Lars Tiffany is right. There is no doubt about who the No. 1 team in the country is after Maryland’s 23-12 shellacking of Virginia on Saturday.

The Terrapins take over the top spot after dealing the Cavaliers their first loss of the season, a rout that saw Maryland play to Virginia’s strengths and still steamroll last year’s national champions. It was an emphatic display, the Terps’ second consecutive outing with at least 23 goals and their most lopsided defeat of the Cavaliers since 1974.

When Maryland is doing things for the first time since Frank Urso patrolled the field in College Park, things are very, very good indeed.

Now the question is whether there will be another Maryland-Virginia game this season. An answer for that won’t come until May.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Bucknell (6-2), Dartmouth (4-1), High Point (4-4), Johns Hopkins (4-5), Loyola (3-4), Michigan (7-2), Navy (5-3), Saint Joseph’s (6-2), Syracuse (3-4), Villanova (4-3)

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

Duke (+4)

Maybe the Blue Devils have their blueprint as they head into ACC play: As much Brennan O’Neill as an opponent can possibly handle.

Duke trailed after scoring just twice in the first half Saturday against Towson before O’Neill dominated the final 30 minutes of a 14-7 victory. O’Neill finished with six goals and three assists, all but one of the goals coming after the break. Towson plays a matchup-oriented defense, and O’Neill clearly won his. He’s taken at least 10 shots in three consecutive games, and he’ll play a prominent role as the Blue Devils navigate their league slate over the next six games.

Jacksonville (+4)

It’s been a good response for the Dolphins since absorbing a 16-10 loss to Utah two weeks ago. Jacksonville has not trailed in back-to-back blowouts of Bellarmine (16-2) and UMass Lowell (22-8), going on the road in both cases and building double-digit halftime leads.

What’s also helpful in the long term is when Duke and Denver --- their most high-profile triumphs --- grow in value. Denver, in particular, helped on that front when it won Sunday at Ohio State.

NOT

Army (-5)

The problem in sorting out how to rank the two-loss Black Knights after their 11-10 loss at home to two-loss Lehigh was figuring out how to appropriately place the Mountain Hawks ahead of their Patriot League rivals. That’s the explanation for Army’s dip and Lehigh shooting up to No. 15.

Ultimately, though, it’s hard to overlook how the Black Knights constructed their just-snapped five-game winning streak, claiming all of the victories by at least four goals. They’ll get a chance to bounce back Saturday at Loyola. Win, and they’ll be well-positioned to stay in the league title race until late April. Lose, and there’s a decent chance Patriot League tournament hosting duties could be decided by the Lehigh-Loyola game on April 29.

Ohio State (-4)

The Buckeyes lost at home for the first time this season, tripping up in a 14-12 decision against Denver. The Pioneers’ seven-goal third quarter proved the difference in a game that was largely even.

Still, Ohio State sits at 5-2 with Big Ten play beckoning starting Sunday at Rutgers. That should be a good barometer to see how the two best teams in the league not named Maryland stack up against each other.

IN

Denver

The Pioneers nose back into the top 20 after a 14-12 victory at Ohio State snapped a two-game slide. Denver got four goals from Richie Connell and three from Jack Hannah to claw back to .500 and claim a victory that could look pretty good should the Pioneers require an at-large berth.

But that’s a long way off, and Bill Tierney’s team hasn’t won consecutive games since the first two weeks of the season. Denver will try for back-to-back triumphs when Towson visits the Mile High City on Saturday.

Lehigh

The Mountain Hawks jump back into the rankings after a three-week absence. Since the start of March, they’ve handled Navy (11-7) and Holy Cross (17-7) at home before Saturday’s 11-10 victory at Army.

Cole Kirst scored four times and Mike Sisselberger won 17 of 25 faceoffs in West Point for Lehigh, which will play its final two nonconference games before resuming Patriot League play. A victory over visiting Georgetown on Saturday would provide a significant resume boost to a team seeking a second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

OUT

Johns Hopkins (was No. 12)

The Blue Jays had a rough week, losing at home to Navy for the first time in 53 years and then following up two days later with a 12-10 loss at Delaware.

Hopkins dipped to 4-5, with its five-game conference schedule and the Big Ten tournament still to come. With trips to Rutgers and Ohio State on the horizon to begin April, the Blue Jays can ill-afford to drop Saturday’s home date against Michigan.

Michigan (was No. 17)

That’s back-to-back five-goal losses for the Wolverines, first to Harvard and now a 12-7 decision to Notre Dame. Michigan actually led 2-1 after a quarter, but trailed by as many as eight before scoring the game’s last three goals.

It’s Big Ten play from here out for Michigan, starting with Saturday’s trip to Johns Hopkins. The Wolverines won at Homewood Field last year, and another victory in Baltimore would be a welcome response after getting severely outplayed in a 35-minute stretch Saturday in South Bend.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 1 (Feb. 14)

• Week 2 (Feb. 21)

• Week 3 (Feb. 28)

• Week 4 (March 7)

• Week 5 (March 14)