Seeding, Bubble Dominate Discussion Around NCAA Division I Women's Bracket

The reveal of the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse bracket certainly wasn’t controversial, right?

With the acknowledgement that putting together a bracket with integrity that also falls within geographic and monetary restraints isn’t easy, the Selection Show kicked off with controversy within minutes — Duke is in the field.

USA Lacrosse Magazine bracketologist Jeremy Fallis predicted the Blue Devils — who own a quality victory over fifth-seeded Virginia — would fall short of the tournament. But Duke and Fairfield both earned at-large bids as teams near the bubble, bumping Colorado and Navy from the field.

“It’s a good showing for us,” Boston College head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said of the ACC’s success on Selection Sunday. “I’m excited.”

Another thing that will most assuredly be worth discussing: seeding. Both Virginia and Notre Dame earned seeds, as did Penn. Loyola, Stony Brook and Florida (to a lesser extent) were in the seeding conversation, but the ACC and Ivy League were rewarded — presumably for stronger in-conference competition.

Fallis will have a full analysis of the bracket tomorrow morning with interviews with selection committee members. For now, here’s a quick look at how it shook out.

THE OFFICIAL DIVISION I WOMEN’S @NCAALAX TOURNAMENT BRACKET. 👇

Retweet if your team made it. pic.twitter.com/OQ46A2ejSU

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 6, 2024

NATIONAL SEEDS

1. Northwestern 
2. Boston College 
3. Syracuse 
4. Maryland 
5. Virginia 
6. Yale 
7. Notre Dame 
8. Penn

TAKEAWAYS

Making Sense of the Loyola Pod

The Loyola pod is challenging to figure out. The Greyhounds probably have the biggest gripe with not getting a seed, and they’re paired with Duke — likely the most controversial team in the field. Loyola gets a potential rematch with Penn in the second round. Penn dominated Loyola 13-6 on April 17.

Brutal First-Round Games

Three first-round games stick out as brutally difficult matchups for quality teams — Florida gets North Carolina, Denver gets Stanford and Penn State gets James Madison.

Best Potential Rematch

A candidate for one of the best games in the entire tournament could be on tap in the second round if Stony Brook gets past Niagara. The Seawolves would then face No. 3 seed Syracuse, which they beat 13-12 in overtime on March 5 in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Can Stony Brook clip Syracuse for a second time on the road? First, it can’t sleep on the Purple Eagles.

Two-Bid MAAC

Niagara’s win over Fairfield in the MAAC championship game stole a bid from another at-large team. The Stags, with an RPI of 16 but a strength of schedule of 59, had a compelling case for inclusion — especially because one of their wins came against Drexel, which also made the field. Good for the MAAC.

The Biggest Seeding Question

How is Maryland the No. 4 seed? The Terps were projected as the No. 6 seed by Fallis after limping to the finish line with a 2-3 record in April — including three losses in College Park, an unheard of stretch in Cathy Reese’s tenure as head coach.

As the No. 4 seed, Maryland gets a favorable matchup against Robert Morris and then gets the Penn State-James Madison winner. Each of those teams has recent history with the Terps.

NOTES

• This is Yale’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007
• Four new programs — Binghamton, Coastal Carolina, LIU and Niagara — are in the tournament.
• This is the 34th consecutive appearance for Maryland
• Fairfield, Duke last 2 in; Colorado, Navy first 2 out