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2026 NCAA Lacrosse Brackets Released, Games Start May 6

5/4/2026

Summary

NCAA Releases Brackets

NCAA posted the 2026 lacrosse brackets at 8:15 p.m. ET, and Anish Shroff announced them during the women's selection show at 9 p.m. ET and the men's at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The 18-team field—10 automatic qualifiers and eight at-large bids—seeds the top eight, games begin May 6 at 7 p.m. ET, first round May 9-10, quarterfinals May 16-17 on ESPNU, and semifinals May 23 and the championship May 25 at 1 p.m. ET in Charlottesville, Virginia, streamed on ESPN platforms.

Summary

Penn State At-Large

Penn State earned an at-large spot despite six losses, while Syracuse was left unseeded after a late loss to Boston College.
Loyola secured an at-large bid over South Florida, whose RPI was the highest among omitted teams, while Jacksonville, a 13-5 team, entered as a dark-horse after one-goal overtime losses to Colorado and Florida.
Princeton will meet Rutgers in the first round at College Park, Maryland, within the No. 3 Maryland pod.

History

Historical Context

The NCAA first expanded the men’s Division I lacrosse championship to 16 teams by 2005, after earlier growth to eight (1986) and twelve (1987) spots. Since the field reached 18 teams in 2014, the 2026 tournament again features 18 squads, with Penn State earning an at-large berth while Syracuse loses its seed. The ongoing enlargements fuel selection-policy debates.

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NCAA Releases Brackets

NCAA posted the 2026 lacrosse brackets at 8:15 p.m. ET, and Anish Shroff announced them during the women's selection show at 9 p.m. ET and the men's at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The 18-team field—10 automatic qualifiers and eight at-large bids—seeds the top eight, games begin May 6 at 7 p.m. ET, first round May 9-10, quarterfinals May 16-17 on ESPNU, and semifinals May 23 and the championship May 25 at 1 p.m. ET in Charlottesville, Virginia, streamed on ESPN platforms.

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