Sorting Top 3 a Challenge in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

May begins with precisely the same overriding mystery as February did: Who’s the best team in the country?

The candidate list is basically down to three. Duke, Notre Dame and Virginia are a combined 27-2 against everyone else this season after the Blue Devils’ 18-15 defeat of Syracuse on Saturday.

But sorting them out is a challenge.

“It’s a good question,” Virginia attackman Xander Dickson said after the Cavaliers’ 12-8 triumph over Notre Dame on Sunday. “That’s a toss-up. There’s obviously three clear-cut teams that I think are a little bit above the rest right now. No shade to Penn State, Hopkins and Maryland; they’re good teams. I think we’ve proven we’re the top three.”

The difficulty in sorting the current tripartite ACC men’s lacrosse powers is because their results against each other amount to an elaborate game of rock, paper, scissors.

Duke’s mastery of Virginia has lasted long enough to be of voting age. The Blue Devils have won 18 consecutive regular-season meetings against the Cavaliers since 2005, two of them this season. Including ACC and NCAA tournament games, Duke has taken 23 of its last 25 meetings with Virginia.

But the Cavaliers have won six in a row against Notre Dame, including a season sweep this year. Not to be outdone, the Fighting Irish have defeated Duke in all three meetings over the last two seasons, including a 17-12 victory in South Bend on April 8.

The trends are well-known, which is why Dickson didn’t offer a call on a debate that is far from decided.

“It’s weird,” Dickson said. “We struggle to beat Duke. [Notre Dame] struggles to beat us. And Notre Dame takes over Duke every time. I’d like to say us, but I’m not going to throw shade at those two programs. Everyone’s playing elite lacrosse right now.”

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Air Force (10-5), Jacksonville (12-3), Lehigh (9-4), Navy (8-7), Richmond (9-4), Saint Joseph’s (10-4), Utah (10-4), Vermont (9-4)

UPCOMING GAMES

No. 1 Duke 5/7 vs. Merrimack (Bethpage, N.Y.)
No. 2 Virginia Regular season complete
No. 3 Notre Dame 5/6 at No. 18 North Carolina
No. 4 Penn State 5/4 vs. No. 20 Michigan (B1G SF)
No. 5 Johns Hopkins 5/4 vs. No. 6 Maryland (B1G SF)

No. 6 Maryland 5/4 at No. 5 Johns Hopkins (B1G SF)
No. 7 Cornell 5/5 vs. No. 12 Yale (Ivy SF)
No. 8 Georgetown 5/4 vs. Providence (Big East SF)
No. 9 Denver 5/4 vs. No. 11 Villanova (Big East SF)
No. 10 Penn 5/5 vs. No. 16 Princeton (Ivy SF)

No. 11 Yale 5/5 vs. No. 7 Cornell (Ivy SF)
No. 12 Villanova 5/4 vs. No. 9 Denver (Big East SF)
No. 13 Boston University 5/5 vs. TBD (Patriot SF)
No. 14 Army 5/5 vs. TBD (Patriot SF)
No. 15 Syracuse Regular season complete

No. 16 Princeton 5/5 vs. No. 10 Penn (Ivy SF)
No. 17 Rutgers Regular season complete
No. 18 North Carolina 5/6 vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
No. 19 Delaware 5/4 vs. Towson (CAA SF)
No. 20 Michigan 5/4 vs. No. 4 Penn State (B1G SF)

HOT

Boston U (+6)

The Terriers make a jump this week in part as a nod to their one-goal victory at Army, and in part as an acknowledgment that they probably need to be ahead of a Black Knights team with an identical record.

Boston U beat Loyola, Lehigh and Army in three consecutive weeks since its back-to-back losses to Navy and Yale, and the Terriers will look to successfully defend their Patriot League tournament title at home this weekend. They’ll play the lowest-seeded team remaining in the field after Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

Yale (+6)

Was Andy Shay’s team overdue for a re-evaluation? Possibly so. The Bulldogs have won five in a row since sinking under .500 with three consecutive Ivy League losses, and a defense that got rung up for 43 goals in a two-week span by Cornell and Princeton in March has tightened up.

Over the last four games, Yale has allowed 38 goals, and its 14-11 defeat of Harvard (which clinched an Ivy League tournament berth) was the closest of the bunch. With three 30-goal scorers on an attack that features Matt Brandau, Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons, that kind of defensive efficiency could permit the Bulldogs to go on a deep run in May.

NOT

Army (-6)

The Black Knights fall out of the top 10 with their 12-11 loss to Boston U, but from about No. 7 into the mid-teens, there is an argument for shuffling just about anywhere. After all, Army is only a few weeks removed from losing to Cornell by a goal.

Regardless of Friday’s setback, the Black Knights’ strengths remain the same. They boast an excellent defense anchored by senior goalie Knox Dent (17 saves), and they have six players with double-digit goals, which means top scorer Reese Burek (29 goals, 22 assists) routinely receives help. Army remains a contender to win the Patriot League tournament, even if they’ll have to go to Boston to play it.

Delaware (-5)

Didn’t see that one coming. The Blue Hens had won five in a row and were poised to complete a perfect regular-season run through the CAA before tripping up 15-10 at Towson. Delaware trimmed a six-goal deficit at the half to 11-9 before the Tigers pulled away in the second half.

The loss doesn’t change that Delaware must win the CAA tournament to reach the NCAA tournament, and that starts with a quick rematch with Towson. The Blue Hens will play on their home field this week, and two victories will get them back to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year.

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

• Week 6: March 20

• Week 7: March 27

• Week 8: April 3

• Week 9: April 10

• Week 10: April 17

• Week 11: April 24