The NCAA tournament selection show is less than two weeks away, and the top teams in the country are starting to look ahead at what could be a berth in the field.
Let’s start with the North region, led by No. 1 Le Moyne and No. 3 Merrimack. The top-ranked Dolphins blew out Pace and Saint Michael’s to solidify the top spot in the NE-10 tournament. Merrimack scored a big win over Adelphi last week, adding another quality victory to the resume for an at-large berth.
No. 7 NYIT (8-0 in the East Coast Conference) and No. 8 Adelphi (8-2 in the NE-10) are also contenders for the final North region spots.
In the South, No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne — a team headed straight for the NCAA tournament —leads the South Atlantic Conference with an 8-0 record. No. 4 Seton Hill took down Limestone last week and sits at 5-0 in the Great Midwest. No. 5 Saint Leo outlasted Sunshine State rivals Tampa and Florida Tech to move to 7-0 in conference.
No. 6 Colorado Mesa (RMAC), No. 9 Lake Erie (Great Midwest), No. 12 Mount Olive and No. 13 Belmont Abbey (Conference Carolinas) and No. 10 Florida Tech and No. 11 Tampa (Sunshine State) are also in the mix.
No huge changes in the rankings, but conference tournaments get started this week.
April 23, 2018 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Moyne | 14-0 | 1 | 4/28 vs. Southern New Hampshire |
| 2 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 15-1 | 2 | 4/27 vs. TBD |
| 3 | Merrimack | 12-1 | 3 |
4/28 vs. Saint Michael's
|
| 4 | Seton Hill | 12-1 | 4 | 4/24 at Alderson Broaddus |
| 5 | Saint Leo | 13-1 | 5 |
4/26 vs. Rollins (SSC Tournament)
|
| 6 | Colorado Mesa | 13-2 | 6 | 4/22 vs. CSU-Pueblo |
| 7 | NYIT | 9-4 | 8 | 4/25 vs. Molloy |
| 8 | Adelphi | 9-3 | 7 | 4/28 vs. Franklin Pierce |
| 9 | Lake Erie | 10-2 | 11 | 4/25 vs. Roberts Wesleyan |
| 10 | Florida Tech | 9-5 | 9 |
4/26 vs. No. 11 Tampa (SSC Tournament)
|
| 11 | Tampa | 13-4 | 10 | 4/26 vs. No. 10 Florida Tech (SSC Tournament) |
| 12 | Mount Olive | 11-4 | 12 |
4/27 vs. TBD (CC Tournament)
|
| 13 | Belmont Abbey | 10-4 | 13 |
4/24 vs. Lees-McCrae (CC Tournament)
|
| 14 | LIU Post | 8-3 | 14 | 4/24 at No. 15 Saint Anselm |
| 15 | Saint Anselm | 8-3 | 17 | 4/24 vs. No. 14 LIU Post |
| 16 | Limestone | 10-6 | 15 |
4/27 vs. TBD (CC Tournament)
|
| 17 | Mercy | 10-3 | 16 | 4/28 at No. 14 LIU Post |
| 18 | Mercyhurst | 8-4 | 19 | 4/28 at Ohio Valley |
| 19 | Rockhurst | 14-2 | N/A | 5/4 vs. TBD (RMAC Tournament) |
| 20 | Pace | 6-6 | 18 |
4/27 vs. Assumption
|
ALSO CONSIDERED: Assumption, Bentley, Indianapolis, Lindenwood, Lynn, Queens (N.C.), Rollins, Southern New Hampshire, Wheeling Jesuit, Wingate
HOT
Saint Leo (0)
The top seed in the Sunshine State conference did not move up because each team above it won, but the Lions are among the hottest teams in the country. Saint Leo downed Tampa 10-9 and Florida Tech 16-13 to stay atop the conference standings and push closer to an NCAA tournament berth.
NYIT (+1)
The Bears have responded from losing four of five with a seven-game winning streak, including an 11-7 victory over LIU Post over the weekend. NYIT has blown through ECC play undefeated at 8-0 and could be in play for an NCAA tournament berth.
NOT
Mercy (-1)
After a promising start to the season put Mercy into the top 15, it has lost two consecutive games — albeit by two goals to NYIT and in overtime to Lake Erie. The matchup with the Bears was the de facto first-place game for the East Coast Conference. The Mavericks will round out their conference slate with an important meeting with LIU Post.
NEW
Rockhurst
Just on the outside looking in last week, Rockhurst returns to the rankings after beating Indianapolis. At 14-2 with its only two losses coming by a total of six goals to No. 6 Colorado Mesa, the Hawks are certainly deserving to be among the top 20 teams in the country. They rank third in Division II with 16 goals per game.
OUT
Queens (N.C.)
The six-game win streak was snapped at the hands of a resurgent Wingate team. A second-half rally was the turning point for the Bulldogs in its upset of Queens (N.C.).