Last year, Maryland was the best team over the course of the whole season — and agonizingly close to getting the upper hand on Memorial Day.

This time around, the Terrapins were again the best team, even if it didn’t become completely clear until May. And on Monday, Maryland washed away some of the sting of past title game losses with a 9-6 defeat of Ohio State.

There wasn’t much in the way of shaking up the final rankings; it didn’t require any leaps in logic to elevate the semifinalists to the top four, and all but one of the quarterfinalists were pegged as top-eight teams heading into the postseason.

But Maryland is the rightful No. 1. All three of its losses came by a goal (Notre Dame, Villanova and Ohio State), and it lost just once in its final 13 games. It all led to a celebration 42 years in the making.

Also considered: Boston University, Bryant, Marquette, Penn, Princeton, Virginia

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

Towson (+5)

In another time — say, 15 years ago — Towson’s style wouldn’t have distinguished itself all that much. Today, it is a calling card, and a reminder there are many paths to victory.

Penn State and Syracuse learned that lesson the hard way, and coach Shawn Nadelen guided Towson to its first championship weekend since 2001. It wasn’t just an on-field philosophy, but talent, experience and commitment to principles that allowed the Tigers to come close to a national title game appearance.

The philosophy stays the same moving forward, but do the other three factors change? Towson loses a large and skilled senior class, and every team takes on a different personality. For now, though, the Tigers should be appreciated for their embrace of their own identity; it’s why they just about maxed out in the postseason.

Ohio State (+3)

Go back and read last June’s absurdly early lookahead to 2017, and there wasn’t a greater misread than Ohio State. The Buckeyes were fantastic for nearly the entire season, and beat each of the other three teams that advanced to the semifinals.

They advanced through the tournament by shutting down Loyola, pounding a previously sound Duke defense and rallying past Towson. Maryland, which dealt Ohio State two of its three losses and dominated the ball for the final three quarters in the title game, proved itself just a bit better than the Buckeyes.

There will be no underselling the Buckeyes moving forward. They were the most complete team besides Maryland, and there’s a strong identity throughout the program. Ohio State might have made its first semifinal appearance this year, but it won’t be its last.

Denver (+3)

The Pioneers made their fifth trip to the NCAA semifinals in the last seven years, and while they enjoy talent all over the field, the tournament provided a clear-cut view of why junior faceoff man Trevor Baptiste is the most valuable player in Division I.

Baptiste helped Denver dominate possession against Air Force and especially Notre Dame, but had an unusual degree of trouble (for him) while narrowly getting the better of Maryland’s Austin Henningsen and Jon Garino Jr. in the semifinals. Without a massive possession edge, the Pioneers narrowly lost.

There’s no way to know exactly how good Denver would be without Baptiste. Fortunately for the Pioneers, they won’t have to find out next year when Baptiste is a senior.

NOT

Syracuse (-3)

The Orange played with fire all year, and while it rightfully earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, there was always a sense Syracuse was more vulnerable than its record suggested.

That’s why its 10-7 setback against Towson in the quarterfinals isn’t a massive shock. Syracuse’s senior class is the first in 38 years to depart central New York without making a trip to the semifinals, though this was the program’s third consecutive quarterfinal exit. A spot at No. 5 is wholly appropriate for this team.

Duke (-3)

The Blue Devils bludgeoned Johns Hopkins, then ran into an Ohio State bunch that had its way in the middle 30 minutes in the quarterfinals. It was Duke’s first exit in that round since 2002, but it was also the furthest it advanced in the tournament since its 2014 title.

It goes down as a good season for Duke not only because of that, but also in light of the questions the Blue Devils faced this spring. The offense lost two alpha midfielders, and its attack was capable of carrying the offense and the team developed some young midfield depth as the year progressed. The defense was much-improved, especially in the second half of the season.

By the end of the year, there was a good case for Duke as a top-five team. Going into next year, it will surely be viewed as one again.

Albany (-3)

For the fifth time, the Great Danes ran into a barrier in the quarterfinals. It’s probably easier in retrospect to handle getting obliterated by Maryland. It was the Terrapins’ best game of the postseason, but Albany wasn’t the last team to see its offense blanketed and a top-notch faceoff man neutralized by the eventual national champs.

The Great Danes finished with a gaudy record and produced maybe the 30 most thrilling minutes of this year’s tournament, a mixtape-worthy first half against North Carolina in the first round. Many will be on the lookout for whether the long-awaited breakthrough to Memorial Day weekend comes next year.