Conference tournament time is here for men's college lacrosse, with 11 Division I conferences set to crown champions this weekend. The results will shape the 18-team NCAA tournament field, including 10 automatic bids and 8 at-large spots.
Key points
Conference tournament time for men's college lacrosse
18-team NCAA tournament field to be unveiled
11 Division I conferences will crown champions
10 automatic bids to the NCAA tournament
Potential for at-large bids and bid thieves
Division INCAA Men's Lacrosse TournamentNCAA
College lacrosse bracket prediction: How conference tournaments will shape field
Conference tournament time is upon us in the realm of menâs college lacrosse, on the eve of Sundayâs unveiling of the 18-team NCAA tournament field. In all, 11 Division I conferences will crown a champion by the conclusion of the weekend, with 10 of those receiving automatic bids to the NCAA tourney.
For most of the weekendâs participants the assignment is simple â win or go home. But there are eight at-large spots in the field as well, and while a significant percentage of those will go to members of that 11th conference (more on that below), there is potential for a bid thief or two to make an already crowded at-large pool even more unwieldy.
Hereâs a look at the most important of the conference tournaments, and how their results might affect the final NCAA field.
ACC lacrosse tournament
Location/TV: Charlotte, N.C., ACC Network
Semifinals
Friday, May 1
No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 4 Virginia, 5 p.m. ET
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Syracuse, 8 p.m. ET
Championship
Sunday, May 3
Semifinal winners, noon ET
Only five current members of the ACC sponsor the sport, one fewer than the six required for an automatic bid. The conference will nonetheless be well represented in the tournament again, likely to occupy at least half of the eight at-large spots. The participants in this weekendâs event are playing primarily for seeding, although Notre Dame is almost certainly going to be slotted into the overall top position win or lose. Syracuse has a chance to solidify a top-four seed, in theory earning a less dangerous opponent for the round of 16, while North Carolina is unlikely to slip any lower than No. 4 even with a loss to the Orange. Virginia, the only team in the country to own a regular-season win against the Fighting Irish, could secure a top-eight seed and thus a first-round home game if the Cavaliers can knock off Notre Dame for a second time.
Q&A
How many teams will compete in the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament?
The NCAA men's lacrosse tournament will feature 18 teams.
What is the significance of conference tournaments for NCAA lacrosse?
Conference tournaments determine champions and automatic bids for the NCAA tournament, impacting the overall field.
How many automatic bids are available in the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament?
There are 10 automatic bids available for the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament.
What happens if a team wins their conference tournament in men's lacrosse?
If a team wins their conference tournament, they secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
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And then thereâs Duke. The Blue Devils were winless in the conference and had already been eliminated from the ACC tournament prior to last weekend, but their upset of North Carolina in their regular-season finale has them clinging to life in the at-large discussion. They canât help themselves this weekend, so they must hope that form holds in the other leagues. Itâs fair to say Duke fans will have more than casual interest in the results of these next few tournaments.
Ivy League lacrosse tournament
Location/TV: Ithaca, N.Y., ESPNU
Semifinals
Friday, May 1
No. 1 Cornell vs. No. 4 Harvard, 4 p.m. ET
No. 2 Princeton vs. No. 3 Yale, 6:30 p.m. ET
Championship
Sunday, May 3
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. ET
In this sport, the Ivy is a power conference that frequently has multiple representatives in the NCAA field. There will be at least two this season, with Princeton and Cornell likely to be first-round hosts. Harvard, with a top-tier win against Syracuse on its resume, has a decent at-large case but could use another victory to ease any Sunday anxiety. Yale could enter the discussion with a semifinal win as well but probably needs to win the tournament to claim the leagueâs automatic spot.
Big Ten lacrosse tournament
Location/TV: Piscataway, N.J., Big Ten Network
Semifinals
Thursday, April 30
No. 1 Johns Hopkins vs. No. 5 Michigan, 3 p.m. ET
No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 3 Maryland, 6 p.m. ET
Championship
Saturday, May 2
Semifinal winners, noon ET
Hereâs where things could get complicated for teams on the edge of the bubble. Johns Hopkins, which secured the top seed by upending archrival Maryland in its final regular-season contest, is probably safe even without the automatic bid. The Penn State-Maryland winner will also help its cause, but things could get quite dicey for the loser of that game. The Nittany Lions could be a particularly interesting puzzle for the committee, with a solid collection of top-20 RPI wins but three troublesome losses. Michigan, which sent fringe bubble contender Ohio State packing in the Big Ten quarterfinal round last weekend, is the lone team in this quartet with potential to be a true bid stealer.
Atlantic 10 lacrosse tournament
Semifinals
Thursday, April 30
No. 1 Richmond vs. No. 4 Massachusetts, 4 p.m. ET
No. 2 High Point vs. No. 3 Saint Josephâs, 7 p.m. ET
Championship
Saturday, May 2
Semifinal winners, noon ET
The A-10 will be a multi-bid conference if and only if a team other than Richmond wins the tournament. Bubble watchers from Durham, North Carolina, to Cambridge, Massachusetts., and many points in between will be hoping that wonât be the case, but there are a couple other points of interest in this tournament that could have a trickle-down impact on the at-large and seeding picture. The committee does not use RPI itself as a selection criterion, but it does use top-20 RPI wins as a metric. As of last weekend, Saint Joeâs sat at No. 21, and should the Hawks end up in the top 20 theyâd be considered a quality win for opponents that defeated them in the regular season, a list that includes Duke.
Other tournaments of note
Big East lacrosse tournament
Semifinals
Thursday, April 30
No. 1 Georgetown vs. No. 4 Denver, 4:30 p.m. ET
No. 2 Providence vs. No. 3 Villanova, 7:30 p.m. ET
Championship
Saturday, May 2
Semifinal winners, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Patriot League lacrosse tournament
Location/TV: West Point, N.Y., CBS Sports Network
Semifinals
Friday, May 1
No. 1 Army vs. No. 6 Lehigh, 4 p.m. ET
No. 2 Loyola (Md.) vs. No. 5 Colgate, 7:30 p.m. ET
Championship
Sunday, May 3
Semifinal winners, noon ET
Georgetown and Army would at least be considered as at-large candidates should either or both fail to claim their leagueâs auto bid. But realistically both would be on the outside. While the Hoyas have owned the Big East tourney in recent years, the Patriot League is often quite chaotic, as weâve already seen with Lehighâs wild overtime triumph at third-seeded Boston University Tuesday night.
Other one-bid leagues
America East in Albany, N.Y
Top seed: UAlbany.
Atlantic Sun in Jacksonville, Fla.
Top seed: Jacksonville.
Coastal Athletic in Towson, Md.
Top seed: Towson
MAAC in Loudenville, N.Y.
Top seed: Siena.
Northeast Conference in Moon Township, Pa.
Top seed: Robert Morris.
Four of these five league champs figure to be bound for one of two play-in games. Towson has the best RPI and schedule strength metrics among this group and is the most likely to be sent directly to the round of 16, as long as the Tigers continue to take care of business in a conference theyâve dominated for the past three seasons.
