For the first time all season, the number of teams with a credible claim to the No. 1 ranking is down to two.

There’s 10-0 Duke, off to its best start since 2005 and the owner of probably the most valuable victory on the board — its overtime defeat of North Carolina on Thursday.

And there’s 7-0 Maryland, which is outscoring an overmatched Big Ten by an average of more than seven goals per game and can clinch the top seed in the conference tournament with two games to spare if it upends Michigan on Saturday.

The Blue Devils’ set of victories — North Carolina, Denver, Syracuse, all of them in Durham — holds more weight than Maryland’s sweep of Rutgers. But the Terrapins’ consistency and the exceptional work of fifth-year senior Jared Bernhardt, who set a school record for career goals in Saturday’s 17-10 defeat of Penn State as part of his five-goal, three-assist day, are compelling factors as well.

For now, things will remain in the Nike / US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20 as they have for a while: Duke at No. 1, with Maryland right behind. Both powers have an argument, perhaps one that will be settled on the field sometime next month.

Nike/US Lacrosse
Division I Men’s Top 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Albany (5-2), Bryant (5-2), Drexel (4-2), Hobart (3-1), Vermont (4-3), Villanova (4-2)

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women

HOT

Delaware (+5)

Consider this a bit of an overdue correction. The Blue Hens were shorthanded in their opening loss at Mount St. Mary’s due to pandemic protocols and have since ripped off seven victories in a row. Sophomore Mike Robinson had another seven goals Friday against Fairfield to give him 33 for the season, and Delaware is now the last undefeated team in CAA play after UMass’ one-goal loss at Drexel.

Notre Dame (+4)

If the Fighting Irish were stirring echoes on Saturday, it was of their 2016 drubbing of Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. This time around, Notre Dame spotted the Orange an early four-goal lead but later cruised to an 18-11 victory as coach Kevin Corrigan earned his 310th victory with the program — tying former Delaware coach Bob Shillinglaw for the most Division I triumphs at one school.

Notre Dame was something of a wild card, even after its tight loss to Virginia to open ACC play. While the Irish remain behind the Cavaliers in the rankings, the team’s strengths were on full display against Syracuse. Pat Kavanagh (26 assists in six games) is one of Division I’s top table-setters, and the faceoff combination of Kyle Gallagher and Charlie Leonard (a combined 23 of 32 on Saturday) are going to be a handful.

Lehigh (+3)

It’s starting to look like the road to the Patriot League’s automatic berth will run through Bethlehem, Pa. The Mountain Hawks fended off Army 13-12 thanks in part to Cole Kirst’s four goals on Saturday, and Lehigh now owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over both the Black Knights and Loyola. Kevin Cassese’s team gets three of its final four league games at home, including Saturday’s date with Navy.

Loyola (+3)

The Greyhounds yo-yo back up a few spots after dealing host Navy its first loss of the season. The 14-10 decision wasn’t really that close; Loyola was up 8-2 at halftime and 14-6 early in the fourth quarter before the Midshipmen made things a bit closer. A key Patriot League test against Army awaits Charley Toomey’s bunch.

NOT

Richmond (-7)

Another correction of sorts. The Spiders wrapped up their partial tour of the ACC at 0-3 thanks to an 18-10 loss at Virginia. Richmond is 0-4 against teams in this week’s top 20, and the four teams it has defeated are a combined 9-25. Combined with a .500 record, that calls for a spot closer to 20th than 10th.

Army (-5)

Two things worked against the Black Knights this week. One, their loss to undefeated Lehigh meant that in any logical ordering, they’d slide in behind the Mountain Hawks. Two, the value of their February blowout of Syracuse was reduced when the Orange got drilled at home by Notre Dame. The good news for Army? A one-goal loss at Lehigh isn’t the end of the world, and it remains a Patriot League contender heading into this weekend’s trip to Loyola.

Syracuse (-5)

Pick out whatever explanations you want, but the reality is the Orange have lost a pair of 18-11 games at the Carrier Dome this season. Even in a season with reduced crowds, that’s an eye-opener. There’s probably a larger variance in Syracuse’s best performances (against Virginia, the second half at Duke) and its worst outings (Army, Notre Dame) than any other team in the top 10.

Navy (-4)

The Midshipmen take a few steps back after a home loss to Loyola. It’s been hard to get a gauge on Joe Amplo’s bunch, in large part because most of its March schedule was wiped out by the academy’s restriction of movement order. The next three weekends aren’t going to be particularly forgiving, with trips to Lehigh and Loyola before a return to Annapolis to face Army on the final Saturday of April.

IN

UMBC (No. 15)

The Retrievers’ six games have been decided by a combined nine goals, which means Saturday’s 10-8 defeat of Vermont was a bit lopsided by UMBC’s standards. Indeed, Ryan Moran’s team held a 10-5 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Catamounts made things a bit more interesting before the end of the game.

Brian Tregoning had three goals for the Retrievers, who are now tied with Stony Brook and Vermont atop the America East standings but finish with three of four on the road.

Stony Brook (No. 17)

The Seawolves have played well since a three-game skid, rattling off four consecutive victories in America East play. The latest was a 17-6 drubbing of Hartford, as Tom Haun (three goals) was one of 12 Stony Brook players to find the net. This is a team that will have a large say in how the America East title race is sorted out, especially with games against UMBC (April 24) and Vermont (May 1) still to come.

OUT

Bryant (was No. 19)

The Bulldogs took an 11-10 loss to Hobart on Saturday to absorb their first Northeast Conference loss and see their four-game winning streak come to an end. Another key league game awaits Saturday as Bryant visits Long Island U., which stumbled this weekend against Merrimack for its first NEC loss.

Vermont (was No. 20)

Even with their 10-8 loss to UMBC, the Catamounts are still on the precipice of the top 20. After being held to a season low in goals, Vermont will try to get back on track Saturday against a UMass Lowell bunch it scored 21 goals against on March 3.