Two Top-5 Clashes Give Week 7 a Postseason Vibe

You might have spent the better part of your week filling out a bracket for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and giving your hot take on whether or not North Carolina belonged in the field.

Jeremy Fallis spent his week giving his first take on the projected women’s lacrosse bracket, and there’s no (big) dancing around it: The Tar Heels women’s lacrosse team is among three programs currently in the (very early) running for the NCAA tournament’s top seed.

Northwestern and Boston College are the others. But the rest of Division I is hard to put a finger on, with teams scoring big wins one week and head-scratching losses the next. The whiplash is part of the fun of sports, at least for those of us along for the (rollercoaster) ride, which continues this week with two top-five clashes.

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• Rankings

PICK 5

NO. 5 MARYLAND (6-1, 2-0 BIG TEN) AT NO. 3  NORTHWESTERN (7-1, 1-0 BIG TEN)  
2 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: BTN+

Maryland storyline to watch: Northwestern’s offense gets its share of deserved hype, but the Wildcats tout a defense that ranks fifth nationally at 7.50 goals allowed per game. The Terps offense isn’t your Taylor Cummings-era style unit, averaging 13.43 goals per game. There’s also not a clear star. Balance isn’t bad, but it can benefit teams to have someone with the confidence to take over a game like this one. Can someone rise to the occasion? Leading scorer Kori Edmonson (20G, 7A) is an obvious candidate, though Katie Sites (11G, 1A)  is coming off a four-goal performance in the Terps’ win over Michigan.

Northwestern storyline to watch: This matchup is often the quasi-BIG Ten regular-season championship game. However, it doesn’t feel that way this year. For one, Northwestern has been one of three “sure things” through the first half of the season. It’s also in March rather than April, and the Wildcats clash with North Carolina next Thursday night. Northwestern will need to keep its one-game-at-a-time mentality, as the Terps come in with something to prove. Is there reason to think Northwestern will abandon focus? No, but stranger things have happened in the last 10 days. 

NO. 1 BOSTON COLLEGE (11-0, 4-0 ACC) AT NO. 5 STANFORD (8-1, 3-1 ACC) 
4 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ACCNX

Boston College storyline to watch: No bookenders, no problem, at least through the first half of the season for the Eagles. The defending champs statistically have the No. 1 offense (18.60 goals per game) and No. 3 defense (6.30 goals allowed per game) in Division I. Keep an eye on how the offense fares against Stanford’s defense, which sits ninth in Division I (8.60 goals allowed per game). Brown gave the normally sharp-shooting Eagles some trouble Tuesday. BC entered the game with a 51-percent shooting percentage but was shooting under 38 percent early in the third quarter. The Eagles recovered, ultimately finishing 18-for-41 (43.9%) in an 18-7 W. The Cardinal could be less forgiving.

Stanford storyline to watch: The Cardinal welcomed another top-five team to the West Coast on Sunday and sent Yale packing with an 11-10 loss. The win moved Stanford to No. 5 in the rankings, and more importantly, confidence it can run with some of the nation’s best. But Boston College is the nation’s best until someone says otherwise. Watch how Aliya Polisky (34G, 6A), Ava Aceri (27G, 10A) and Alise Murphy (10G, 22A) go to work against BC’s staunch defense. A win would be considered an upset, but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities. It would also further position Stanford as a contender for an NCAA tournament seed.

NO. 20 RUTGERS (6-3, 1-0 B1G TEN) AT NO. 10 JOHNS HOPKINS (6-2, 1-0 B1G TEN) 
11 A.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: ESPNU

Rutgers storyline to watch: Lexie Coldiron, a graduate transfer from Lafayette, has looked solid in net since the season opener — a 12-stop performance in a one-goal loss to Army. She’s now fourth nationally in save percentage (.551) and might need to make a late stop against a Johns Hopkins team becoming known for its last-second histrionics.

Johns Hopkins storyline to watch: Mack attack? Ashley Mackin has become one of the nation’s top offensive threats in 2025, entering the weekend second nationally in goals per game (6.71). Jake Epstein wrote about her in his weekly notebook.

NO. 7 SYRACUSE (6-4, 2-2 ACC) AT NOTRE DAME (6-4, 1-3 ACC) 
12 P.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: ACCNX

Notre Dame storyline to watch: The Irish are young and learning this season, but freshman midfielder Madison Rassas is showing a glimpse of what’s to come. The Sterling, Va., native leads Notre Dame in goals, points and draws.

Syracuse storyline to watch: Can the real Orange please stand up? A dominant win over Maryland on Feb. 15 had us wondering if we underrated Syracuse to start the year at No. 11. Then there was the loss to Clemson, the win over Stanford, and the loss to Hopkins. No team has been on a steeper rollercoaster than the Orange this year. Will they find themselves on the top of a hill or racing down one on Sunday?

USC (7-3, 1-0 B1G TEN) AT NO. 17 Ohio State (8-0, 1-0 B1G TEN) 
12 P.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: BTN+

USC storyline to watch: Maddie Dora’s four-goal day marked a bright spot for the Trojans in a Sunday afternoon loss to Johns Hopkins, in which the Blue Jays largely dominated from start to finish. Dora then went for three goals and one assist in a 11-9 loss to Michigan in which USC held the lead for most of the game. That’s now two Big Ten losses in a row. Will Ohio State make it a third?

Ohio State storyline to watch: North Carolina and Boston College aren’t the nation’s only undefeated teams. Ohio State is off to its best start in program history at 8-0 (the 2002 team started the year 6-0). But the Buckeyes begin a challenging week with USC before welcoming football rival Michigan on Thursday.

DIVISION II GAME OF THE WEEK

NO. 4 MARYVILLE (6-1) AT No. 9 GRAND VALLEY STATE (5-1) 
3 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: FLO SPORTS

Both teams are well-rested heading into this non-conference game, which could have a significant impact on NCAA regional rankings and postseason seedings. Coming off a 10-day layoff, Maryville hopes to rekindle its high-octane offense, which scored 92 goals in its previous four games. The Saints have been rolling since their season-opening loss to No. 1 Tampa but will be tested by a GVSU defense that has held four of six opponents to less than 10 goals this season. After a one-week layoff, GVSU faces a busy weekend homestand, following Friday's game with a Sunday matchup against No. 16 UIndy.

— Paul Ohanian