NCAA men's lacrosse tournament predictions 2026: How many ACC schools advance past first round?

NCAA men's lacrosse 2026

NCAA men's lacrosse tournament predictions 2026: How many ACC schools advance past first round? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament field is set.

The 18-team field begins action on Wednesday with play-in games. Stony Brook faces Marist, and Jacksonville takes on Robert Morris.

Princeton (13-2) took the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Tigers won the Ivy League tournament and will open tournament action Sunday. Princeton ranks third in the nation with an offense that averages 14.73 goals per game.

MORE:Full lacrosse tournament schedule

The ACC has five teams in the NCAA tournament: No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 5 Virginia, No. 6 Syracuse and Duke. How many of those teams will advance to the second weekend?

Will the first round be like 2024 – when all eight seeded teams advanced to the quarterfinals? Or are there a few upsets lurking this weekend?

The 2026 men's lacrosse championships are May 23-25 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va. The championship game will be on Monday, May 25, at noon.

Here is a look at the first round matchups in the 2026 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament:

2026 NCAA Lacrosse tournament first round predictions

Here is a look at our predictions for the first round of the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament. First-round games will be played on the campuses of the seeded teams in the tournament:

Wednesday, May 6

• Marist vs. Stony Brook (7 p.m., ESPN App)

Stony Brook upset Towson 13-11 in the CAA tournament championship. Marist upset Siena 12-8 in the MAAC championship. Stony Brook beat Marist 14-11 in the regular-season meeting on April 4 in a game where the Seawolves out-shot the Red Foxes 41-40 and the face-offs were almost even (Marist 15-13). This will be a tight game the second time around.

Prediction: Stony Brook 13, Marist 11

• Jacksonville vs. Robert Morris  (7 p.m., ESPN App)

Jacksonville has a high-scoring offense that averages 14.67 goals per game, led by senior attackman Jack Taylor (2.47 goals per game) and freshman midfielder Zane Czeschin (2.40). Robert Morris goalie Nate Fechter has a .588 save percentage this season, but he will be up against a Dolphins' offense that has put up 10 goals on North Carolina and Duke this season.

Prediction: Jacksonville 16, Robert Morris 9

Saturday, May 9

• No. 3 North Carolina vs. UAlbany (12 p.m., ESPNU)

North Carolina face-off specialist Brady Wambach has the highest winning percentage among players in the tournament at .668. The Great Danes have not advanced to the quarterfinals since 2018 – and it will be tough to slow down junior attackman Dominic Pietramala – who has 43 goals this season. Albany has allowed more than 15 goals one time this season, and defender Max Neesen forces 2.19 turnovers per game.

Winner: North Carolina 14, UAlbany 8

• No. 8 Penn State vs. Army  (2:30 p.m., ESPNU)

This is an interesting goalie game. Army goalie Sean Byrne leads the nation with a .612 save percentage, and Penn State freshman Preston Hawkins (.507) heated up in the Big Ten tournament for the Nittany Lions with 14 saves in two games. The Nittany Lions have six players with at least 15 goals, and that balance will challenge Byrne in the net. Army is on a seven-game win streak since a 12-11 loss to North Carolina on March 21.

Winner: Army 11, Penn State 10

• No. 7 Cornell vs. Johns Hopkins (5 p.m., ESPNU)

Cornell is the defending national champion, and attackman William Firth leads the nation with 5.33 points per game. Johns Hopkins made the tournament field as an at-large, and four players have at least 30 points – led by junior attackman Hunter Chauvette. Cornell's Jack Cascadden (.626) is among the elite face-off specialists in the game. 

Winner: Cornell 15, Johns Hopkins 12

• No. 4 Richmond vs. Duke (7:30 p.m., ESPNU)

The Spiders beat North Carolina in the first round last year, and this will be a defensive game. Both teams rank in the top five in scoring defense with Richmond (8.07) and Duke (8.69) at third and fifth, respectively. Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Aidan O'Neill averages 5.07 points per game. The Blue Devils will push the Spiders here, but look for Richmond to advance for the second straight season.

Winner: Richmond 12, Duke 11

Sunday, May 10

• No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Jacksonville/Robert Morris (7:30 p.m., ESPNU)

Notre Dame is looking for three national championships in four seasons under legendary coach Kevin Corrigan. Five Notre Dame players have at least 20 points this season, led by senior attackman Josh Yago (24 goals, 14 assists). The Irish are coming off a 15-10 loss to Virginia in the ACC tournament.

Winner: TBD

• No. 1 Princeton vs. Marist/Stony Brook (2:30 p.m., ESPNU)

The Tigers will await the winner of the play-in game between Marist and Stony Brook. Junior attackman Nate Kabiri leads the Tigers with 68 points on 32 goals and 36 assists. He had seven points in the 19-9 victory against Cornell in the Ivy League tournament championship. Chad Palumbo has 36 goals this season. The Tigers will be tough to beat.

Winner: TBD

• No. 6 Syracuse vs. Yale (5 p.m., ESPNU)

The Orange beat two Ivy League schools in the tournament last season, and they were 7-0 at the JWA Wireless Dome this season. Syracuse is 1-2 against Ivy League schools this season, which adds to the intrigue against the Bulldogs. Orange attackman Joey Spalina – a senior – has 75 points this season. Yale has the best man-up offense in the nation (.600) – and sophomore Connor Gately can score and facilitate with 25 goals and 29 assists.

Winner: Syracuse 14, Yale 10

• No. 5 Virginia vs. Georgetown (7:30 p.m., ESPNU)

The Cavaliers are hot at the right time. Virginia averaged 16 goals per game in the ACC tournament, and the attack combination of junior McCabe Millon and freshman Brendan Millon is hot at the right time. The brothers have 74 points apiece this season. Senior attackman Truitt Sunderland averaged four goals per game in the ACC tournament. Georgetown midfielder Liam Connor leads the nation with 51 assists, and Rory Connor scores 3.57 goals per game. This will be the best game of the weekend.

Winner: Virginia 14, Georgetown 13

NCAA men's lacrosse automatic bids 2026

The 2026 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament features 10 automatic bids for teams that win their conference tournaments. A look at those teams here: