We’ve made it to May. We’ve got a bracket. We’ll celebrate 50 years of the NCAA tournament. So in honor of the NCAA Lacrosse Championship’s golden anniversary, let’s begin with past as unnecessary prologue.

One of the most routinely nonsensical statistics you’ll see is that Team X hasn’t beaten Team Y 15 times in a row. But if X and Y haven’t played since 2005, how is that relevant in 2021?

For example, a No. 6 seed has never won a national championship. Presumably, that’s because the road to a dog pile would entail beating a No. 3, a No. 2 and possibly a No. 1 in succession. That’s a tall order for anyone. But we also haven’t had many No. 6 seeds like 2021 Notre Dame.

Before we dive in, there are a few historical trends that stand out since the NCAA tournament expanded in 2003.

Good news for North Carolina. No. 1 seeds have been a virtual lock to reach Championship Weekend. Since 2003, the top seed has reached the semifinals in every season except 2011. That was the year the top four seeds all lost in the quarterfinals. Remember the Catalino Wine Mixer?

After the No. 1 seed, the No. 5 seed has been the next-most likely to reach Championship Weekend. Georgetown is the No. 5 this year. The No. 5 has reached the semis 10 times since 2003 but has only won a single championship. Look away, Scotty Rodgers.

The No. 1 has won the most championships (five) since tournament expansion. No surprise there. The No. 3 is next with four titles. Take heed, Maryland.

Onto the bracket.

(1) North Carolina vs. Monmouth
Saturday, Noon, ESPNU, Chapel Hill

Congratulations to the Monmouth Hawks. A program that launched in 2012 has now made the postseason in two of the last four full seasons. Unfortunately, sometimes you get sacrificed to a greater deity.

North Carolina’s offense can be set to Mozart with Chris Gray leading the symphony. The Tar Heels play selfless team ball with rhythm and harmony. It’s reminiscent of Penn State in 2019. True freshman Collin Krieg has emerged as one of the premier goalies in the country. He’s also played his best in the biggest games. Will Bowen anchors a defensive unit that has improved considerably over the last month. LSM Matt Wright and SSDM Connor Maher patrol the middle of the field. Andrew Tyrerar and Zac Tucci not only win faceoffs, but they trigger transition offense when they do.

The Tar Heels at their best are the best team in the country.

(8) Lehigh vs. Rutgers
Saturday, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU, Charlottesville

I can’t imagine the gamut of emotions Michelle Kirst will feel on gameday. Three of her sons will take the field. Colin and Connor will suit up for Rutgers, while Cole lines up on the opposite side for Lehigh. Colin (a former Lehigh goalie) and Connor (a former Villanova midfielder) transferred to Rutgers in the offseason to honor the memory of their late father, Kyle. The Kirsts’ story is one about lacrosse, family and legacy. Steve Politi of NJ.com had a terrific story on the Kirsts recently.

As for the game itself, Rutgers needs to find its mojo. The Scarlet Knights limped into the postseason with a lackluster win against Michigan, followed by a surprising loss to Johns Hopkins in the Big Ten semifinals. Despite the finish, this was clearly the second-best team in the conference all season. The B1G did itself no favors by limiting its members to a conference-only schedule. Rutgers’ projection is based entirely on hypotheticals. None of the teams they defeated made the NCAA tournament, but this team passed the eye test early in the season.

The Mountain Hawks present a stern test and exploit the Scarlet Knights’ major weakness — faceoffs. Lehigh’s Mike Sisselberger (.795) was statistically the nation’s top faceoff specialist. Rutgers faces off below 40 percent — the worst BY FAR of any team in the NCAA tournament field. Rutgers will have to find a way to limit turnovers and steal some possessions. Lehigh will look to celebrate its first NCAA tournament win.

