiger goalie had 25 saves. UNC dominated most of the game but ran into a hot goalie.

A lot of people are talking about how Maryland has a goalie problem and should move on from Brian Ruppell. I see it more as a down year for the Maryland offense, which looks broken at some points so far this season. Eric Spanos has not stepped up as the primary dodger or ball handler, and neither has anyone else. I think this weekend’s Maryland/Virginia game might put the nail in the coffin in my mind for the loser. A loss in this one is not ideal.

The Patriot League is deep. Obviously have already talked about Navy above. But Lafayette just won their biggest conference game in program history, taking down Army on Friday night led by their goalie who had an awesome night. Loyola has won four in a row and their young offense has some experience now. Boston U is on the edge of my rankings as well. They’ve won a couple of big games over Navy and Dartmouth. Patriot League play continues this weekend with a couple of big games on the card including Army/Boston U. I would expect Army to bounce back from their loss last Friday but Boston is another team with a dangerous offense and goalie who can win them games.

The increase this year in neutral site games has been cool to see, with Corrigan Sports leading the way. Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte have all gotten top tier games so far this year. Baltimore will see some neutral site games and so will Long Island. It has been years since the last early season premier neutral site event (think Face-Off Classic or Big City Classic) and I hope we see something like that pop up again. The event at Audi Field a few years ago was cool too. For now it is cool to see lacrosse growing enough in non-hot bed areas to have big name programs play there. #5 North Carolina and #9 Penn State play this weekend in Charlotte in a game that will be won in the trenches. Penn State has one of the best faceoff men in the nation so may dominate possession. Their sub-par goalie play is not ideal for a UNC offense that will put up 50+ shots.

For all of you Division 3 fans out there, the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic is this weekend at Stevenson University. In terms of neutral site games this is the best collection of them the sport has to offer. Friday and Saturday at Stevenson some of the top division 3 teams will be playing straight through from 11:30am to 10pm.

The teams that will be there this year include #1 Tufts, #2 Christopher Newport, #4 Lynchburg, #8 Gettysburg, #10 Dickinson, #12 RIT, #13 Washington and Lee, #15 St. Lawrence, Denison and host Stevenson. Keep an eye on Lynchburg this year, who has already taken down Salisbury and has a couple more top-10 games this weekend. #1 and #2 will meet Saturday afternoon at 3:30. The big stories being (1) can anyone take down Tufts, who hasn’t lost since April 2024 and (2) can CNU finally break through this year and make it to a championship game after being so close for close to 10 years.

Lots of great lacrosse around the Baltimore area coming up. Hopkins, Loyola and Maryland all play at home and the Mustang Classic is in Owings Mills. Enjoy the games (in all divisions) this weekend!

The post March Begins, College Lacrosse Is As Deep As Ever appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The #1, #2 and #3 teams went down this past weekend, something to my knowledge has never happened in the sport. I also cannot point my finger on a date where the #1 and #2 teams lost on the same day. The parity this season is going to be fun. Comparing the transfer portal in lacrosse to what’s going on in college football and college basketball might be taking it a little too far RIGHT NOW. But don’t act all surprised when we have the deepest tournament field seen in quite some time.

A LOT has happened in the past two weeks. Before I unveil my rankings let’s get into some of the implications that the games have had on the changes you’ll see below. The top of the list so far have not had any major blunders, which is why they sit there in the top 4. At this point in the season UNC, Notre Dame, Duke and Richmond have looked the part, handling their business along the way and not making things harder than expected.

The Ivy League cannot start practicing until 2/1, often leading to slow starts and overreactions. We saw Princeton get run off the field at home to Penn State, Cornell escape at Albany, Harvard won a couple easy matchups to start. Boy did they bounce back from that.

Princeton took down #2 Maryland to vault themselves into the top 5 and erase all thoughts after their opening loss. Harvard had a massive crowd on hand to upset the #1 team in the country (Syracuse) for the first time in program history. Yale scored a big win over previously ranked Boston. Cornell rode a big 4th quarter to take down #20 Denver. Penn jumps into the rankings after a close loss to Georgetown followed by wins over Albany and Delaware.

