Decoding the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Selection Process

The NCAA lacrosse tournament selection process is a subject of much discussion and debate within the lacrosse community, especially around Selection Sunday. Understanding the selection process can help fans, players, and coaches better appreciate the complexities and nuances involved in determining which teams get to compete for the national championship. The selection process aims to be objective, but the subjective nature of team evaluation inevitably leads to controversy and discussion.

The Committee's Role and Principles

The NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee is responsible for selecting the teams for the tournament and assembling the championship bracket. According to Doris, the athletic director at Fairfield, the committee reviews the previous season and amends its selection principles and procedures to address any problems encountered. The committee is not allowed to have an "eye test," meaning selections must be based on set criteria to maintain objectivity.

Automatic Qualifiers

Each year, a certain number of teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament by winning their respective conference tournaments. For the 2024 season, nine conferences met the automatic qualifying criteria set forth by the NCAA. These automatic qualifiers (AQs) are guaranteed a spot in the tournament, regardless of their regular-season record or RPI ranking.

Here are the automatic qualifiers based on the provided data:

Johns Hopkins (Big Ten)
Denver (Big East)
Cornell (Ivy League)
Army (Patriot League)
Saint Joseph's (Atlantic 10)
Towson (Coastal Athletic Association)
Utah (Atlantic Sun)
Sacred Heart (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
Albany (America East)

At-Large Bids

After the automatic qualifiers are determined, the committee selects the remaining teams to fill out the tournament bracket with at-large bids. These bids are typically awarded to teams with strong regular-season records, high RPI rankings, and quality wins against top opponents. For the 2024 season, with nine automatic qualifiers, only eight at-large bids were available, leading to a play-in game.

Here are the teams vying for at-large bids, along with their records and RPI rankings (as of May 1):

Notre Dame (10-1, 1)
Duke (11-4, 3)
Syracuse (11-4, 4)
Virginia (10-4, 6)
Maryland (8-4, 7)
Penn State (10-3, 8)
Yale (11-3, 10)
Georgetown (10-3, 11)
Penn (8-5, 12)
Princeton (9-4, 13)
Michigan (8-6, 16)
North Carolina (7-7, 20)

Selection Criteria

The committee uses a variety of criteria to evaluate teams for at-large bids, including:

RPI (Rating Percentage Index): The RPI is a metric that takes into account a team's winning percentage, its opponents' winning percentage, and its opponents' opponents' winning percentage. It is an important factor in the selection process, but it is not the only factor.
Strength of Schedule: The committee considers the strength of a team's schedule, looking at the quality of its opponents and the number of top-20 and top-10 wins.
Head-to-Head Results: Head-to-head results between teams are taken into account, especially when comparing teams with similar profiles.
Record Against Common Opponents: The committee also considers a team's record against common opponents, which can provide additional insight into their relative strengths.
Significant Wins and Losses: The committee evaluates the quality of a team's wins and the impact of its losses, particularly those against teams with low RPI rankings.

The Play-In Game

The Division I manual dictates that the number of at-large bids should be greater than or equal to the number of automatically qualified teams in a championship field. When there are more AQs than at-large selections, as was the case in 2023 and 2024, the committee must provide play-in criteria for conferences that meet AQ criteria. This play-in game allows them to reduce the number of AQs to match the number of at-large bids.

Potential Bid Stealers

Teams that are not guaranteed a spot in the tournament through an automatic bid can "steal" a bid by winning their conference tournament. These teams, often from smaller conferences, can disrupt the selection process and make it more difficult for the committee to choose the remaining at-large teams.

Several teams were identified as potential bid stealers in the lead-up to the 2024 tournament:

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Villanova: As the host of the Big East tournament, Villanova had an opportunity to steal a bid, although their RPI of 22 and lack of top-20 victories made it an unlikely scenario.
Michigan: The Wolverines, as the fourth seed in the Big Ten tournament, had the potential to make a run and steal a bid, similar to their performance in 2023.
Providence: As the third seed in the Big East tournament, Providence was considered a dangerous team capable of upsetting Georgetown and stealing a bid.
Princeton and Penn: Both Ivy League teams needed to win their respective Ivy League tournament games to stay in contention for an at-large bid and potentially steal the automatic qualifier spot.

Bracket Projections and Considerations

Based on the RPI data and team performances, bracket projections can be made to estimate how the committee might seed and pair teams in the tournament. These projections take into account several factors, including:

Avoiding First-Round Conference Matchups: The committee tries to avoid matching teams from the same conference in the first round of the tournament.
Limiting Air Travel: The NCAA prioritizes limiting air travel for teams, particularly in the first round, to reduce costs and logistical challenges.
Geographic Proximity: The committee attempts to bracket the field so that teams are placed in regions that minimize travel distance.
Predetermined Sites: The top eight seeds are given priority for hosting first-round games, and the committee considers the integrity of the matchups when assigning teams to these sites.

One projected bracket example:

(1) Notre Dame vs. Metro Atlantic/Sacred Heart-America East/Albany
(8) Penn State vs. Ivy/Cornell
(5) Big East/Denver vs. Atlantic Sun/Utah
(4) Duke vs. Coastal Athletic Association/Towson
(3) Syracuse vs. Patriot/Army
(6) Virginia vs. Georgetown
(7) Maryland vs. Yale
(2) Big Ten/Johns Hopkins

Potential Tournament Expansion

The possibility of expanding the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship field has been a recurring topic of discussion. The current format, with a limited number of at-large bids, can lead to controversy and leave out deserving teams.

One proposed expansion model involves increasing the tournament field to 24 teams, with the top eight seeds receiving byes and hosting second-round games. This format would provide more opportunities for at-large teams to compete and reward the top regular-season teams with a significant advantage.

Women's Lacrosse Tournament Selection

While the focus of the provided information is on the men's lacrosse tournament, it's worth noting that the women's lacrosse tournament selection process shares some similarities. The Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship features a 29-team field, with automatic qualifiers from 15 conferences and the remaining teams selected at-large. Similar criteria, such as RPI, strength of schedule, and head-to-head results, are used to evaluate teams for at-large bids. The Division II and Division III Women's Lacrosse Championships also have their own selection processes and criteria.

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