It was always going to be an uphill battle for No. 10 Maryland men’s lacrosse to earn an NCAA Tournament bid following the program’s worst start since 1993.
A three-game losing streak during nonconference play left the Terps practically playing with their backs against the wall for the remainder of the regular season. While it navigated one of the premier lacrosse conferences with a winning record, the margin for error remained small.
Maryland suffered road losses to then-No. 9 Penn State and then-No. 13
Johns Hopkins during Big Ten play, hurting its chances of an at-large selection. Still, the Terps picked up a pair of ranked wins to close out the regular season.
The path for Maryland’s postseason berth remains straightforward: a conference tournament title would slot it as one of the 10 automatic qualifiers.
But if Maryland fails to run the table with three victories in eight days, it hopes to accomplish a feat that hasn’t been done since 2019. No team has secured an at-large bid with six losses over the last five tournaments.
While the Terps have positioned themselves firmly in bubble consideration — projections have Maryland as one of the last two teams in — their resume lacks a marquee win to separate them from the rest of the field.
It’s not like the Terps haven’t had the opportunities either; they’ve faced half of the current top ten teams. Maryland dropped games to No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Princeton and No. 6 Syracuse during nonconference play by a combined six goals.
Maryland’s best victory came against No. 8 Virginia, though the Cavaliers were unranked at the time. It was far from a statement win. The Terps blew a three-goal fourth-quarter lead and needed heroics from Leo Johnson with 39 seconds left to force overtime. Zach Whittier’s game-winner in the third extra period rescued Maryland’s home victory.
That head-to-head win could factor into the selection committee’s decision when they sort through the at-large candidates. The Terps were slotted ahead of Virginia in the committee’s initial top ten reveal on April 18.
Maryland currently boasts the fourth-highest strength of schedule and 10th-best RPI, which is ahead of bubble contenders Harvard, Penn State and Yale.
The Crimson’s recent form doesn’t help their case — they’ve lost four of their last five games after an 8-0 start. Still, a top-five win over Syracuse and defeats to only ranked opponents strengthen Harvard’s claim as a tournament-worthy team.
Penn State features the most confusing resume. The Nittany Lions secured wins over Princeton, No. 4 Cornell and No. 9 Yale during nonconference play. But they also suffered close losses to Villanova and Navy.
Yale is about as hot as any team in the country. The Bulldogs’ six-game winning streak is tied for the third-longest current run. While Yale’s metrics don’t bolster its chances, victories over Cornell and Harvard have cemented it in the bubble conversation.
After dropping its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal matchup against Michigan, Ohio State is likely out of the race for an at-large berth.
Duke’s season appeared to be over after it was eliminated from the ACC Tournament. But a signature road victory over No. 5 North Carolina to close out the regular season revived the Blue Devils’ postseason aspirations, vaulting it to the eighth-best RPI.
With eight at-large berths and 10 teams firmly in consideration, Maryland is fighting to solidify its case to be selected in the NCAA Tournament.
Since the ACC only has five teams, the winner of the conference tournament doesn’t earn an automatic qualifier. That leaves those teams fighting for an at-large bid. With Notre Dame, North Carolina and Syracuse all in the top-six, all three are expected to make the tournament.
The Ivy League has three schools worthy of selection: Cornell, Princeton and Harvard. While one of those teams could earn the conference’s automatic qualifier, the others are most likely still in regardless.
Richmond will likely be in regardless of how it fares in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
That leaves Virginia, Maryland, Penn State, Yale and Duke fighting for the remaining three spots. But bid stealers could shake up how the bubble turns out.
Still, the Terps control their own destiny. A conference tournament title would clinch Maryland’s 23rd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance — the longest active streak among lacrosse programs in the country.
If the Terps hope to continue that streak, they’ll likely need to win today against Penn State in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
