Ten conference tournament champions earned an automatic NCAA tournament berth over the weekend.
The 11th, though, was one of the biggest winners of all.
Syracuse’s run through the ACC tournament didn’t land it an AQ; the ACC is one team shy of the six necessary to warrant an automatic berth. But the Orange certainly seemed glad that May had finally arrived.
And let’s face it: No one was getting judged on how it fared in May and only May this season quite like the Orange.
The moment Syracuse lost in the NCAA quarterfinals last season to Denver, it was on the clock to get back to that stage and then move on to the final weekend of the season for the first time since 2013. The Orange had done a bit more from year to year to year under Gary Gait, and the expectation was a team with an uber-experienced junior class would restore the program’s glory.
The downside of it all was there was still a regular season to navigate. And that wasn’t always smooth for Syracuse as it brought a 9-5 record into May.
While it wasn’t perfect against Notre Dame and then Duke, it still showed strength all over the field. Jimmy McCool in goal. John Mullen on faceoffs. Owen Hiltz’s five-goal day in the semifinals. A statement performance on defense in the title game.
If Syracuse wasn’t specifically built for May, the perception of its season was certainly oriented toward this month. Now that it’s here, the Orange are brimming with possibilities as they look to make a memorable run — something Syracuse fans used to enjoy every year, and might savor even more given the dozen years since it last played on Memorial Day weekend.
PATRICK STEVENS' TOP 20
1. Cornell (14-1). The Big Red won the Ivy League tournament with a flourish, dropping back-to-back 20-goal games for the first time since 2018 while blasting Yale and racing past Princeton. Cornell has the best record and the best player in the sport, and its offense couldn’t be in much better shape heading into the postseason. (Last week: 1)
2. Ohio State (14-2). The Buckeyes’ maturity was abundantly evident in Saturday’s Big Ten title game defeat of Maryland. Ohio State is old and hungry, and about the only thing to ding it for at this point is a lack of postseason experience. Will it matter in the next few weeks? (LW: 5)
3. Maryland (11-3). The Terrapins got a split against Penn State and Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament, which actually constitutes a pretty good trip competitively even if it didn’t result in a trophy. The 14 goals allowed in the to Ohio State in the final was a season high; expect a lock-down showing from Maryland in the first round. (LW: 2)
4. Princeton (12-3). Proved more than capable of running with Cornell for two and a half quarters before the Big Red’s offensive deluge denied the Tigers a third consecutive Ivy tournament title. No matter; Princeton’s only losses this season were against Cornell and Maryland, and it won’t have to see either of them prior to the NCAA semifinals. (LW: 3)
5. Syracuse (11-5). ACC champions for the first time since 2016, the Orange went into last week not entirely comfortable with its postseason prospects and left with victories over Notre Dame and Duke while securing a game at the Dome in the first round. (LW: 12)
6. Duke (12-5). The Blue Devils throttled North Carolina in the ACC semifinals to position themselves for a first-round home game in the NCAA tournament. A 9-8 stumble against Syracuse in the final doesn’t change much for Duke, which has played better the last three weeks than it had in late March and throughout April. (LW: 9)
7. Penn State (10-4). Played a prototypical Big Ten game in the league semifinals against Maryland, falling 10-8. The Nittany Lions are a known at this point — maybe not overly explosive, but a tough, solid team that probably isn’t going to implode on its own. In other words, a tough out in May. (LW: 8)
8. Notre Dame (8-4). The story of the Irish’s brief stay at the ACC tournament: Couldn’t win enough faceoffs in the first half against Syracuse, couldn’t make enough shots after the break (and an early third-quarter weather delay). Notre Dame isn’t a clear-cut favorite heading into the postseason like last year, but no one will be happy to see the two-time champs in their portion of the bracket. (LW: 6)
9. Richmond (13-3). The Spiders’ defensive interconnectedness is best appreciated with an up-close look. No wonder coach Dan Chemotti describes frequent miserable days at practice when his offense can’t get anything done in a best-on-best situation. The Spiders have never won an NCAA tournament game, but a deep, developing midfield could provide the ticket to change that. (LW: 10)
10. Army (12-2). The Black Knights stumbled at home in the Patriot League semifinals for the second year in a row, this time falling to Colgate. Most surprising was Army’s normally air-tight defense giving up 16 goals in a game for the first time all season. (LW: 4)
11. North Carolina (10-5). The Tar Heels’ offense has suddenly been held to single digits in four of its last five games after a more-lopsided-than-the-score-suggests 14-7 loss to Duke in the ACC semifinals. Still, Carolina returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time since its 2021 semifinal appearance. (LW: 7)
12. Georgetown (11-4). The Hoyas busted out at the right time, ripping through Marquette and Villanova to win a seventh consecutive Big East tournament. Aidan Carroll set an even record with eight goals in Saturday’s title game as the Hoyas march on to the NCAA tournament (again). (LW: 13)
13. Harvard (10-4). The Crimson are 9-0 against teams outside the NCAA tournament, 1-4 against those who are in the field. The lone victory came against Syracuse in February. (LW: 11)
14. Towson (11-5). The Tigers didn’t have as comfortable a CAA tournament as last year, but they dispatched Hofstra in overtime and pulled away late from Drexel to run their winning streak to 10. Towson will make its seventh NCAA appearance under Shawn Nadelen and its 17th all-time at the Division I level. (LW: 16)
15. Colgate (10-7). From early road warriors, to four losses in five games in the middle of the season to winning three games in six days, it’s been quite the journey for the Raiders. They’ll make their first NCAA appearance in a decade after winning the Patriot League tournament. (LW: Not ranked)
16. Boston U (11-5). The 17-10 loss to Colgate in the Patriot League final was a disappointing finish for the Terriers, who fell a game shy of the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. (LW: 14)
17. Michigan (7-7). The Wolverines didn’t make it into May this season and had to endure Ohio State celebrating both a Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament title on their field. With some notable seniors, the Wolverines will have a different look next year. (LW: 15)
18. Villanova (8-7). Gave up four goals while 10-man riding against Providence in the Big East semifinals and survived, only to fall to Georgetown for the second time in nine days in the league final. Ever-reliable, Villanova scrapped its way into the Top 20 by season’s end. (LW: Not ranked)
19. Rutgers (7-9). Just not enough offense to win consistently, but the Scarlet Knights still found a formula to keep them in games in the second half of the season. An 11-7 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten semifinals doesn’t change how much better Rutgers got over the course of the season. (LW: 18)
20. Fairfield (12-3). Dropping two of three at the end — even if the 14-6 semifinal loss to Drexel felt even more lopsided than the score — shouldn’t hide the fact the Stags had one of their best seasons in program history. (LW: 17)
Also considered: Dartmouth (8-5), Denver (7-7), Johns Hopkins (6-8), Lafayette (10-6), Sacred Heart (12-3), Siena (11-4), Virginia (6-8)