Maryland earns top seeds in men's and women's NCAA lacrosse tourneys

For teams that don’t win their conference tournaments, the wait for the NCAA tournament bracket to be unveiled feels mighty long. If your league’s tournament was a week ago, it can seem like an eternity.

The wait was rewarded for bubble dwellers North Carolina of the ACC and Navy of the Patriot League, which saw their names when the Division I men’s lacrosse field was announced Sunday night. Among the last teams to receive at-large invitations, both will have to hit the road — but they probably won’t mind.

UNC will travel to Milwaukee to take on sixth-seeded Marquette. The Golden Eagles, in only their fourth year of existence, secured their first NCAA appearance by upending defending national champion Denver 10-9 in the Big East tournament final on Saturday and will get to host a first-round home game as an added bonus. The Midshipmen, meanwhile will visit No. 4 seed and Ivy League tournament champion Yale.

Maryland claimed the overall No. 1 seed and will open the tournament by hosting either Quinnipiac or Hartford, which will face off in one of two play-in games Wednesday. Denver, despite its setback in the Big East final, is the No. 2 seed and will host the winner of the other play-in game between Hobart and Towson.

It was a good night for Maryland, which is also the top seed in the women’s draw. The Terrapins will be seeking their third consecutive women’s title after concluding an unbeaten regular season with a 12-9 win against Northwestern in Sunday’s Big Ten tournament final. Second-seeded Florida, No. 3 North Carolina and No. 4 Syracuse appear to have the best shot to end the Maryland dynasty.