By Max Sass, Sports Editor

There are not 65 teams vying for a national championship like there is in basketball, or now 68, but May Madness has the same excitement, let down and celebration that March Madness does. Sixteen teams make the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament but the bubble is just as large and about to pop on a number of teams.

Despite the horrible tragedy at the University of Virginia, the Cavaliers are still the number one contender for the national title. They have only one loss on the season and have beaten Syracuse, North Carolina, Duke and Maryland (twice). The Cavs also have wins over NCAA Tournament teams in Cornell and Stony Brook as well as wins over bubble teams Towson, Johns Hopkins and Drexel. Defender Ken Clausen is the best in the nation and the Cavaliers, despite not being in an automatic qualifier league, are safely in.

Also even though they are in a non-automatic qualifying conference, the ACC, the Tar Heels of North Carolina are safely in the Tournament and the second best team in the field. The Heels have just two losses on the season, to Virginia at the Big City Classic and at Maryland in the ACC Tournament. The Heels have wins over Duke, Maryland and Princeton and have an opportunity to make a statement with a big win over Ohio State.

Maryland is the third ACC team that will be in the tournament. The Terps beat UNC and Duke as well as Georgetown and bubble teams Towson, Johns Hopkins and Fairfield. The Terps’ losses are to UNC and Virginia twice and are safely in the tournament.

The next team safely in is also from a non-AQ conference, this time the Big East. Syracuse, the two-time defending champions are 11-1 with their only loss coming to Virginia. The Orange have impressive wins over Princeton and Cornell as well as dominating wins over Villanova and Notre Dame but did not play as rigorous of a schedule as the ACC teams above them. The Orange will go for a three-peat this year but may have trouble not being the top or second seed.

Duke completes the ACC and makes the conference four-for-four in the NCAA Tournament. Coach John Danowski’s team is the only ACC team to lose an out of conference game all season but was also the only team to beat Virginia at any point this year. Duke’s four losses make them the bottom of the ACC but they are also the fifth best team in the Tournament.

Princeton and Cornell are in almost the same exact situation. Both teams are entering the Ivy League Tournament safely in the NCAA field but now just playing for a better seed. Cornell gets a slight advantage having beaten Princeton in New Jersey on May 1, earning the right to host the Ivy League Tournament. The teams are headed for a battle in Ithaca in the Ivy finals. Cornell’s best wins are over Stony Brook and Princeton while Princeton’s best win is over Hofstra.

While Stony Brook does not have any truly elite wins, their best win is against Towson, the Sea Wolves are an automatic qualifier winning the America East. They played Vermont for the second straight week and did not have too much trouble with the 3-14 Catamounts. Stony Brook is fighting Hofstra for superiority on Long Island and a potential, though unlikely, matchup in the NCAA Tournament between the two would be fun for Long Islanders.

Denver is another automatic qualifier, coming out of the ECAC. New head coach Bill Tierney has done a very impressive job turning the Pioneers around. After a slow start UD has impressive wins over Stony Brook, Fairfield and Loyola. Denver may have been on the outside looking in had they lost to Loyola but the win over Loyola not only guaranteed them a spot but may have earned UD a solid ranking.

Loyola, on the other hand, hurt themselves badly by losing to Denver. Loyola was sixth in the polls but fell after losing to DU by eight and may need to beat Johns Hopkins to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Loyola is in for sure with a win over the Blue Jays but probably still slides in if they lose to JHU.

Johns Hopkins on the other hand is in major trouble. If the Blue Jays lose to Loyola they cannot make the NCAA Tournament because they will not have a .500 record. Hopkins only has one top twenty win this year, over Towson. If the Blue Jays beat Loyola they have a shot to make the tournament because their strength of schedule is so impressive. They get a lot of love because they are Johns Hopkins but expect this to be the first NCAA Tournament ever held without Johns Hopkins in.

Army has vaulted into the NCAA Tournament as the Patriot League automatic qualifier despite opening the season 1-4. The Black Knights had a bad loss (2-17) at Hofstra but had important wins over Bucknell and Navy to win the Patriot League. Army probably will not go anywhere in the tournament but they are in.

The MAAC is awfully confusing because no team has established themselves as a real contender. Siena and Marist will square off Friday for the MAAC automatic bid. Expect Siena to win and then make an early exit from the NCAA Tournament. The Saints have no other important wins and only one MAAC team will get a bid.

Towson and Drexel are also in similar situations. Towson must win the CAA Tournament to qualify for the NCAA’s. Another loss would put the Tigers under .500 and eliminate them. Drexel’s only important wins this year were against Hofstra and Notre Dame and neither of those teams are firmly entrenched in the NCAA field. Expect either Drexel or Towson to win the CAA Tournament and the other to be left out. Towson is the favorite, seeing as they are hosting the tournament and the Dragons will be most likely be sent back to Philly.

Georgetown and Villanova are also very similar to Loyola and Hopkins and Towson and Drexel. There is probably only one spot for the two of them. Georgetown has only one top twenty win, against Notre Dame, while Villanova has three (Notre Dame, Fairfield and Drexel). Georgetown plays a much tougher schedule though and is ranked 11 spots higher than Villanova in the RPI. The two teams matchup Saturday and the winner, most likely Georgetown, will get the NCAA spot.

Notre Dame has the honor of being the only out-of-conference team to defeat an ACC team. The Irish did not live up to expectations this year, losing six games but did beat Duke as well as Loyola and Denver. They could have used a better showing against Syracuse last weekend but are still going to slip into the field.

That leaves Hofstra. The Pride has the highest RPI in the CAA but did not make the four team postseason tournament. The Pride features wins over Brown, Johns Hopkins and Army but fell to three conference opponents including lowly Penn State. Army winning the Patriot League helped the Pride and Hofstra helped its cause by beating Towson last weekend. The Pride will make it into the NCAA Tournament but will be forced to travel to face an elite

(Sean M. Gates/The Chronicle)