Which 16 teams will make the NCAA lacrosse tournament? With the selection show looming on May 9, it’s time to consider the possibilities.
ACC
With only four teams, the league doesn’t receive an automatic bid, but it’s hardly necessary. Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and Duke are ranked in the top five and are assured of bids and opening games at home. Baring a late-season upset, ACC champion Virginia will be the No. 1 seed in the NCAA and Duke will be No. 5. UNC and Maryland hope to avoid the No. 4 slot, with an uninviting potential matchup with Duke in the quarterfinals.
Number of bids » Four
Patriot
To extend its six-year run in the NCAAs, Navy (6-7) has to win the Patriot League tournament. Coming off a historic win over Johns Hopkins, which broke a 36-game losing streak to the Blue Jays, Navy enters on a high note. If the Midshipmen win, they would play Bucknell (8-5) or Army (8-5). Navy would like another crack at its archrival, which beat the Mids by a goal two weeks ago when Navy didn’t bring its ‘A’ game.
Number of bids » One
Ivy
Wins last week by Brown over Cornell and Harvard over Princeton demonstrate unprecedented parity in the Ivy, adding drama to next weekend’s inaugural Ivy League tournament. Top-10 teams Princeton and Cornell have enough quality wins to have locked up NCAA bids. But look for a third Ivy team to make the NCAA tournament and a fourth is not out of the realm of possibility if the Ivy tournament goes sideways.
Number of bids » Three. Whoever qualifies and shows best in the Ivy tournament between Yale (9-3), Harvard (6-5) and Brown (7-5) — teams that rank No. 19, 20 and 21 in RPI — is likely to get an NCAA bid.
ECAC
Sunday’s winner between Loyola (9-2) and Denver (10-4) will get the league’s automatic bid. The ECAC does not have a league tournament.
Number of bids » Two. If Denver beats Loyola, it will be a two-bid league. If not, the final bid will likely be between Denver and a Big East team.
Colonial
Towson (6-6) has wrapped up the top seed in the league tournament, which begins Wednesday. Despite a No. 16 RPI ranking, perennial league power Hofstra (8-4), which had made nine NCAA appearances in the previous 17 years, will probably not get a bid.
Number of bids » One
America East
Stony Brook (9-3), the only team in the league with more than four wins, is the only America East squad worthy of an at-large bid. But don’t be shocked if the Seawolves are upset in the tournament next week. Three of their league wins were decided by three or fewer goals.
Number of bids » One. If Stony Brook loses in the tournament in the underwhelming league, the committee would have a difficult time justifying an at-large bid.
Metro Atlantic
With No. 23 Mount St. Mary’s (9-4) the only team with an RPI better than No. 40, this is a one-bid league. Winner will be determined in conference tournament next week.
Number of bids » One
Big East
Syracuse (11-1) can lock up the Big East title with a win Saturday at Notre Dame (7-5) or the following week at St. John’s (5-7). The league, in its inaugural season, doesn’t receive an automatic NCAA bid, but defending champion Syracuse is in regardless.
Number of bids » Two. Georgetown (7-5), Villanova (9-4) and Notre Dame (7-5) have few quality wins between them. But they rank Nos. 11, 12 and 15 in RPI. At least one will make the NCAA tournament.
Independents
Johns Hopkins (6-7) helped its cause with a quality win over Towson on Tuesday. Despite their record, the Blue Jays will probably extend their record streak of NCAA appearances to 39 with a win over Loyola on May 8.
Number of bids » One. Bryant (10-5) and Robert Morris (9-4) have gaudy records, but both are outside the top 25 in RPI.
