NCAA men's lacrosse tournament predictions 2025: Notre Dame opens title defense at No. 4 Ohio State

The 2025 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament field is set. 

A total of 18 teams will compete in the tournament – and the action started Wednesday with play-in games on Wednesday. Albany beat Siena 11-9 and Air Force beat Robert Morris 14-9. 

Cornell (14-1) took the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Big Red are one of three teams from the Ivy League in the tournament. Maryland (11-3) is the No. 2 seed out of the Big Ten and is one of four Big Ten teams in the tournament, along with No. 4 seed Ohio State (14-2), which swept the Big Ten regular season and tournament championship. No. 6 Syracuse (11-5), No. 7 Duke (12-5) and No. 8 North Carolina (10-4) are the seeded ACC teams in the tournament, and two-time defending national champion Notre Dame (8-4) earned an at-large bid.

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The 2025 men's lacrosse championships are May 24-26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The championship game will be Monday, May 26, at noon. 

Here is a look at the first round matchups in the 2025 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament:  

2025 NCAA Lacrosse tournament first round predictions 

Here is a look at our predictions for the first round of the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament. First-round games will be played on campuses of the seeded team in the tournament: 

Wednesday, May 8 

• Albany vs. Siena (7 p.m., ESPN+)

The Great Danes have the home-field advantage against the Saints, and it will come down to the hot hand. Albany attackman Silas Richmond had three goals in the 12-7 victory in the America East championship game against Bryant. Pratt Reynolds had five goals for Siena in the 12-8 victory in the MAAC championship. We'll stick with the home team. 

Prediction: Albany 13, Siena 11 

Final: Albany 11, Siena 9

• Air Force vs. Robert Morris (7 p.m., ESPN+) 

Air Force is the Cinderella team here with a six-game winning streak that continued with a 11-10 victory against Utah in the A-Sun tournament. The Falcons are scoring 13.3 goals per game during the streak. Robert Morris has just one loss since March 12 and would be comfortable in a shootout. Air Force attackers Josh Yago (34 goals, 31 assists) and Caelan Driggs (53 goals, 10 assists) can pour it on. Robert Morris face-off specialist Bo Columbus – who has a .648 percentage – could be the X-factor. 

Prediction: Air Force 15, Robert Morris 10 

Final: Air Force 14, Robert Morris 9

Saturday, May 10 

• Richmond at No. 8 North Carolina, (12 p.m, ESPNU) 

Richmond has one-goal losses to Duke and Cornell this season – so the Atlantic 10 champions are not your average bracket buster here. The Spiders are on a seven-game winning streak, and they can score with the Tar Heels. North Carolina attackman Dominic Pietramala, who has 45 goals, is a potential matchup problem. This should be the best game of Day 1 action – and it is our upset pick. 

Prediction: Richmond 13, North Carolina 11 

• Towson at No. 3 Princeton, (2:30 p.m, ESPNU) 

Princeton lost 20-15 to Cornell in the Ivy League championship, and the Tigers are geared around attackman Coulter Mackesy, who has 40 goals this season. Towson played a tough non-conference schedule, but they are up against goalie Ryan Croddock, who has a .604 save percentage. Princeton gets back to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022. 

Prediction: Princeton 16, Towson 9 

• Colgate at No. 5 Penn State (5 p.m., ESPNU) 

Penn State made the tournament as a Big Ten at-large, and it's a tricky first-round matchup against the Raiders. Jack Turner (3.06 goals per game) and Rory Connor (3.0 gpg.) are a dynamic goal-scoring tandem, but they were limited to three goals in a 14-9 loss to Penn State on Feb. 1. Penn State attackman Matt Traynor had five goals in that game. Hunter Aquino (15 goals, 18 assists) and Jack Aimone (20 goals, 10 assists) also are part of that balanced Penn State attack. Which teams will make better adjustments in the rematch? 

Prediction: Penn State 14, Colgate 11

• Georgetown at No. 7 Duke (7:30 p.m., ESPNU) 

Which style wins out? Both teams allowed less than 10 goals in their last six games. Hoyas' senior Aidan Carroll (42 goals) leads an efficient attack. Duke has three one-goal losses this season. Duke defender Charlie Johnson has forced 28 turnovers this season. This will be the closest game on Saturday, but we'll take the home team in prime time. 

Prediction: Duke 11, Georgetown 10 

Sunday, May 11 

• Notre Dame at No. 4 Ohio State (12 p.m., ESPN2) 

The Irish are road favorites in a rematch from the Buckeyes' 10-9 victory on March 8. Ohio State goalie Caleb 'Big Tasty' Fyock leads the nation with a .620 save percentage, and he had 13 saves in the first matchup with the Irish. Notre Dame senior Chris Kavanagh (33 goals, 23 assists) remains one of the most-dangerous offensive threats in the tournament. Can Ohio State knock out the two-time champs?

Winner: Ohio State 11, Notre Dame 10 

MORE: Meet 'Big Tasty', Ohio State's 287-pound goalie who leads the Buckeyes

• Robert Morris or Air Force vs. No. 5 Maryland (2:30 p.m., ESPN2) 

• Harvard at No. 6 Syracuse (5 p.m., ESPNU) 

Will this be the highest-scoring game of the first round? Harvard ranks sixth in the nation in scoring offense with 14 goals per game. Syracuse is tied for seventh with 13.9 goals per game. Syracuse sophomore John Mullen has a .630 win percentage. Does that make a difference in a high-scoring game? Harvard beat Syracuse 15-14 on Feb. 22 in the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange – with the momentum from the ACC tournament championship – get the rematch. 

Winner: Syracuse 15, Harvard 14 

• Albany vs. No. 1 Cornell (7:30 p.m., ESPNU) 

NCAA men's lacrosse automatic bids 2025

The 2025 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament will feature 10 automatic bids for teams who win their conference tournaments. A look at those teams here:

NCAA men's lacrosse at-large bids 2025

The 2025 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament will feature eight at-large bids: 

Who won the men's lacrosse national championship last year? 

Notre Dame won the last two national championships in men's lacrosse. The Irish beat Maryland 15-5 in last year's national championship game. Notre Dame beat Duke 13-9 in the 2023 men's lacrosse national championship game.