The entire ACC is ranked within the Top 13. They boast the top three teams in the nation, #7 Syracuse and #13 Virginia. Its going to be a gauntlet this spring for the ACC crown. The same could be said of the Big Ten with 5 of 6 teams within the top-20. Maryland is still the favorite in my eyes but does not look as dominant as I expected them to be.

Richmond by virtue of not getting upset early on is up into the top five. They are sneaky dangerous. So is Army, lurking at #10. Championship hopefuls sit watching film and in meeting rooms all throughout the country this afternoon.

Late February Top 20

1. UNC (6)

2. Notre Dame (7)

3. Duke (11)

4. Richmond (9)

5. Princeton (3)

6. Harvard (15)

7. Syracuse (2)

8. Georgetown (5)

9. Maryland (1)

10. Army (10)

11. Cornell (4)

12. Ohio State (8)

13. Virginia (13)

14. Hopkins (14)

15. Rutgers (18)

16. Penn (NR)

17. Penn State (12)

18. St. Joes (NR)

19. Jacksonville (19)

20. Denver (20)

February Storylines

I have UNC as my #1 team this year. Five others were voted #1 in the Inside Lacrosse poll. The Tar Heels just trounced an average Hopkins team and are 4-0. Things will change and the top-4 is tight. Could see UNC winning and moving out of first if others show their dominance.

Conference play is on the horizon. There are just a couple of weeks for teams to notch quality out of conference wins to help their RPI and their conferences RPI. After a quick peek, the Big Ten needs some serious out of conference wins. The Ivy League and ACC have helped themselves out so far. Couple of Patriot Teams lurking around the top.

Is the Big Ten in trouble? Not so fast my friend, but in two weeks my opinion might be different. Ohio State remains the only unbeaten but their schedule includes five cupcakes so far. Not sure the Big Ten has won a single big game so far.

The two newcomers in the poll this week both sit at 2-1 and are winners of two straight (one ranked win). Penn took down Albany on the road to vault their name into discussions. St. Joes had a nice comeback win over Towson on Friday. Keep an eye out this coming weekend for potential upset bids. Penn has UNC and Syracuse coming up, while SJU plays Duke and Drexel.

Michigan and Army played a lone game in Atlanta over the weekend. Awesome opportunity to grow the game in areas that don’t usually have high level D1 lacrosse to watch. Could have been cool to see multiple games (another D1 and maybe a D3) looped in with that. They did this in the past with the Faceoff Classic in Baltimore and NYC, and recently at Audi Field.

Notre Dame and Georgetown was moved inside due to weather, and the two played the first top-10 matchup in my recollection that was not live streamed. The general public couldn’t watch this game and I still have not gotten my hands on any highlights. The Irish generally have an advantage inside the Loftus Center due to the bizarre lighting and the familiarity with the venue. They showed why (according to the box score) on Sunday, winning 15-9.

I don’t really want to delve into a discussion about streaming, but it’s a shame that lacrosse fans weren’t able to watch this one. I understand the need to shift games indoors but to not have streaming capabilities set up is disappointing. ACC Network demands a certain standard that I guess was not able to be met in South Bend on Sunday. I am hoping issues like this don’t rear their ugly head again this season or ever.

Best Weekend Slate Ever?

This upcoming weekend’s slate is unreal. Best set of games I have seen in longer than I can remember. I count nine ranked on ranked matchups. The rankings will look a lot different when I write my next article.

https://x.com/upstreamlax/status/2025969718595645870

Syracuse and UNC are headed up to Philly (Penn) and Princeton for a little round robin action. UNC and Duke have hosted this similar weekend in the past. These games should produce a few awesome contests. Another four games between Ivy League and ACC.

Maryland will look to avoid a 1-3 start against a Notre Dame team that is on the rise. The Irish recently beat up on Georgetown inside Loftus Center. Keep an eye on the goalie situation for Maryland, I think Brian Ruppell is on a short leash and we could see the first of freshman Aidan Seibel.

Ohio State and Georgetown is the Buckeyes first real test of the season, and Georgetown will have their hair on fire after losing to Notre Dame. Interested to see how this one plays out.

If you like goals, tune into Hopkins/Virginia. Both defenses and goalies have been shaky to start the season against talented teams.

The rest of the slate is linked below. https://www.insidelacrosse.com/ncaa/m/1/2026/scores?date=2026-02-28

If you like goals and the fastest pace in lacrosse, tune into the PLL Championship Series on ESPN+. The format that will be played in the Olympics is played by the PLL every winter. Think basketball combined with lacrosse. It’s a new format but its fast and fun.

