There won’t be an undefeated national champion like Maryland in 2022 this season.
And the options for a one-loss champ like Notre Dame a year ago are continuing to narrow.
Only five Division I teams head into April with one loss: Army, Cornell, Fairfield, Maryland and Ohio State. That group will get pruned again at least once prior to conference tournaments, since Maryland visits Ohio State on April 12.
The absence of a juggernaut like Maryland in 2022 or Notre Dame last season, or a clear-cut top tier like Duke, Notre Dame and Virginia in 2023, means this season has a more wide-open feel to it even as its second month comes to an end. That could mean a better NCAA tournament in May.
It definitely means a more muddled picture now.
Patrick Stevens is a contributor to the USA Lacrosse Top 20.
PATRICK STEVENS' TOP 20
1. Cornell (7-1)
Penn ended the Big Red’s season last year. Cornell might have remembered. The Big Red scored the first four goals and 12 of the first 13 in a 15-5 pounding of the Quakers to improve to 3-0 in the Ivy League. (Last week: 1)
2. Maryland (8-1)
The Terrapins are now 34-8 over John Tillman’s 15 seasons while coming off a loss after quickly burying Penn State in a 13-8 victory. Maryland thrived in transition against the Nittany Lions to even its Big Ten record at 1-1. (LW: 2)
3. Ohio State (10-1)
A career-high 19 saves from Caleb Fyock helped the Buckeyes outmaneuver Rutgers 13-11. That’s 10 victories in a row for the Buckeyes, who will seek their first 3-0 start to Big Ten play since 2015 when they visit Johns Hopkins on Saturday. (LW: 3)
4. Princeton (6-2)
The Tigers didn’t put Dartmouth away until the final 71 seconds. In many recent seasons, that would be an indictment of Princeton. This year, it’s an indication of how much the Big Green have improved. Princeton steps out of Ivy League play to face Lehigh and Vermont at home this week. (LW: 5)
5. Notre Dame (5-2)
As projected a week ago, the Irish were rested but anything but rusty coming off an open weekend. A 14-7 pummeling of Duke was the program’s seventh victory in a row in the series — the longest such streak for any program against the Blue Devils since North Carolina took 11 in a row from 1988-95. (LW: 7)
6. Syracuse (8-2)
Suddenly, the Orange have won five in a row after rallying past Virginia, and their two-game slide against Maryland and Harvard (and their combined record of 15-3) is more than a month in the past. Syracuse has lost its last six against Notre Dame, which pays a visit to the Dome with first place in the ACC at stake. (LW: 8)
7. Army (8-1)
A six-goal day from Jackson Eicher helped the Black Knights fend off North Carolina and maintain at least some hope of an NCAA at-large berth should they need it. Trips to Colgate and Navy to close out Army’s Patriot League road schedule are on tap. (LW: 11)
8. North Carolina (7-2)
It’s all ACC play until the NCAA tournament for the Tar Heels. The good news? Joe Breschi’s bunch is on track for the postseason for the first time since 2021 even with a one-goal loss at West Point. An increasingly desperate Virginia team travels to Chapel Hill for Carolina’s conference opener on Saturday. (LW: 4)
9. Penn State (6-3)
Big Ten games have a habit of being slugfests, but even in that context, it’s less-than-ideal that the Nittany Lions have mustered a combined 17 goals in their first two league games. A trip to Michigan — and a rematch of last year’s conference tournament title game won by the Wolverines — is Penn State’s next chance to get back on track. (LW: 6)
10. Richmond (7-3)
A box score scouring reveals the Spiders forced 17 of St. Bonaventure’s 25 turnovers and held the Bonnies to 12 of 21 clearing in a 22-5 pummeling. Tough to find much to quibble with there. (LW: 9)
11. Harvard (7-2)
The Crimson handled Boston U and Binghamton in a pair of non-conference home games. Harvard heads back into Ivy League play Saturday at Dartmouth. (LW: 16)
12. Georgetown (6-3)
Much like last year’s Big East semifinals, the Hoyas figured out a way to survive Providence. Fulton Bayman had a goal and five assists for Georgetown, which has won 31 in a row against league opponents other than Denver since April 2019. (LW: 14)
13. Boston U (8-2)
The Terriers split last week, losing to Harvard and hammering Holy Cross. But Boston U’s best victory — a triumph at Army — looks even better after the Black Knights edged North Carolina. (LW: 10)
14. Duke (8-3)
That’s back-to-back drubbings for the Blue Devils, who are propped up a bit by victories over Richmond and Michigan even though they’re definitely not playing well now. Saturday’s trip to Boston U is sneaky-important for Duke. (LW: 13)
15. Michigan (6-4)
In the Wolverines’ first two Big Ten games, goalie Hunter Taylor has a .571 save percentage. Michigan is on the right track even before April, a welcome development for a program that has finished strong the last two seasons. (LW: 17)
16. Johns Hopkins (6-4)
It’s the end of March, and Hopkins has two victories over teams with winning records: Georgetown and Navy. The Blue Jays have a lot to do in April to bolster their postseason profile; fortunately for them, a visit from Ohio State provides just that sort of opportunity. (LW: 12)
17. UMass (8-2)
The Minutemen improved to 3-1 in one-goal games with their 11-10 defeat of Saint Joseph’s on the road to begin their Atlantic 10 schedule. High Point makes its way to Amherst on Saturday. (LW: Not ranked)
18. Virginia (5-5)
Is it getting late for the Cavaliers? Absolutely. Was Saturday’s 12-10 loss to Syracuse a major missed opportunity? Unquestionably. But all five of Virginia’s losses are to teams above them on this list, making this a defensible placement even for a .500 team as it heads into April. (LW: 18)
19. Fairfield (9-1)
The Stags had played with fire a few times in the season’s first three months, winning three one-goal games, including two in overtime. The breaks went the other way in Saturday’s 17-16 loss at Stony Brook that left Division I without an undefeated team. (LW: 15)
20. Dartmouth (7-2)
The big question about the Big Green was how it would handle an Ivy League schedule that figured to be more daunting than a largely manageable non-conference slate. A victory over Penn and a plucky showing against Princeton later, Dartmouth is arguably a Top 20 team — or at least close to being one. (LW: NR)
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colgate (6-4), Denver (6-4), Hofstra (7-2), Saint Joseph’s (7-3)