Professional PLL
06:00 PM
Jul 19
Phi
Den
Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. May Madness is upon us, folks. We finally have the NCAA tournament brackets. Last night was Selection Sunday, the culmination of months of lacrosse to decide the postseason fields.
Check out the brackets from all three divisions.
MEN (click for Division II-III)
WOMEN (click for Division II-III)
2. So how did we get there?
In Men’s Division I, Penn State, the overall No. 1 seed, survived a tough test from a surging Johns Hopkins team to win the Big Ten final in a thriller. The Blue Jays, though, topped Maryland in the semifinals to secure its spot in the NCAA tournament.
GAME. OF. THE. YEAR.
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 5, 2019
Mac O'Keefe punctuates @B1GLacrosse final marked by dazzling offense and late-game heroics, scoring his sixth goal on the first possession of overtime to lift No. 1 @PennStateMLAX to an 18-17 win over Hopkins and their first conference title. pic.twitter.com/pZc8MVZaY2
Johns Hopkins and Maryland look like the last teams in, while Cornell, Denver and Ohio State were some of the first few out. Army, UMBC and Robert Morris provided the shockers to earn automatic qualifiers, while Penn and Virginia took home conference titles.
Each conference crowned a champion on the men’s side over the weekend, so check out the highlights in What We're Watching. And while you’re at it, catch up with our roundups and game stories.
Saturday
Roundup
Virginia Defense Arrives in ACC Win
Penn State Downs Hopkins in Epic Final
Sunday
Penn Wins Ivy
Army Takes Patriot League
3. As for the women’s bracket, Northwestern’s win over previously unbeaten Maryland was a big one in Sunday’s Big Ten final. It moved the Wildcats to No. 4 in the bracket, but the Terps remain the top seed. Maryland, though, will have to play the winner of Stony Brook and defending champion James Madison.
Bubble teams like Colorado and Johns Hopkins had much to celebrate.
That priceless reaction from @HopkinsLacrosse when their name is called for the @NCAA tournament. Blue Jays take on @GatorsLAX in 1st round - #GoHop pic.twitter.com/Ga6E8kikU7
— HOPKINS ATHLETICS (@HopkinsSports) May 6, 2019
Outside of the ACC, each conference had its finale over the weekend. Princeton (Ivy), Loyola (Patriot), Georgetown (BIG East), Florida (AAC) and James Madison (CAA) took home notable conference titles. Read up on the action.
Saturday
Sunday
4. The former Federation of International Lacrosse has rebranded itself as World Lacrosse, equipped with a new color scheme and logo. The news dropped Sunday night from Sport Accord 2019 in Australia. The decision comes months after lacrosse received Provisional Recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and is aimed to further continue the progress of the sport toward full Olympic inclusion.
“This is a tremendously important and exciting day for our organization and for lacrosse enthusiasts around the world who, through their participation and commitment, are lifting our game to unprecedented heights,” World Lacrosse President Sue Redfern said.
5. The shot clock era is here, and coaches are, for the most part, on board with the changes to the men’s lacrosse game. The dive? Not so much.
In our April edition, we asked college coaches around the country for their thoughts on the newest rule changes in 2019. Check out their reaction.