NCAA opener will be against ACC foe UNC
They wield sticks. They rock the red. And they underachieve in the postseason.
No, they’re not the Washington Capitals.
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Despite being highly ranked year after year, the Maryland Terrapins haven’t won an NCAA championship in men’s lacrosse since 1975. On Sunday night, the Terps (10-4) discovered it won’t be easy to end that drought.
The Terps are unseeded and will have to travel to No. 8 North Carolina (10-5) for an opening-round match Sunday at 1 p.m.
Playing a first-round game against a conference foe is highly unusual. The NCAA tournament committee usually avoids repeat matchups. But this year, the teams played twice, with Maryland losing at home in the regular season 11-6, then avenging the defeat in the ACC tournament semifinals 7-6.
“That was the [matchup] we struggled with the most,” Dermot Coll, chairman of the selection committee, said on Sunday’s selection show.
Coll said geography (travel limitations) and the results of the final weekend forced the committee’s hand. While North Carolina registered a big victory over fourth-seeded Notre Dame (10-2), Maryland was surprised at home by Colgate (11-5), which failed to make the tournament.
But Maryland still has reason to feel slighted. After all, the Terps won the ACC tournament, beating each team in the nation’s toughest conference at least once. Every other team in the ACC is seeded and will open at home.
No. 5 Duke (12-5) hosts surprise CAA champion Delaware (11-6), arguably the weakest team in the tournament, on Saturday at 5 p.m. No. 7 Virginia (9-5) hosts Patriot League champion Bucknell (14-2), which is making its first tournament appearance since 2001, on Sunday at 3 p.m.
If Maryland survives the opening round, it likely will face No. 1 seed Syracuse (14-1), which is seeking its record 11th NCAA title. The Orange, shocked at home last season in the opening round by Army, face Metro Atlantic champion Siena (13-4) on Sunday night.
Kicking off the tournament Saturday at noon is resurgent No. 3 Johns Hopkins (12-2), which is playing host to Hofstra (13-2).
