Notre Dame No. 1 in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

And then there was one … undefeated team, that is.

Notre Dame wrapped up its non-conference schedule with an 18-8 road thumping of Michigan. That’s five victories by at least seven goals and four by double figures for the Fighting Irish, who have faced only one serious challenge (a triple-overtime victory at Maryland on March 4) en route to a 6-0 record.

Coupled with Virginia’s 14-13 overtime loss to Maryland on Saturday, Notre Dame is the clear choice for No. 1 in this week’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Top 20.

Not that some challenges aren’t on the way for Notre Dame. It opens ACC play Saturday against Virginia, has Duke coming to town on April 8 and has a return trip to Virginia on April 30. The Irish will have to play well to avoid tripping up in the second half of the schedule.

But based on what the Irish have done to date, running their multi-season winning streak to 12 and closing in on the one-year anniversary of their last loss (a setback at Virginia last March 26), the Irish have a fine claim to the top spot midway through the regular season.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Air Force (5-2), Bryant (5-2), Delaware (5-3), Harvard (3-2), Lehigh (5-2), Marquette (4-3), Michigan (4-3), Princeton (2-4), Syracuse (4-4)

HOT

Denver (+6)

In aggregate, it was a pretty good March for the Pioneers. They won at North Carolina (a team they might be competing with for an NCAA tournament at-large berth), lost by two at Yale and then never trailed in a 17-12 defeat of Ohio State at home on Sunday. Stephen Avery scored seven goals and JJ Sillstrop added five against the Buckeyes for Denver, which has an open weekend prior to the start of Big East play.

Johns Hopkins (+6)

The Blue Jays paid back a pair of losses from last season, winning at Navy on Friday night before collecting a 12-10 comeback triumph over Delaware on Sunday night to improve to 7-3. Hopkins has already matched its victory total from all of 2022 prior to the start of Big Ten play.

Peter Milliman’s team responded to Delaware’s seven-goal spurt in the second and third quarters with a seven-goal run of its own. But the major variable in the game was defenseman Alex Mazzone, who snagged 12 ground balls as the Blue Jays dominated possession and eventually wore down the Blue Hens.

Army (+4)

The Black Knights have won six in a row since opening with a two-goal loss at UMass, and Saturday’s 12-10 victory at Lehigh was a major step in determining the pecking order in this year’s Patriot League. They have another major conference test Saturday with Loyola paying a visit to Michie Stadium. That game pits two of the three remaining unbeatens in Patriot play, with defending champ Boston U the third.

NOT

Penn State (-6)

It’s perhaps unfortunate for the Nittany Lions that they’re done with the Ivy League after beating Cornell, Penn and Yale. On the flip side, they can’t be sad to be finished with the Big East in the regular season after adding a neutral-site loss to Marquette to a February 12 setback at Villanova.

A 12-11 loss to Marquette (which also picked off Michigan on a neutral field last month) won’t make or break the Nittany Lions’ season. The victories over Cornell and Yale are likely to hold up well, and the Big Ten schedule provides more valuable opportunities. But it is a reminder Penn State has a group that’s still figuring things out after a couple lean seasons in the pandemic era.

Yale (-6)

Sometimes, it’s just not your day. Case in point: Yale’s 20-10 loss to Cornell to open Ivy League play. The Bulldogs ran into a hot goalie (Cornell’s Chayse Ierlan made 21 saves) and encountered a Big Red attack that did whatever it pleased (CJ Kirst, Billy Coyle and Michael Long combined for 10 goals and seven assists). That will leave a mark, but it’s also an outlier performance for Yale in the early stages of the season.

IN

Georgetown (No. 19)

The Hoyas have climbed out of the 0-3 hole they dug for themselves in February, beating Princeton (13-10), Richmond (13-12) and now High Point (22-10) in succession to get back to .500. An offense that couldn’t get to 10 goals against Penn and Notre Dame has found at least some rhythm heading into the spring

Can that continue? A four-game homestand continues Saturday against Lehigh before Denver pays a visit for the Big East opener on April 1. Things are trending in the right direction for Georgetown, but there’s still plenty of work to do in the coming weeks.

Saint Joseph’s (No. 20)

The Hawks nose back into the Top 20 after handling St. John’s 16-10 in Queens. Levi Anderson scored eight goals for the Hawks, who welcome Duke to Hawk Hill to close out their home nonconference schedule on Saturday.

OUT

Princeton (was No. 14)

There is a case to be made the Tigers are still one of the 20 best teams in the country. Maybe even top 15. In their last two outings, they took both Rutgers and Penn to overtime on the road before falling. Manage a split in those games, and they’re probably hovering around No. 15.

But the reality is Princeton is 2-4 with six games remaining in the regular season. It begins a three-game homestand Saturday against Yale, with visits from Brown and Syracuse to follow. The Tigers’ margin for error isn’t gone yet, but it is getting late a little earlier than anticipated at the Ivy League’s Garden State outpost.

Michigan (was No. 17)

The Wolverines fell to 4-3 with an 18-8 loss to Notre Dame in their non-conference finale. There’s not much shame in that; the Irish are blasting a lot of opponents this season. Nonetheless, there’s still plenty to learn about Michigan heading into its Big Ten schedule, which starts Saturday with a visit from Johns Hopkins.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 0: February 6

• Week 1: February 13

• Week 2: February 20

• Week 3: February 27

• Week 4: March 6

• Week 5: March 13