Lady TigerBlog Sees All

The NCAA women’s lacrosse selection show will be held on Sunday, May 3 between 10-11 p.m., on CSTV. Since Inside Lacrosse has not included a bracketology report for the women’s tournament, we charged Lady TigerBlog with predicting what the selection committee will decide.

Here is her report:

So far, five automatic bids have been awarded. Maryland (ACC), UMASS (A-10), Notre Dame (BIG EAST), Penn (Ivy) and Colgate (Patriot). Fairfield and Sacred Heart will be in the play-in game on Saturday, May 2.

Drum roll please….

1. Northwestern
16. Fairfield/Sacred Heart
Although the American Lacrosse Conference does not receive an automatic bid, the four-time national champion Northwestern should already have the No. 1 seed locked. The Wildcats are 17-0, are ranked No. 1 in both national polls and is No. 1 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings. Because the bottom few seeds are all in the Northeast and would all have to fly to Evanston, TB thinks it will be the winner of the play-in game headed West.

2. Maryland
15. UMASS
Maryland (Princeton’s opponent this Saturday) is also undefeated with an 18-0 record and ranked No. 2 in both polls and in the RPI. The Terps won the ACC Tournament for an automatic bid. Maryland took a 16-4 win over the Minutewomen in late February.

3. Penn
14. Colgate
Ivy League champion Penn has just one loss (to Northwestern) and is third in both polls. The Quakers are fourth in the RPI, but were the national runner-up in 2008. Colgate gets the autobid for the Patriot League, and has a 14-4 record. It wouldn’t be a far trip for the Raiders who are used to traveling to Pennsylvania to play league opponents Lehigh, Lafayette and Bucknell. The teams faced each other last year in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with Penn's coming away with a 16-7 victory.

4. Duke
13. William & Mary
After Duke’s upset of UNC in the ACC tournament, the Blue Devils moved up in the rankings. Duke holds down the No. 4 position in both polls, and has the fifth-best RPI. The team is 13-5 overall. Lady TigerBlog predicts that William & Mary will win the CAA to get this slot. W&M is 10-5 and ranked No. 20 in one poll and receiving votes in another. The Tribe ranks No. 19 in the RPI. Duke posted an 18-11 win over William & Mary in late February.

5. UNC
12. Vanderbilt
Deciding the No. 5 and 6 seeds between UNC and Princeton was a toss up for LTB. It came down to travel…and the fact that Princeton played Vanderbilt last season in the tournament. In that case, give the No. 5 seed to North Carolina. UNC was upset by Duke in the ACC Tournament, 14-4. The Tar Heels have the third-best RPI and are ranked No. 5/6 in the national polls. LTB gives Vanderbilt the final at-large bid, assuming Boston University wins the America East and William & Mary take the CAA crown. Vandy is 9-5 overall, 12th in the RPI and No. 11/12 in the polls. UNC opened the 2009 season with a 14-13 overtime win over Vanderbilt.

6. Princeton
11. Boston University
As mentioned above, give the Tigers the No. 6 seed. The team is No. 5/7 in the polls and 10th in the RPI. The win over No. 16 Loyola last night may help, but the Tigers still have to contend with an undefeated Terrapin squad on Saturday. LTB predicts Boston University will win the America East. The Terriers are 13-3, and No. 10/12 in the polls and 13th in the RPI. The two teams have never met before.

7. Notre Dame
10. Virginia
Notre Dame received the autobid for the BIG EAST, winning the tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Irish are 14-4 and ranked No. 6 in the national polls and in the RPI. Virginia is an at-large selection with an 11-7 mark and in the No. 9/10 slots in the national polls. The Cavaliers are ninth in the RPI.

8. Georgetown
9. Syracuse
Although the teams are in same conference, theyseem about equal. The regular season game between the teams was decided after four overtimes with Georgetown winning, 11-10. Georgetown fell to Notre Dame in the BIG EAST championship as the No. 1 seed, after Notre Dame upset the No. 2 seed Syracuse.

That's the end of Lady TigerBlog's report. Not a bad effort.

If her predictions are correct, then Princeton will be one of seven, eight or nine schools with a team in both the men's and women's lacrosse tournaments.