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Selection Sunday Predictions: NCAA Division 1 Lacrosse

We are coming down to the wire here with Selection Sunday for NCAA Men’s Division 1 Lacrosse only a few hours away. Some teams will control their tournament fate with how they finish their conference tournaments, while others will wait and see if the lacrosse gods and the selection committee will favor them.

It’s been an incredible season up to this point, filled with upsets and bounce-backs from programs nationwide. While we don’t predict as much drama this season as compared to 2022, there is bound to be a team that stays home with an argument to be included in the field. Based on what we’ve seen play out with the Big Ten, it looks like the Ivy League will be very unhappy with Michigan’s massive win in the Big Ten Championship.

First lets take a look at the automatic qualifiers and our predictions.

Automatic Qualifiers


  • America East: Bryant
  • ASUN: Utah*
  • A-10: Richmond
  • Big East: Georgetown
  • Big Ten: Michigan
  • CAA: Delaware
  • Ivy: Yale*
  • MAAC: Marist
  • Patriot: Loyola*

(*=prediction)

With those AQ’s given out, let’s look at the resumes of the teams left for at-large bids. Selection Sunday should contain many surprises that are sure to upset the lacrosse community.

Resumes


1. Virginia (11-3)
RPI: 2
Top 5 Wins: Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: North Carolina
Non Top-20 Losses: None

2. Duke (12-2)
RPI: 1
Top 5 Wins: Virginia, Virginia
Top 6-20 Wins: Penn
Top 11-20 Wins: North Carolina, Denver
Non Top-20 Losses: Jacksonville

3. Notre Dame (9-2)
RPI: 3
Top 5 Wins: Duke
Top 6-10 Wins: Maryland, Georgetown
Top 11-20 Wins: North Carolina
Non Top-20 Losses: None

4. Penn State (9-3)
RPI: 5
Top 5 Wins: Johns Hopkins
Top 6-10 Wins: Cornell, Yale, Penn
Top 11-20 Wins: Rutgers
Non Top-20 Losses: Marquette

6. Maryland (9-4)
RPI: 6
Top 5 Wins: Virginia, Penn State
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: Princeton, Rutgers, Rutgers
Non Top-20 Losses: Loyola, Michigan

8. Yale (8-4)
RPI: 9
Top 5 Wins: None
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: Denver, Villanova, Boston U.
Non Top-20 Losses: None

9. Penn (7-5)
RPI: 10
Top 5 Wins: None
Top 6-10 Wins: Georgetown, Yale
Top 11-20 Wins: Princeton
Non Top-20 Losses: Brown

10. Denver (10-5)
RPI: 11
Top 5 Wins: None
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: North Carolina, Utah, Villanova
Non Top-20 Losses: Air Force

12. Villanova (10-4)
RPI: 12
Top 5 Wins: Penn State
Top 6-10 Wins: Penn
Top 11-20 Wins: None
Non Top-20 Losses: Brown

13. North Carolina (7-6)
RPI: 14
Top 5 Wins: Johns Hopkins
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: None
Non Top-20 Losses: Syracuse, Ohio State

14. Syracuse (8-7)
RPI: 21
Top 5 Wins: None
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: North Carolina, Princeton, Vermont
Non Top-20 Losses: None

15. Boston U (10-3)
RPI: 13
Top 5 Wins: None
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: Army, Bryant
Non Top-20 Losses: Navy

16. Rutgers (8-6)
RPI: 15
Top 5 Wins: None
Top 6-10 Wins: None
Top 11-20 Wins: Utah, Princeton
Non Top-20 Losses: Ohio State

17. Princeton (6-6)
RPI: 17
Top 5 Wins: None
Top 6-10 Wins: Yale
Top 11-20 Wins: None
Non Top-20 Losses: Syracuse

Conclusion


At Large Bids: 8

Locks: Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Penn State, Maryland

Probably In: Cornell, Johns Hopkins

Last Teams Fighting It Out for One Spot: Army, Villanova, Penn, Denver

Last Team Out: Villanova

Last Team In: Army

NCAA Tournament Field with Seeds

  1. Duke
  2. Virginia
  3. Notre Dame
  4. Johns Hopkins
  5. Penn State
  6. Cornell
  7. Maryland
  8. Yale

First Round Matchups

  1. Duke vs. Play-In Game (Marist vs. Bryant Winner)
  2. Virginia vs. Richmond
  3. Notre Dame vs. Utah
  4. Johns Hopkins vs. Delaware
  5. Penn State vs. Loyola
  6. Cornell vs. Michigan
  7. Maryland vs. Georgetown
  8. Yale vs. Army