🔜 BRENNAN O'NEILL ON THROUGH X

Earlier this spring, our production team traveled to Durham, N.C., with ESPN Analyst Paul Carcaterra to visit Duke attackman Brennan O’Neill and find out what makes him so great. The result may be the most anticipated episode of THROUGH X ever produced.

Check out the trailer below…

O’Neill has been in the spotlight since eighth grade, and his stardom has only grown since winning the Tewaaraton Award at Duke, capturing a gold medal with Team USA and being named MVP of the 2023 World Championships.

With so many eyes on O’Neill as he makes his final run through the NCAA Tournament, we’re excited to help tell his story.

This will be the third episode of THROUGH X we’ve dropped this season. Previous episodes featured Northwestern’s Izzy Scane and Cornell’s CJ Kirst. You can watch those features and more by clicking the button below. Don’t forget to subscribe!

🧐 Examining The NCAA Quarterfinals

Eight teams are still alive in the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. All eight of those teams received seeds from the NCAA Selection Committee and hosted first-round games.

This marks the first time in 20 years that all eight seeded teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The last time that happened, a 4th-seeded Syracuse team went on to win the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Orange are the 4-seed this year…will history repeat itself?

Here’s how each team has fared against the quarterfinalist field this season…

When you look at Notre Dame’s record vs. the field, it’s easy to see why they are the 1-seed and the favorites to repeat as National Champions. Hopkins and Denver are the only other teams with winning records vs. the field; they’re the only teams still standing that the Irish have yet to face.

The other way to examine the field is through the Circle of Parity, which paints a more wide-open path to Championship Weekend in Philadelphia.

This is a fun use of the transitive property to illustrate that no team is unbeatable. The most notable cog in this wheel is Georgetown’s 11-10 victory in overtime against Notre Dame on Feb. 25. That was the Irish’s only loss of the season, and they’ll have a chance to avenge it in their rematch on Saturday.

Who do you see advancing to Championship Weekend from this group? Submit your picks for this weekend by clicking the button below.

💥 Two NCAA Records Shattered

The NCAA career goals records on both the men’s and the women’s side each fell within a span of 24 hours over the weekend. First, Virginia’s Payton Cormier broke the men’s record (222) on Saturday. Then, Northwestern’s Izzy Scane shattered the women’s record (363) on Sunday.

Cormier is a lefty from Canada who specializes in crafty finishes on the crease. He’s an easy target for feeders to find at 6-foot-2, 230 lbs. and his hands are silky smooth, allowing him to catch everything and release shots with a subtle element of deception.

Scane is simply a more dominant athlete than her counterparts. She is faster and stronger than the competition, with a nose for the goal that is nearly impossible to deny. Her game has no weakness.

These two are both still alive in their respective NCAA Tournaments, so expect them to keep rewriting the record books through the remainder of May.

🔀 Portal Season Begins

Now that most NCAA teams have been eliminated, players are starting to turn the page toward 2025. That means a lot of big names are entering the Transfer Portal and trying to find new homes for next season.

The biggest name to hit the portal so far is Princeton goalie Michael Gianforcaro, who’s headed to join Joe Breschi’s squad at North Carolina, according to Ty Xanders of Prep Lacrosse.

Gianforcaro anchored Princeton to back-to-back Ivy League Championships and ranked top 10 in the nation in save percentage this season (.557). He also scored a backhand goal against Penn, which went viral on social media.

Other interesting names that entered the portal this week were Bryant’s Johnny Hackett and Hobart’s Chris Patterson (both reported by Xanders). Expect to see some more players on the move throughout the offseason.

🚦 Street Lacrosse in NYC

For the second straight year, the Premier Lacrosse League took over New York City for a Street Lacrosse event. When you scroll through the league’s social channels, it’s hard to imagine a lacrosse event with stronger vibes.

Among the attendees were PLL co-founder Paul Rabil, award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright, billionaire investor Joseph Tsai and a myriad of current/former pro players. The goal of this event is to grow the game in urban areas by showing that all you need is a ball, a stick and some friends to play.