NCAA Bracket
NEW YORK – Three BIG EAST teams earned invites into the 2018 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship as announced via the Selection Show on Sunday night. BIG EAST champion Florida received the league’s automatic bid and was tabbed the No. 6 seed to earn a first-round bye. One day after finishing runner-up to the Gators in the BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep, Denver earned its first NCAA invite since 2014. Regular-season runner up Georgetown had to wait until the final pairing was announced, but it was worth the wait as the Hoyas earned their first NCAA berth since 2014.
Fourteen conferences had their champions awarded automatic qualification for the 2018 championship. The remaining 13 teams were selected on an at-large basis. The three invites are the most for the BIG EAST since 2013, after earning one bid in each of the last three seasons and two in 2014. The BIG EAST earned five bids in 2013. Only three conferences earned multiple at-large selections: the BIG EAST, ACC and Big Ten.
Coming off its fourth consecutive BIG EAST crown, Florida (16-3) will play host to Colorado and Jacksonville this weekend in Gainesville, with the Dolphins and the Buffs squaring off at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, May 11. The winner advances to play the Gators on Sunday, May 13 at 12 p.m. UF enters the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game win streak. Florida faced both Colorado and Jacksonville earlier in the 2018 season, earning a 2-0 record against field. The Gators enter the 2018 NCAA Tournament with a 6-7 record all-time in NCAA Tournament play, having qualified for eight consecutive NCAA Championships.
Denver (12-6) earns its third NCAA bid and first as an affiliate member of the BIG EAST. The Pioneers finished as runner-up in the BIG EAST Championship for the second straight year. Denver will face High Point in the first round on May 11 in College Park, Md., with the winner getting a date with No. 1 overall seed Maryland on Sunday.
Georgetown (12-6) is headed to the NCAAs for the 15
th time in program history. The Hoyas finished second in the BIG EAST regular-season standings after posting an 8-1 league record before falling to Denver in the BIG EAST Championship Semifinals. GU will face Virginia Tech in the first round on Friday in Chapel Hill, N.C. The winner will face No. 2 seed North Carolina on Sunday.