Penn State on Cusp of Top 5 in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

After the last three weekends, it’s safe to say this much: Penn State would be a viable contender to win the Ivy League.

And probably quite a few more conferences besides that.

The Nittany Lions (5-1) further cemented themselves as one of the biggest surprises of the first half of the season with a 10-6 victory over Cornell in coach Jeff Tambroni’s old stomping grounds. That came after back-to-back defeats of Yale (on the road) and Penn (at home).

For those keeping score, that’s three victories over NCAA tournament quarterfinalists from last year. Penn State is the only team to defeat either Cornell or Yale in the early portion of this season.

Even the Nittany Lions’ only loss — a 14-12 setback at Villanova on Feb. 12 — looks better by the week, as the Wildcats continue to pile up victories.

Penn State has admittedly been treated with some skepticism to this point. It endured a couple rough post-pandemic seasons, particularly struggling amid a spate of injuries last spring. But at some point, the results just speak for themselves. In holding Cornell to 15 percent shooting behind goalie Jack Fracyon (16 saves), the Nittany Lions roared Saturday in a way that ensured a surge into the top 10.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Delaware (5-2), Georgetown (2-3), Harvard (2-2), High Point (6-2), Lehigh (5-1), UMass (4-2), Saint Joseph’s (3-3), Syracuse (3-4)

* in Levittown, N.Y.

HOT

Penn State (+9)

The Nittany Lions head into their non-conference finale at Marquette on Saturday having done plenty for their postseason profile. There will be plenty of work to do during the Big Ten schedule, but it is clear Penn State has improved across the board.

The Nittany Lions allowed 13.6 goals a game last year. So far this season, it’s 10.5. Goals scored have increased from 11.2 to 14.7. Faceoff winning percentage has gone from 43.0 percent to 53.8 percent. Maybe it doesn’t hold up to this level in the second half of the season, but it’s hard not to conclude this team is simply better than a year ago. Maybe a lot better.

Villanova (+6)

The Wildcats swept a pair of local games from Drexel and Penn to run their winning streak to four games and, arguably, position themselves as the top at-large option in the Big East a little more than a month into the season.

The 9-8 victory over Penn was obtained in impressive fashion. Villanova held the Quakers scoreless for the final 10:28, tied it on Matt Campbell’s man-up goal with 1:46 remaining and then went ahead on Matt Licata’s winner with 28 seconds to go.

NOT

Cornell (-6)

The Big Red have an opportunity to bounce back from that home loss to Penn State soon enough. Cornell opens Ivy League play Saturday at Yale, then welcomes Penn to Schoellkopf Field on March 26 to close out its March schedule.

Ohio State (-6)

The Buckeyes kept things manageable in South Bend on Saturday for a half, trailing by only three goals heading into the break. Then Notre Dame scored all seven goals of the third quarter en route to a 16-3 thumping. Ohio State has blowout losses to the Irish and Virginia, but a lot of teams have been pounded by that duo. The Buckeyes will look to get right against Detroit and Denver this week.

Loyola (-5)

It was apparent from the opening minutes on Friday that Duke was moving at a much faster speed than the Greyhounds, who trailed by as many as 13 in a 17-9 loss to the Blue Devils. Goalie Luke Staudt (15 saves) held up well under the conditions, but Loyola has plenty to figure out in case it sees a Duke or a Virginia or a Notre Dame in the postseason.

IN

Michigan (No. 17)

The Wolverines have enjoyed cushions in back-to-back road victories over Delaware and now Harvard, with Michael Boehm delivering a five-goal, four-assist showing in a 19-13 defeat of the Crimson on Saturday.

Michigan has reached this point before, demonstrating some intrigue but not enough sustainability. It happened last year, when the Wolverines started 7-0 and then lost their last eight. But this is a group that’s finally a little older, and Kevin Conry’s team could be a headache in the Big Ten. But first, Notre Dame awaits this weekend.

Boston U (No. 18)

The Terriers have rattled off four victories in a row since opening with a loss at Vermont, and now the defending Patriot League champions re-enter the rankings.

The things to like about Boston U remain the same as in the preseason. Conor Calderone wins a bunch of faceoffs (62.5 percent), Roy Meyer is one of the country’s top long poles and the offense is experienced and capable. Just look at the starting attack in a 14-12 defeat of Bucknell. Timmy Ley had five goals and an assist, while Louis Perfetto (1 G, 7 A) and Vince D’Alto (1 G, 5 A) set the table as the Terriers managed assists on all of their goals.

OUT

Saint Joseph’s (was No. 17)

The Hawks are not far away from a breakthrough. They’ve dropped three consecutive games by a combined four goals, and the losses include a one-goal slip-up at Johns Hopkins and an overtime loss at home against Penn. They’ll try to get well Saturday against winless St. John’s before Duke pays a visit to Hawk Hill on March 25.

Harvard (was No. 20)

The Crimson have yielded 25 goals to Virginia and now 19 to Michigan in two losses. Going back to last year, the five opponents that defeated Harvard averaged 16.2 goals — including the 19 scored by Rutgers in the NCAA tournament.

There isn’t much of a secret here as the Crimson begins Ivy League play Saturday at Brown: They can be dangerous if they can figure out how to tighten up at the defensive end. Until then, it will be challenging for Harvard to get traction.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 0: February 6

• Week 1: February 13

• Week 2: February 20

• Week 3: February 27

• Week 4: March 6