5 things to know before the first round of the 2021 men s lacrosse tournament
2021 NCAA DI men s lacrosse championship selection show
Share
The 2021 NCAA DI men s lacrosse tournament gets underway with eight first-round games spread out over Saturday and Sunday. After a long wait and no 2020 tournament because of COVID-19, a new champion will be crowned on Memorial Day yet again.
In the first round, we ll see if Maryland can stay perfect, a highly anticipated Georgetown versus Syracuse meeting and Denver facing Loyola (Maryland), among other matchups.
Here s what we re looking at this weekend.
1. North Carolina s double-dipping again?
The top of the men s and women s brackets will look similar. North Carolina is the No. 1 seed in both tournaments, with the teams having a combined 29-2 record thanks to the women s team and its undefeated record.
Fri Apr 23 2021 | Matt Hamilton | College
Saturday s Army-Navy game is one of NCAA s best rivalries. It s our game of the week. (Photo by John Strohsacker)
Welcome to the Gameday Guide.
Every weekend during the college lacrosse season, US Lacrosse Magazine staff will riff here on the juiciest matchups, trendiest topics, biggest storylines and hottest takes.
The lacrosse community still hasn’t caught its collective breath from Thursday night’s exciting comeback and ensuing overtime win by Duke over Notre Dame. Rest assured, the same level of competition is expected this weekend.
The packed slate starts Friday with a rare matchup between Division I and Division III teams. Penn returns to the field for the first time this season to battle defending Division III champion Cabrini. Another matchup that spans divisions Division III Tufts visits Division I Dartmouth on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern is also sure to be a worthwhile watch.
Who’s your pick? Denver
Why? I’ve struggled over this one, but I’m landing on the Pioneers. Georgetown is a much different team with returns from injury, and I expect the venue change will make this closer than first time around. But the Pioneers’ third-quarter surge against Villanova just showed me a lot to like about Denver. Alex Simmons has added a lot at attack, Jackson Morrill is the most inconspicuous star player ever, and even without Ethan Walker last week, the offense showed it can be marvelous. And, the way Jack Thompson has been playing deserves some attention.
Thu Apr 15 2021 | Patrick Stevens | College
PHOTO BY JOHN STROHSACKER
James Reilly (.642) has won plenty of faceoffs for Georgetown.
At 8-1, Georgetown probably doesn’t need an infusion of good news as much as most teams. Nonetheless, the Hoyas were happy to receive it last week.
Defenseman Gibson Smith, who hadn’t played since the Feb. 21 season opener at Villanova because of an injury suffered in practice, returned for Georgetown’s 10-8 victory at Marquette. Considering what’s next for the Hoyas a rematch with Big East leader Denver the timing is exceptional.
“He has played so much lacrosse for us and been through so many different scenarios, sometimes you just have to plug your way through them,” Georgetown coach Kevin Warne said. “It’s great to have him as that field general. Quite honestly, it just helps everybody else. It gets people on the same page and is that constant voice that everybody remembers. It’s like, ‘He’s back, let’s go.’”
MAAC: Storyline, All-Conference and Player of the Year insidelacrosse.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from insidelacrosse.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.