Notre Dame has answered the bell. And now the Fighting Irish are back in the top 10.

After dropping four of its first six games — albeit against top-10 caliber opponents like Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia and Ohio State — Notre Dame has drilled Syracuse and fended off Duke on the road to get back to .500.

In the process, the Irish have enjoyed two of its three most explosive offensive performances of the season, dropping 22 goals on Syracuse and peppering Duke for 16.

Now comes the final third of the regular season, with Notre Dame leaving the Midwest just once. The Irish still have conference home games against North Carolina and Duke, a midweek trip to Marquette on Tuesday and an early May visit to Syracuse — a team they have won four in a row against dating back to 2019.

Things are looking up for Kevin Corrigan’s team. At the very least, Notre Dame is easily the biggest riser in this week’s top 20.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Bucknell (7-4), High Point (6-5), Loyola (5-5), St. Bonaventure (8-2), Saint Joseph’s (9-2), Utah (6-3), Villanova (6-4)

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

Notre Dame (+5)

There was a bit more tension than a week earlier, but the Irish got the job done at Duke while shooting 39 percent. Pat Kavanagh had three goals and four assists, Wheaton Jackoboice delivered three goals and Jake Taylor (the breakout star of the Syracuse game on April 2) had another two goals and two assists.

The shooting percentage is what stands out the most. Notre Dame shot 27.4 percent in its first four games. It has scored on 38 of its 79 shots (48.1 percent) over the last two games. Sometimes, explanations aren’t hard to find for why a team is getting better results.

NOT

Penn (-3)

Is Penn the best 4-4 team in Division I, or is Notre Dame? There’s a case to be made for either. The Quakers now have four losses by a combined six goals, with each setback coming against a team in this week’s top 20 — Georgetown, Princeton, Yale and Brown.

However, it’s starting to look like Penn’s path to making the Ivy League tournament is narrowing after its 12-10 loss to Brown on Saturday. At the very least, the Quakers need to beat Harvard and Dartmouth later this month and hope for some help. The good news? Making the Ivy tournament is not a prerequisite for snagging an NCAA berth, and Penn could do exactly that if it wins its final four regular-season games.

IN

Brown (No. 17)

The Bears had dropped three in a row entering their trip to Philadelphia on Saturday, but the arguably best thing they had going for them was opportunity. They promptly cashed in at Penn, earning a 12-10 victory behind Devon McLane’s four goals.

There’s a chance to make another push — in the rankings, in the Ivy League standings and in the chase for an NCAA tournament berth — when Yale pays a visit to Providence on Saturday.

OUT

Villanova (was No. 19)

Denver put a stop to the Wildcats’ three-game winning streak, using a strong third quarter to collect a 12-10 triumph. Matt Campbell had four goals and an assist in the loss for Villanova.

The Wildcats (6-4, 1-1 Big East) close the regular season with home games against Providence and Georgetown sandwiched around a trip to Marquette. Win the next two, and Villanova is assured a place in the Big East tournament — and could very well be back in the top 20 before facing conference leader Georgetown to close out April.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 1 (Feb. 14)

• Week 2 (Feb. 21)

• Week 3 (Feb. 28)

• Week 4 (March 7)

• Week 5 (March 14)

• Week 6 (March 21)

• Week 7 (March 28)

• Week 8 (April 4)