D1 lacrosse conference play picks up this weekend for just about every team in the country. This establishes us at the midway point of the season, so it is worth noting who appears to be the mid-season conference favorites. Conference play always brings its own surprises, but as of right now, most conferences seem to have a clear front-runner looking to win some hardware. Knowing how these lists work, I’m sure I will come back to this at the end of the regular season and laugh. However, these are my current D1 lacrosse conference title favorites for each conference.
America East: Who Knows
Objectively, this is just an ugly conference to speak about with any level of confidence. Each of the seven teams in this conference has not looked great this year and all feature subpar records. I was close to saying Bryant would come out on top, but I just think this conference is going to be a nightmare with conference play ramping up. Who knows what happens here—I just hope everyone has fun along the way.
Atlantic 10: Richmond
Richmond seems to be in a tight race with UMass on who is going to win the conference. I lean towards the Spiders mostly due to their strength of schedule. They played Maryland in a close game to start the year, came out on top against in-state rival Virginia, and lost to Ivy League powerhouse Cornell by one goal. There’s nothing on UMass’s resume that comes close to this, and as of right now, Richmond is going to be a team that no one wants to play come NCAA tournament time.
ACC: UNC
Slotting the Tar Heels as conference favorites might be controversial given how the ACC has looked, but there is no denying UNC is on the brink of greatness. All of their wins have been dominant, and they looked red hot in their bout with Johns Hopkins. Their only loss is to the No. 2 team in the country, Princeton, by two goals in what was a very close affair. Even with a Syracuse team that also featured a win against Johns Hopkins nipping at their heels, I still firmly have Syracuse on fraud watch. Notre Dame appears to have some things to work on, Duke does not seem like a real contender, and Virginia is having a down year, to say the least. Give me the Tar Heels making a run at the ACC and potentially a D1 lacrosse championship.
ASUN: Jacksonville
Nothing revolutionary here—it just does not seem like anyone is going to be able to compete with Jacksonville. Every other team in the conference has a below .500 record except for Bellarmine, who sits at .500. I don’t think Jacksonville is a very strong lacrosse team this season, but no one in the ASUN is going to put up a true fight.
Big Ten: Maryland
Not much to say negatively about Maryland’s season as they currently are the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Their defense has been lights out, carrying the weight for their fairly lackluster offense. In comparison to other Big Ten opponents, their 69 goals for is the worst in the conference, while their 43 goals against is the best in the country. This defense is going to carry a lot of the weight for this team, but I would not be surprised if Ohio State had something to say along the way. I think the Big Ten is going to shake up down the stretch, but right now, there’s no arguing that Maryland looks the part to not only win the Big Ten, but Be the Best in D1 lacrosse this year.
Big East: Georgetown
For whatever reason, I’m not as high on Georgetown this year as I have been in years past. I’m sure many people, including myself, had Denver winning the conference this year, but they have seemingly fallen off since their championship weekend run. Georgetown sits with a 4-2 record, featuring a close loss to Notre Dame and two nice Ivy League wins over Penn and Brown. I think Georgetown wins the conference not because they are far and ahead the best talent-wise, but because I don’t think they will be as tested in conference play as in years past.
CAA: Fairfield
Fairfield has been nothing short of dominant all season long. Their seven wins have come with 96 goals for and 51 goals against—statistically the best in both categories compared to everyone else in the conference. I’m sure conference play will bear some surprises, as Hofstra, Delaware, and Towson will always show up to compete. However, the Fairfield Stags will be red hot by this point and could potentially have most of their issues resolved while keeping the winning streak alive.
Ivy League: Princeton
We will get a lot of answers tomorrow on who is leading the Ivy League this year. Cornell has looked solid this season but not nearly as impressive as Princeton. A one-goal win over Richmond and an overtime loss against Penn State isn’t going to cut it for the Big Red. Meanwhile, Princeton has a close loss against the No. 1 team in the country and two nice wins over ACC opponents Duke and North Carolina. This all gets solved on Saturday as these two teams go head-to-head, but my money is on the Princeton Tigers.
MAAC: Chaos Will Decide
The winner of the MAAC will simply be whoever wants it most—or if chaos ensues. You can’t even say there is a clear favorite for this conference, as everyone is either evenly matched or not consistent enough to make any confident predictions. Manhattan, Marist, and Sacred Heart all look like they could play the part, but I guarantee each team will face multiple losses along the way. Definitely an interesting conference to monitor if you enjoy D1 lacrosse chaos.
NEC: VMI
This conference was fun to talk about in the preseason due to the unknowns of who exactly was going to come out on top. Now, halfway through the season, it feels pretty clear that VMI is the frontrunner. The team is having a breakout year with 121 goals for and only 55 goals against. The Cadets’ 6-1 record could certainly be tested down the stretch as conference play ramps up this weekend. Their first matchup with Le Moyne will be telling, and wrapping up the regular season against LIU might be the final decision-maker.
Patriot League: Army
Army currently sits with a perfect 6-0 record, with all of their wins being blowouts. They have 88 goals for and only 28 goals against in their six games. They haven’t played the toughest opponents, with their best win coming against Rutgers in a 9-3 affair, but there is no reason to think that Army isn’t the favorite in the Patriot League. The schedule ramps up from here on out, with North Carolina, Colgate, and Navy all deserving of the Black Knights’ respect.
