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We’ve reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament. That means from this point forward, all games will be at predetermined sites.
But even though there won’t technically be a home-field advantage for any program, there should still be plenty of partisan spectators in attendance, as the list of the eight teams yet standing includes some of the most historically successful and well-supported programs in the sport. But the group also features a couple of programs that have been close but have yet to claim the ultimate prize. Here’s a quick look at the events for the penultimate weekend of the season.
Saturday, May 16
At Hempstead, N.Y.
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Johns Hopkins, noon ET
No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 6 Syracuse, 2:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 17
At Newark, Del.
No. 1 Princeton vs. No. 8 Penn State, noon ET
Duke vs. Georgetown, 2:30 p.m. ET
Saturday’s opening contest figures to be a low-scoring affair. The Fighting Irish lead the remaining eight teams in scoring defense, surrendering just 8.54 goals a game, while the Blue Jays are coming off their best defensive half of the season in last week’s first-round triumph against defending champ Cornell. Both teams rely heavily on their top midfield units to initiate scoring opportunities, so there might be less activity than usual behind both cages.
The second game on Long Island will guarantee an ACC presence at Championship Weekend. The Tar Heels have already beaten Syracuse twice this season, though the Orange closed the gap from a 14-9 loss in Chapel Hill in the regular season to a 12-10 decision in the ACC tournament semifinal. Syracuse has all-star talent at every position, but its free-wheeling style can lead to mistakes that have hurt the Orange against top-tier competition. UNC, sent packing in the first round a year ago, has been a more consistent outfit in 2026.
A battle of big cats leads off the Sunday twin bill in Delaware. Like Cornell a year ago, the Ivy Leaguers from Princeton are looking to snap a lengthy national championship drought, having last hoisted the trophy in 2001. The Nittany Lions are still seeking their first title, but a win here would send them to their third Final Four in four years. The game is also a rematch, though much has changed for both teams since Penn State’s 13-7 victory way back on Valentine’s Day. The Tigers have been playing their best lacrosse down the stretch, while the Nittany Lions overcame inconsistency over the first few weeks of the campaign to claim the Big Ten crown.
The round concludes with a clash of unseeded teams that had to pull off road wins in the state of Virginia to get here. The Blue Devils have buttoned things down on the defensive end of the field, and a dominant day at the face-off X helped them ware down Richmond. Duke should therefore provide a more structured challenge for the Hoyas, who took advantage of numerous miscues to get by Virginia.
All quarterfinal games can be seen on ESPNU, with Hofstra and Delaware serving as host institutions for the Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NCAA lacrosse tournament schedule, quarterfinal preview
Continue reading...
But even though there won’t technically be a home-field advantage for any program, there should still be plenty of partisan spectators in attendance, as the list of the eight teams yet standing includes some of the most historically successful and well-supported programs in the sport. But the group also features a couple of programs that have been close but have yet to claim the ultimate prize. Here’s a quick look at the events for the penultimate weekend of the season.
NCAA men's lacrosse tournament schedule
Saturday, May 16
At Hempstead, N.Y.
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Johns Hopkins, noon ET
No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 6 Syracuse, 2:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 17
At Newark, Del.
No. 1 Princeton vs. No. 8 Penn State, noon ET
Duke vs. Georgetown, 2:30 p.m. ET
NCAA men's lacrosse tournament storylines
Saturday’s opening contest figures to be a low-scoring affair. The Fighting Irish lead the remaining eight teams in scoring defense, surrendering just 8.54 goals a game, while the Blue Jays are coming off their best defensive half of the season in last week’s first-round triumph against defending champ Cornell. Both teams rely heavily on their top midfield units to initiate scoring opportunities, so there might be less activity than usual behind both cages.
The second game on Long Island will guarantee an ACC presence at Championship Weekend. The Tar Heels have already beaten Syracuse twice this season, though the Orange closed the gap from a 14-9 loss in Chapel Hill in the regular season to a 12-10 decision in the ACC tournament semifinal. Syracuse has all-star talent at every position, but its free-wheeling style can lead to mistakes that have hurt the Orange against top-tier competition. UNC, sent packing in the first round a year ago, has been a more consistent outfit in 2026.
A battle of big cats leads off the Sunday twin bill in Delaware. Like Cornell a year ago, the Ivy Leaguers from Princeton are looking to snap a lengthy national championship drought, having last hoisted the trophy in 2001. The Nittany Lions are still seeking their first title, but a win here would send them to their third Final Four in four years. The game is also a rematch, though much has changed for both teams since Penn State’s 13-7 victory way back on Valentine’s Day. The Tigers have been playing their best lacrosse down the stretch, while the Nittany Lions overcame inconsistency over the first few weeks of the campaign to claim the Big Ten crown.
The round concludes with a clash of unseeded teams that had to pull off road wins in the state of Virginia to get here. The Blue Devils have buttoned things down on the defensive end of the field, and a dominant day at the face-off X helped them ware down Richmond. Duke should therefore provide a more structured challenge for the Hoyas, who took advantage of numerous miscues to get by Virginia.
NCAA lacrosse tournament television schedule
All quarterfinal games can be seen on ESPNU, with Hofstra and Delaware serving as host institutions for the Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NCAA lacrosse tournament schedule, quarterfinal preview
Continue reading...
