The NCAA lacrosse tournament begins this weekend with eight games in the round of 16. What are the most intriguing matchups? 5. Colgate at No. 6 UMass (Saturday, 2:30 p.m.) » Powered by Division I scoring leader Peter Baum, the unproven Minutemen (15-0) didn’t beat a team ranked in the top 10. The last squad to enter the tournament undefeated (Notre Dame in 2009) lost in the first round.
4. Princeton at No. 5 Virginia (Sunday, 1 p.m.) » The Tigers got a reprieve after their humbling 15-7 loss to Yale in the Ivy League title game. Now they try to prove they belong against the defending NCAA champion, led by Steele Stanwick.
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3. Yale at No. 4 Notre Dame (Sunday, 5:15 p.m.) » Yale made the tournament for the first time in 20 years. Notre Dame, which has the NCAA’s No. 1 defense behind goalie John Kemp (Georgetown Prep), was upset in the Big East semifinals after 10 straight wins.
2. Maryland at No. 7 Lehigh (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.) » Lacrosse blue blood Maryland plays at a school making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Mountain Hawks (14-2) are No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense behind freshman goalie Matt Poillon and sophomore defenseman Ty Souders.
1. Syracuse at No. 3 Duke (Saturday, noon) » The Blue Devils’ prize for winning the ACC title is a rematch with the 11-time NCAA champion. Duke won the first meeting 12-10. The Orange needed to capture the Big East tournament to reach the NCAA. Now they’re the most dangerous unseeded team.
– Kevin Dunleavy
