Will They Be the 1 (Seed)? Sorting Through Conference Top-Seed Scenarios

Even though the Big Ten is the only league to conclude its regular season this weekend, several other teams can clinch the top seed in their respective conference tournaments with the right set of results on Saturday. 

Among them …

* UMBC. The Retrievers (6-3, 4-1) would lock up the America East with a victory over NJIT and a Bryant loss to Binghamton. However, Bryant (7-4, 3-1) can seal the No. 1 seed if it wins out the next two weekends.

* Richmond. The Spiders (9-3, 3-0) need a victory over UMass and a Saint Joseph’s loss at High Point to secure the Atlantic 10’s No. 1 seed with a week to go. If both Richmond and Saint Joseph’s (9-3, 2-1) win Saturday, their meeting on April 25 in Philadelphia would determine the top seed.

* Utah. The Utes (4-7, 3-0) took sole possession of first in the Atlantic Sun by defeating Jacksonville last week. Utah locks up the No. 1 seed with a victory at Queens and an Air Force loss at Mercer.

* Villanova. All alone in first in the Big East, the Wildcats (6-5, 3-0) can render their regular-season finale against Georgetown (7-4, 2-1) meaningless for the chase for the league’s top seed with a victory over Marquette coupled with the Hoyas losing at St. John’s.

* Towson. It’s straight-forward for the Tigers (7-5, 5-0 Coastal), who can take a two-game lead with one to go if they defeat Fairfield (11-1, 4-1) on Saturday.

* Cornell. The Big Red (10-1, 4-0 Ivy) already holds a head-to-head tiebreaker on Princeton, which is tied for second with Harvard at 3-1. If Cornell can beat the Crimson (9-2, 3-1) on the road, it will be assured of Ivy hosting duties even before its regular-season finale next week against Dartmouth.

* Canisius. The Golden Griffins (6-8, 6-1) are the only team in the Metro Atlantic to have an open date next Wednesday, the final day of the conference’s regular season. But they can seal the top seed if they defeat Siena (7-4, 5-1) at home on Saturday; an earlier victory over Sacred Heart (9-2, 5-1) gives the Golden Griffins the tiebreaker even if the Pioneers win out.

* Army. The Black Knights (10-1, 5-1) would earn Patriot League hosting duties for the second consecutive year with a victory over Bucknell and a Boston University loss to Lehigh.

BYE OR NO BYE?

Maryland can clinch the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament with a victory over Johns Hopkins on Friday plus either a Penn State victory over Rutgers or a Michigan defeat of Ohio State.

But is the bye into the league semifinals really all that appealing?

The last couple years would suggest otherwise. The top two seeds in the Big Ten tournament have lost despite extra rest in the semifinals in back-to-back seasons. Since the league went to inviting all six teams into the tournament in 2021, the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds are a combined 3-5 in league semifinals.

The winners? Maryland’s juggernauts of 2021 and 2022, as well as the 2022 Rutgers team that went on to reach Memorial Day weekend for the first time in program history.

“I do think there is something to, ‘The hungry dog hunts best,’” Terrapins coach John Tillman said. “Sometimes when you need that win, the preparation is better. You’re bringing it. It gets you focused and ready to roll.”

Maryland (9-2, 2-2 Big Ten) could end up as the No. 4 seed if it ends up tied with Michigan and Rutgers at 3-2. Those two teams dealt the Terps their only league losses, so Maryland would lose the tiebreaker and play a quarterfinal at home next week. If the Terps lose to Hopkins (6-6, 0-4), they would end up in the 4/5 game — either at Rutgers or at home against Penn State.

Elsewhere in the league, the winner between Ohio State (11-2, 3-1) and Michigan (7-5, 3-1) is assured the No. 1 seed. Hopkins is locked into the No. 6 seed — but could visit anyone besides Maryland, depending on how the results play out.

An interesting wrinkle for Maryland is that it has not played a Sunday game all season. Typically, the Terps get at least one as part of the Big Ten’s television package, and while it can make for a rough turnaround (especially when the Sunday game is on the road), it also provides a mini-break of sorts on the front end.

Simply getting a breather from the season-long grind is the benefit that would come with the No. 2 seed. Of course, that was why the Terps welcomed the No. 2 seed last year — and then went out and got clobbered 19-9 by Penn State in the semifinals.

There’s also the longer view. After receiving rest and humiliation in consecutive weeks heading into Selection Sunday, Maryland rattled off three consecutive victories to earn a place in the national title game.

“I would lean toward trying to get that bye,” Tillman said. “I have so much respect for all the teams in our league. Every week, it’s a rock fight. Those games are white-knucklers. It’s a physical game, it’s usually a low-scoring game. … If we could get it, I don’t think we’d be disappointed. But if things don’t work out and we have to play, maybe deep down inside that routine and just playing another game and staying with what we’ve done all year and staying sharp, maybe that is a better path.”

Numbers of note

7 • Members of Syracuse’s 100 goals-100 assists club after Joey Spallina (100 goals, 117 assists) reached the milestone with a goal in Saturday’s loss to Cornell. Spallina joins Mike Powell, Casey Powell, Ryan Powell, Tim O’Hara, John Zulberti and Rob Kavovit as the only players in Orange history to hit the century mark in both categories.

9-2 • Record for Harvard, its best start since going 12-2 in 1996 prior to an NCAA quarterfinal loss to Virginia. The 1996 season was also the last time the Crimson had three 40-point scorers in a season, something Sam King (56 points), Jack Speidell (47 points) and Teddy Malone (41 points) have achieved this year.

10 • Points for Loyola’s Mason Cook in the Greyhounds’ 21-10 rout of Holy Cross. Cook, who had five goals and five assists, became the first Loyola freshman with a 10-point game since Pat Spencer did it against Army in the 2016 Patriot League final.

12 • Goal margin of victory for Providence in its 14-2 pounding of Marquette, its most lopsided Big East victory ever. That surpassed a 19-9 drubbing of St. John’s in 2021. It was also the Friars’ most one-sided conference victory in any league since a 16-3 defeat of Wagner in 2006.