While the Maryland men’s lacrosse team entered the Big Ten tournament as the projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, according to ESPN analyst Mark Dixon, it needed a strong showing to maintain that position.
In close wins over Penn State and Ohio State, the Terps outscored their opponents by a combined three goals, highlighting the challenging nature of their conference. But because they survived the pair of tests in Columbus, Ohio, and took the Big Ten tournament crown, they solidified their NCAA tournament stock.
Maryland is the No. 1 seed in the tournament for the second straight year, as announced Sunday night, a placement that grants it home field advantage in the first round Sunday against the winner of Monmouth and Bryant.
“If things didn’t go as well as we would have liked … we could be in a lot of different places,” coach John Tillman said. “But give credit to our guys. The ability to fight our way through it against a couple of really good teams to get those wins, I think that probably got us pushed up a little bit higher.”
Maryland’s 2017 senior class has won 57 games, a program record for victories by a single unit. It’s also made three final fours and two national championship games.
Plus, this senior class was Tillman’s first fully recruited group after he arrived in College Park in 2010, giving its accomplishments added meaning. So, the fourth-year players are looking forward to playing another game at Maryland Stadium due to the team’s top seed.
“To have one more time in Maryland Stadium is really important for us,” Tillman said. “The kids have logged a lot of miles and we’ve played a lot of games. … It’s pretty awesome to have one last chance there and then obviously hope to go out on a high note.”
The Terps face a tough road back to the title game, where they lost the past two years. After battling either Monmouth or Bryant, they’ll face the winner of Albany and North Carolina.
While Maryland beat both potential quarterfinal opponents earlier in the campaign, the Great Danes and Tar Heels would still represent a difficult second-round test. The Terps beat Albany by just one on April 12 and fell to North Carolina, 14-13, in the championship game last year.
Tillman claimed the early tournament challenge is indicative of an improving field. Every year, he said, Maryland seems to face tougher opponents at the start of the competition.
While the Terps have won four first-round tilts in a row, they were upset at home in the opening round by Cornell in 2013, making the coach wary of an early disappointment this season.
“I always go into it realizing that every game is going to be tough in the NCAA tournament,” Tillman said. “The way the sport is now with it growing … everybody is getting better, so the difference between the top team and the bottom team I think every year gets [smaller and smaller].”
