Carousel at No. 1 Continues as Notre Dame Reclaims the Throne in Nike/USAL Top 20

There’s a new No. 1 — yet again.

For the fourth consecutive week, there is a change atop in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Top 20. From Virginia to Notre Dame to Virginia again to Duke and now back to Notre Dame again, it’s been a tumultuous month at the top of the Division I heap.

The Fighting Irish make their return to No. 1 after handling Duke 17-12 on Saturday in the teams’ lone regular season meeting. The top three teams in the ACC have now taken turns beating up on each other — Virginia beat Notre Dame and lost to Duke the previous two weeks — but also seem like the clear-cut top tier given what else has happened in the sport.

That includes the Big Ten going 3-for-3 with overtime games this week, offering some evidence there isn’t a massive difference among its teams. Cornell’s 10-8 loss at Harvard was Saturday’s most puzzling result. And bubbling up suddenly is Syracuse, which won at Princeton and has a chance to play its way into a postseason berth over the next three Saturdays.

One thing that won’t happen in the next seven days: The emergence of a new No. 1. Notre Dame doesn’t play again until April 22, putting an end (for now, anyway) to the merry-go-round atop the rankings.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Boston U (7-3), Brown (5-5), Bryant (8-2), Drexel (7-3), Harvard (5-4), Lehigh (7-3), Michigan (5-5), Navy (6-6), Saint Joseph’s (7-4), Utah (6-4), Yale (5-4)

* in Olney, Md.

HOT

Denver (+7)

The Pioneers’ jump speaks both to how indistinguishable much of the second 10 is even at this point in the season, as well as the fact last week’s Nos. 10, 11, 15, 16, 17 and 18 all lost either Friday night or Saturday afternoon. This week’s re-sorting also puts Denver ahead of a Villanova team it handled 12-6 over the weekend.

About that game: Even after last week’s dud at Georgetown, it never felt like there was much chance this Denver team was going to disappoint on Bill Tierney Day. Some of that was due to emotion, but also because the Pioneers have alternated wins and losses since the start of March. They’ll try to end that pattern Thursday at Towson before visiting St. John’s two days later.

Penn State (+4)

The Nittany Lions have responded well since back-to-back losses to Marquette and Maryland, obliterating Ohio State before facing an early gut check against Johns Hopkins on Saturday. After spotting the Blue Jays the first five goals, Penn State dominated the middle of the game, got nudged into overtime and then got a winning score on Kevin Winkoff’s step-down shot in the second extra session.

Penn State owns victories over Cornell, Hopkins, Penn and Yale and is 5-0 at home. It can also clinch a bye into the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament with victories over Michigan and Rutgers the next two weeks.

NOT

Loyola (-5)

The Greyhounds suffered an 11-10 loss to Navy, an absolute RPI buster that severely damages their hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. But the inability to defend effectively in the third quarter Friday night or shoot with accuracy for much of the game is a reminder of how things just haven’t gone smoothly since opening with victories over Maryland and Johns Hopkins.

Next up is a stretch of three games in eight days: A trip to Boston U before home games against Georgetown and Colgate.

Villanova (-5)

The Wildcats’ loss at Denver was their second setback in three games, and their most likely avenue to the NCAA tournament at this point is through the Big East tournament. That means Villanova’s next logical step is reaching the Big East tournament.

Victories the next two weeks — when the Wildcats visit Providence and play host to Marquette — would do the trick. But both of those teams have proven plenty spunky, with Marquette beating Michigan and Penn State and Providence owning an impressively efficient offense despite limited possession time. Villanova needs to play better than it did in the Mile High City this past weekend.

IN

Syracuse (No. 16)

The Orange finally move into the rankings for the first time this season after it never trailed in a 16-13 victory at Princeton. Joey Spallina had four goals and five assists, while Cole Kirst and Finn Thomson both recorded hat tricks as a series steeped in memorable games resumed after a decade-long hiatus.

It was Syracuse’s first victory over a top-30 RPI opponent, which isn’t going to get the Orange into the postseason. But it faces North Carolina, Virginia and Duke over the next three Saturdays, and winning a couple of those might make the Orange a wild card come Selection Sunday. At the very least, there is some genuine intrigue around Syracuse as it heads into the final weeks of the regular season.

OUT

Michigan (was No. 18)

Someone had to get bumped to make room for the Orange, and there were certainly plenty of candidates. The Wolverines slipped to .500 with an overtime loss at Rutgers a week after winning at Maryland, but nonetheless made things interesting by scoring the final three goals of regulation.

Michigan is not to be counted out, and it will play host to Penn State on Sunday in its penultimate regular season game.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 0: February 6

• Week 1: February 13

• Week 2: February 20

• Week 3: February 27

• Week 4: March 6

• Week 5: March 13

• Week 6: March 20

• Week 7: March 27

• Week 8: April 3