Enjoy the games this weekend!

The post It’s Anyone’s Year in College Lacrosse appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The first college lacrosse game this season was on January 30th, the earliest start ever. I am not going to sit here and write about how the season started too early, lacrosse is a winter sport, we need to play into mid-June. The sports calendar opens up significantly once college football and NFL wind down in late January. College lacrosse beginning early February has been here for years and it is the perfect time to draw eyes to the sport of those who have nothing else to watch. What we saw happen the first two weeks of the season was out of the ordinary – especially for early February.

In order for me to spin this into a positive light and a potential change moving forward first let us go back to Friday, January 30th. Delaware played Utah in the season opener inside of a ~ 80-yard field house in Newark at 12pm. The following weekend multiple games were either cancelled or moved indoors. Indoor games don’t bother me here, what I think is a big opportunity for the sport is the schedule that came from it. Games were played from 11am – 9:30pm on Saturday and from 12pm – 9pm on Sunday. The current viewing experience of college lacrosse is much different from other college sports who have games and TV slots usually from 12pm-Midnight. College lacrosse’s slate usually runs from 12pm through 4pm with the majority of games at noon. If we get lucky, Denver or Air Force will play at four or five.

The noon slate on Saturdays have become saturated and I believe there is a true opportunity for further expansion if teams and ADs would simply go against the norm and think outside the box that is 12pm-4pm. The Big Ten plays one game a week on Sundays – which used to be Sunday at 7pm. There are no Big Ten Sunday Night games in 2026. The ACC randomly has teams play Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. There truly is not a “prime time” slot that lacrosse fans can look to each week and watch the best game each weekend. I think that needs to change.

As sports audiences increasingly shift toward quick, mobile-friendly updates, publishers are finding new ways to deliver insights without requiring fans to spend time reading lengthy reports. The trend has encouraged media platforms to experiment with video-first formats that highlight key storylines, player performances, and upcoming match narratives in a concise and engaging manner. One example is a platform that recently launched short-form sports entertainment content to provide accessible sports coverage across social media channels while maintaining a focus on analysis and context.

This evolution reflects broader changes in how fans consume sports information. Short videos, instant reactions, and bite-sized explainers now play a larger role in keeping audiences informed between major events. By combining traditional analysis with modern distribution methods, sports media outlets can reach new viewers, increase engagement, and make complex topics easier to understand for both casual followers and dedicated fans.

Moving along to what we cannot change for 2026 is the schedule that we were given. This coming weekend boasts the largest slate so far this year. All of the Division 1 teams are in action from Friday to Sunday. Saturday’s slate is 29 games: 2 at 11am, 16 at noon, 6 at 1pm, and 5 others beginning from 1:30-3:30. A mostly tight Saturday of games, but the weekend is highlighted by a #1 vs #2 matchup in the dome on Friday night. Maryland and Syracuse are my two frontrunners this spring and they come in at the top spots in my early February top-20.

2026 Early February Top-20

1. Maryland
2. Syracuse
3. Princeton
4. Cornell
5. Georgetown
6. UNC
7. Notre Dame
8. Ohio State
9. Richmond
10. Army
11. Duke
12. Penn State
13. Virginia
14. Johns Hopkins
15. Harvard
16. Towson
17. Michigan
18. Rutgers
19. Jacksonville
20. Denver

Once again, three conferences dominate in the rankings. The Big Ten, ACC and Ivy League combine to make up 14 of the top 20 teams in the country. You can almost guarantee that the National Champion will come from one of those three conferences. Since Denver’s run in 2015, the National Championship matchup has been teams from the Big Ten, ACC and Ivy League. Georgetown, Army and Richmond are the three teams that look the most likely to break that trend after 10 years. I’ll dive quickly into them after previewing the top contenders this spring. Here is what to watch for this spring in college lacrosse.

Conference Rundown

Big Ten

Maryland brings back their dominant defense (with a new goalie) and welcomes in a few impact transfers on the offensive side. They are the favorite in the Big Ten and I do not think it will be close. Ohio State unfortunately lost top defender Bobby Van Buren to a torn ACL last week, but the thought was their defense would allow them to contend with anyone. The rest of the conference sits in bubble territory. Hopkins fans are optimistic but I do not expect too much from them. They graduated too much on the defensive end and do not have the offensive support for Collison/Chauvette.