(6) Notre Dame vs. Drexel
Saturday, 5 p.m., ESPNU, Denver

It’s the lacrosse version of the Lannisters vs. the Targaryens. The House of Gold meets the House of the Dragon. Drexel rides into the tournament like Daenerys Targaryen on Drogon. Indulge me, OK? Drexel’s won nine straight games and looked as sharp as Valyrian steel in the CAA championship game against Hofstra. Drexel jumped out to a 10-1 lead before mercifully letting Hofstra take the black. But dragons and all, Notre Dame will pose a tall order come Saturday.

Kevin Corrigan’s team possesses no discernible weakness — except maybe fourth-quarter clearing. The Irish were a few plays away from being a one-loss team, an ACC champion and the No. 1 seed. Pat Kavanagh has become a weekly highlight factory. Freshman Eric Dobson brings thunder from the midfield. The close defense has few peers, if any, and Liam Entenmann fills up the cage. The Irish force offenses to make risky passes. When those passes fail, Notre Dame’s transition game attacks with Dothraki ruthlessness.

If you’ve got jokes about Notre Dame never having won a championship, use them now. They may expire in three weeks. What is it about Lannisters and repaying debts, again?

(5) Georgetown vs. Syracuse
Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU, College Park

Watching Georgetown’s Dylan Hess gives you Ryan Conrad flashbacks. A two-way middie with an infinite battery, he’s become a game-changer for the Hoyas — and he’s only a freshman. He’s another testament to the Sweetlax program in Florida that also produced Notre Dame’s Eric Dobson.

After vaporizing lesser opponents early in the season, we’ve seen Georgetown flash its mettle over the final furlong of the season. Close games have made this team better. Beating Denver twice was no small feat. You can quibble with the seed, but don’t be surprised if the Hoyas crash Championship Weekend. There are veterans on offense to go along with dynamic freshmen like Hess and assist machine TJ Haley. Goalie Owen McElroy has stopped 60 percent of his shots, and Gibson Smith is an All-American defenseman.  

All things considered, this has to be the closest thing to a favorable draw for Syracuse. The Orange avoided elite faceoff teams like Lehigh and Denver in round one, though Georgetown is well equipped at X.

A win against Georgetown could set up a quarterfinal date with Virginia, a team that the Cuse defeated twice. However, the blowout losses can’t be overlooked. The Orange lost FOUR games by at least 7 goals — including a 14-goal loss to Notre Dame and a 12-goal loss to North Carolina.

Syracuse must improve its off-ball defense, clearing and faceoffs, or this will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.

(4) Virginia vs. Bryant
Sunday, Noon ESPNU, Charlottesville

This pandemic has forced us all to adapt. Business conferences took place over Zoom. We’ve been broadcasting games from our homes. Quint Kessenich is using company-issued facemasks as pocket squares. I wish I was kidding about that last part.

When Virginia put its schedule together, it anticipated it would have to adapt. The ACC allowed for 15 games (including scrimmages). Virginia filled its entire schedule thinking at least a few games would go away and they would have the flexibility to reschedule. That never happened. When Virginia takes the field against Bryant, it will be the Cavaliers’ first game in three weeks.

Lars Tiffany sought counsel from Virginia head football coach Bronco Mendenhall to navigate the pause.

But there’s one big difference between Virginia’s layoff and bowl season. Bryant doesn’t have the long layoff. The Bulldogs have become a playoff fixture out of the NEC. This is Bryant’s fifth postseason appearance since 2013. In 2014, the Bulldogs upset No. 2 Syracuse.

(3) Maryland vs. Vermont
Sunday, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU, College Park

Maryland’s gripe shouldn’t be with its seeding. It should be with its conference and the selection committee’s decision to make Notre Dame the No. 6 seed. The Big Ten’s scheduling shackles (no non-conference games) hindered Maryland’s ability to test itself outside of its league. The real gripe comes with potentially having to play Notre Dame in the quarterfinals — in South Bend.

