Duke's Turn on Top of Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

Now it’s Duke turn at the top.

The Blue Devils move up to No. 1 in the USA Lacrosse Magazine rankings this week after a 16-14 victory at Virginia that featured stellar play from defenseman Kenny Brower on Cavaliers star Connor Shellenberger and a six-goal, three-assist effort from Brennan O’Neill.

Duke has won eight in a row, including defeats of Penn, Loyola, North Carolina and now Virginia. It has a fine argument for the top spot, even if it could be fleeting. After all, the Blue Devils visit Notre Dame on Saturday.

This also marks the third consecutive week the No. 1 team has changed. Virginia fell out of that placement with its March 18 overtime loss to Maryland, reclaimed it with a victory at Notre Dame and then ceded it with its second home loss in a 14-day span.

Those were three titanic matchups, with three more to come later this month. In addition to Duke’s game in South Bend on Saturday, the Blue Devils return home to face Virginia on April 15. Virginia and Notre Dame will complete their home-and-home April 30 in Charlottesville.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

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

HOT

Georgetown (+8)

Coach Kevin Warne described the Hoyas’ season as “interesting” late last month, and Saturday’s 13-6 rout of Denver certainly piqued some curiosity. It was the best blend of offense and defense that Georgetown has enjoyed all season, with the possible exception of its first half against High Point.

The Hoyas have won five in a row since an 0-3 start and get the other two Big East teams that won conference openers Saturday (Providence and Villanova) at home later this month. More and more, Georgetown looks like it could be interesting for all the right reasons — much like so many people anticipated coming into the season.

North Carolina (+4)

The Tar Heels had the week off, and their rise coincides with losses by Denver, Jacksonville, Ohio State and Rutgers. Sometimes, inertia is a beautiful thing.

But there’s probably a slightly overdue bump for a team that averaged 21.3 goals in its last four nonconference games. (It also slipped in a 15-8 loss at Duke in that stretch, too). North Carolina’s early victory over Johns Hopkins looks better by the week, and it gets quite the test Friday with Virginia coming to Chapel Hill after dropping a two-goal decision to Duke.  

NOT

Denver (-6)

The Pioneers had nearly two weeks to get ready for Georgetown and were coming off a five-goal thumping of Ohio State. So naturally they scored a season-low six goals against an opponent that looked lost at the defensive end a week earlier.

Chalk some of that up to vagaries of college lacrosse in any season, but especially 2023. And credit some of it to the inconsistency that Denver has demonstrated over the last two months. Chances are, the Pioneers have another surprise or two (for good or for ill) in them before coach Bill Tierney retires at season’s end.

Jacksonville (-5)

It seems unlikely anyone would be in a hurry to replicate the Dolphins’ schedule last week: Game at Cleveland State on Wednesday, then another Friday night at Utah. Jacksonville held off the Vikings 14-12 to run their winning streak to eight, then dropped an 18-15 decision to the Utes in Salt Lake City.

The Dolphins remain a viable top-20 team because of their Feb. 11 defeat of Duke. They begin another crammed schedule sequence Saturday at home against Queens before facing Detroit and traveling to Lindenwood next week.

IN

Delaware (No. 20)

It’s early April, and it’s still difficult to peg just how good the Blue Hens are. Certainly, their return to the top 20 is not tied to style points earned in a 19-1 rout of Hampton on Saturday.

Delaware’s seven victories have come against teams with a combined record of 24-46, and only one of those opponents (6-3 UMBC) has a winning record. But its losses have come by a combined seven goals against Johns Hopkins, Michigan and Villanova --- all teams slotted ahead of Ben DeLuca’s bunch this week.

That competitiveness suggests the Blue Hens are worth considering at the tail end of the top 20, which is where they land this week.

Michigan (No. 18)

The Wolverines secured their first victory over Maryland, controlling much of the game while pinning down a 16-11 triumph. It isn’t an exaggeration to suggest it is the best result Michigan has earned in 12 seasons as a varsity program.

Josh Zawada’s three goals and four assists helped nudge the Wolverines into the rankings for a second stint this season. It also snapped a two-game skid and put Michigan into the NCAA tournament conversation with three games left in the regular season.

OUT

Boston U (was No. 16)

The Terriers (7-2) took their first Patriot League loss of the season Friday at Navy, with shaky shooting, sloppy play and faceoff struggles combining to lead to a 10-8 loss.

The highlights of Boston University’s resume are road victories over Bryant and Massachusetts, both of which figure to contend for titles in their respective conferences. A rigorous April stretch looms and will provide some opportunities to climb back into the top 20, starting with a trip to Yale on Tuesday. League games against Loyola, Lehigh and Army also remain.

Yale (was No. 18)

The Bulldogs fell under .500 with a 17-16 loss at Penn, a setback that also dropped them to 0-3 in the Ivy League. Simply reaching the Ivy tournament is probably going to require Yale to win its last three league games.

A three-game homestand begins Tuesday against Boston University, with a visit from Dartmouth following on Saturday.

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