NCAA Lacrosse Tournament 2017: Maryland has both No. 1 seeds again

Maryland didn’t win a conference tournament in 2015, the inaugural season of the Big Ten’s lacrosse league. Yeah, those were some hard times.

After this weekend, the Terps can claim two straight Big Ten titles on both the women’s and men’s sides. The women throttled Northwestern for a 14-6 win on Sunday, while the men narrowly slid by Ohio State for a one-goal win on Saturday.

Maryland can also claim the No. 1 seed for the women’s and men’s NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The women, who come in toting an unblemished 19-0 record, will start tournament play Sunday against the winner of High Point and Towson. The men start that same day against the winner of Bryant and Monmouth. The women’s team has been No. 1 ever since topping then-No. 1 North Carolina in February, while the men’s team resumed its spot atop the polls last week after a two-week run there earlier in the season.

Maryland’s nemesis from last season is still alive.

The Terps’ women’s and men’s teams both made it all the way to the National Championship last season, and both fell to North Carolina with the title on the line. Let’s take a look at the seedings for the men’s side:

ESPN

If Maryland wins on Sunday, it’ll have a chance to destroy those demons from last year, at least somewhat. Anything short of a National Championship will probably leave a sour taste in their mouths, but beating UNC would be an encouraging step on that journey. The Tar Heels aren’t seeded in this tournament, and haven’t played like a team that’s poised to repeat.

On the women’s side, UNC is close to the juggernaut it was last year. These Tar Heels are a No. 2 seed, and are 16-2. Maryland would have to wait until a championship game rematch to get their shot at UNC, a team it did beat 13-10 earlier this season.

This is the most exciting story line for Maryland sports fans to care about right now.

If you haven’t watched a game of Maryland lacrosse all season, you’re not alone. But it doesn’t matter. NCAA Tournament lacrosse is fun, and it’s a fun thing for a school to have both No. 1 seeds. Football and basketball season are over. Recruiting news is unpredictable. So get into lacrosse for a few weeks. It’s fun, I promise. We’ll help you get caught up on what you need to know about each team later this week, so stay tuned.

In other news

Jenna Staiti, who announced she’d transfer from Maryland women’s basketball after the season, will be heading to Georgia.

Maryland made the top 10 for local four-star wideout Daniel George.

A sweep at the hands of Wisconsin saw Maryland softball’s season end with a whimper.

Maryland baseball staged a comeback against Illinois, but a walk-off homer made that effort all for naught.