Had the Irish been a No. 4 or 5 seed — like they should have been — it would have meant the top half of the bracket would funnel into South Bend. In that scenario, Maryland would end up on Long Island if the Terps make the quarterfinals.

But that’s now fait accompli. The Terps will have the opportunity to prove themselves against someone other than a Big Ten foe. Jared Bernhardt was unstoppable in the B1G tournament and pretty much all season. Few get top side with ease the way Bernhardt does. Logan Wisnauskas is more than just a wingman; he’s an All-American in his own right. The defense led by Brett Makar and Nick Grill plays with a “take your lunch money” ferocity.

Vermont’s is making its first NCAA tournament appearance. They’ve got a Bernhardt, too. He’s just not eligible anymore. Former Terps standout Jake Bernhardt is an assistant for Chris Feifs.

The Catamounts appear to have an advantage at the faceoff X. Tommy Burke ranks third in Division I (72 percent). Maryland faces off below 50 percent on the season. Watch for Vermont’s Michael McCormack — he’s the Stephen Curry of lacrosse. McCormack’s a threat to score the moment he steps inside the attack box.

The Terps have a championship roster. The bracketing stinks. Maryland will have to earn its way. The Terps are more than capable.

(2) Duke vs. High Point
Sunday, 5 p.m., ESPNU, Chapel Hill

Two years ago, High Point beat half the championship weekend field (Duke and Virginia) and watched the entire NCAA tournament from home. Lesson learned. This year, High Point put together a mini-ACC schedule. They lost to Duke, Virginia and twice to North Carolina. But the Panthers won the SoCon to punch an AQ to the NCAA tournament.

It’s a battle tested team that took both Virginia and North Carolina down to the wire. Division III transfer Kevin Rogers has become an impact scorer for Jon Torpey’s team. Asher Nolting’s size and strength make him one of the toughest covers, but he needs to limit his turnovers.

High Point has embraced a fearless “play anyone, anywhere” mentality, but …

In March, High Point got a glimpse of what a fully operational Death Star looks like. Duke Alderaan’d the Panthers 27-8. The Blue Devils led 16-3 at halftime. Brennan O’Neill scored five times. Michael Sowers rang it up four times. Twelve different Blue Devils found the back of the net.

John Danowski told us before the regular season finale against North Carolina that we still haven’t seen Duke’s “A” game in ACC play. The Blue Devils still shared the conference title.

(7) Denver vs. Loyola
Sunday, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU, Denver

Loyola withdrew from the Patriot League championship game due to a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing. Had Loyola played in the Patriot League championship game and lost, what would have happened? My guess is Loyola would be out and Army would be in.

If the Greyhounds have their full complement of key personnel (and it sounds like they will), they have a chance Sunday night. Loyola finished the season with four straight wins — including victories against Georgetown and Army. Aiden Olmstead and Kevin Lindley have been the bulwarks offensively. They were mentored and tutored by the great Pat Spencer. Ryan “Officer” McNulty gives Loyola a big weapon in the middle of the field.

Denver’s all-time faceoff specialist TD Ierlan has actually looked mortal of late. Ierlan won just 12 of 23 faceoffs in the Big East tournament. But this is his last hurrah. He’s been a part of Championship Weekend teams at Albany and Yale. Expect to see vintage Ierlan in round one. His former Yale cohorts Jackson Morrill and Lucas Cotler add championship pedigree to “Yale Midwest.” Goalie Jack Thompson has been a difference maker for the Pios. He’s saved at least 50 percent of shots in 12 consecutive games.

US Lacrosse Magazine welcomes back ESPN play-by-play announcer Anish Shroff as a contributor for the 2021 college season. Shroff’s weekly columns on USLaxMagazine.com will include top-10 rankings and insights.

Shroff also is the co-host (alongside ESPN broadcast teammates Paul Carcaterra and Quint Kessenich) of the US Lacrosse Magazine show,  “Yard Sale” (Tuesdays, 8 p.m. ET on YouTube). 

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