ACC

After bringing everyone back from last season’s Final Four team, Gary Gait and Joey Spallina need to find a way to get Syracuse back over the hump. North Carolina will be a pesky thorn in their side throughout the season but do not have the experience yet to contend. Notre Dame is going to struggle to finally replace the Kavanaghs (and Jordan Faison). Duke is young and fun; I could see them catching a groove early on with a favorable schedule. Virginia’s offense can take them back to being a top-20 team, but can their defense make stops?

Ivy League

The Princeton offense is one of the most dangerous units in the country. They have a middle of the field unit that pushes in transition and is fun to watch. Cornell graduates CJ Kirst but has Ryan Goldstein lurking in the shadows. Going to take a lot for them to repeat yet even get back to Memorial Day Weekend. I have heard fun things about the Harvard offense that will greatly miss Sam King this spring. Dartmouth is a dark horse once again to continue their rise. Do not be surprised when they pull a big upset.

The Best of the Rest

Georgetown went out this offseason and added talent through the portal with the Connor twins. If they can find some offensive support, the Hoyas might be able to make a late run. Anderson Moore in cage and Ty Banks as a lock down defender present a challenge for opposing offenses.

Richmond had their best season in program history last season but they graduated a lot of talent. It will be interesting to see how they replace a solid goalie and faceoff guy. Their offense brings back a lot and has a lot to like. They will be tested in their first month with Virginia, Cornell and Georgetown.

Army has failed to make two straight tournaments despite holding the #1 ranking at some point the last two seasons. Gunnar Fellows and the Plunketts are so much fun to watch offensively and it always seems like Army can lock it in on defense. The question is can they finally win the Patriot League? Boston U, Colgate and Loyola will be in contention for the AQ as well. Army did not do themselves too many favors in getting an at large bid with their schedule.

Towson is undefeated in CAA play the past two seasons, and they bring back a lot of that success in 2026. Mikey Weishaar is one of the top players in the country. The Tigers will be a fun team to watch this year. Fairfield should also contend in the CAA but Towson has a 3-peat in mind.

Each new year provides an interesting challenge in seeing how teams adapt and adjust based on the talent departures and additions. I would say for this reason the first month or four games of the season are the most important. Conferences are judged on their out of conference record. Teams are judged on these games on selection Sunday. Some teams schedule tune-ups, others schedule the top teams in the nation. Luckily for us, there are a few top-20 matchups this coming weekend.

Weekend Preview

#1 Maryland @ #2 Syracuse – Friday, 6pm

I will never complain about the top two teams in the country playing in February. I expect this to be the National Championship this spring. Syracuse was shut down by Maryland in the Final Four last year. Both teams are very similar. I think this game will come down to the wire.

#12 Penn State @ #3 Princeton – Saturday, 12pm

Hunter Aquino will be asked to do a lot in this game because of how fast Princeton’s high-powered offense is going to play. I see a lot of goals in this one and I don’t think Penn State has the offensive support this year to hang with the top teams.

#13 Virginia @ #9 Richmond – Saturday, 12pm

Led by new assistant coach Connor Shellenberger, Virginia scored assisted goals on 17 out of 19 last weekend. They have the tools to light up the scoreboard. With a lot of defensive departures, I expect to see some rust on that end for Richmond.

Loyola @ #14 Hopkins – Saturday, 12pm

The Battle of Charles Street never disappoints. Loyola struggled last year with youth, but looked decent last weekend against the Terps, putting up 10. Hopkins needs to lean on more than Collison and Chauvette offensively. Hopkins Freshman goalie Dash Lamitie has been impressive so far.

#4 Cornell @ Albany – Saturday, 1pm

Cornell brings back a host of players from their national championship team last year, but lose a few BIG offensive weapons. Albany has a lot of hype behind them this season. Silas Richmond is an all-American. Max Neeson is a great cover defenseman but he can’t cover the entire offense at once. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Albany keep it close.

It seems like we finally are going to have a weekend without cancellations, without games moving indoors. College lacrosse is back and we have a few awesome games to watch this weekend.

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