😵 VIRGINIA ENTERS BRUTAL STRETCH

Three undefeated teams remain in NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse. Could one of them go down this weekend?

Let's dive into that and some other big storylines...

⚔️ Will Cavaliers Emerge Unscathed?

Virginia helped kickstart March Madness on the basketball court by falling to 13-seed Furman on Thursday, and that loss may serve as foreshadowing for what's to come on the lacrosse field. Although the Cavaliers are 6-0 and have looked pretty close to unbeatable so far, they're about to embark on an extremely difficult three-game stretch.

Up first is a date with the defending champs. Virginia got the best of Maryland in the 2021 National Championship, but the Terps got their revenge in both the regular season and in the NCAA Quarterfinals last year. This year's Maryland team isn't as efficient on offense, but the defense is strong enough to make this game a battle.

After that, Virginia must visit South Bend. Notre Dame is currently undefeated and recently stole the No. 1 spot in The People's Top 20. Although Virginia beat Notre Dame last season, they ended up sharing the ACC title with identical 5-1 conference records. The Irish are strong on both ends of the field and will be looking to establish ACC supremacy.

The Duke game at the end of this stretch should not be an afterthought. Virginia has not picked up a regular-season win over the Blue Devils since 2004. Duke is currently riding a four-game winning streak, and they've got the offensive firepower to go blow-for-blow with the Cavs.

If Virginia makes it through this stretch without taking a tally in the loss column, there may not be a team in the country that can stop them from claiming another natty.

💣 Brodie Merrill Back For Year 19

With so many notable retirements over the past year, it feels like a chapter of professional lacrosse is coming to a close...

And Brodie Merrill does not care. The Cannons announced this week that he'll be back for Year 19:

No one has played in more MLL/PLL games than Merrill (200), and his next ground ball will break the all-time record (he and Greg Gurenlian are currently tied with 1,120). He's a 10-time All-Star, six-time Defensive Player of the Year and the closest thing pro lacrosse has to a Tom Brady in terms of a player who's undefeated versus Father Time.

Merrill is 41 years old and will still take your lunch.

🤯 D-III Players Reaching 300-Goal Mark

Let's check in on Division-III, shall we?

Earlier this month, Stockton's Luc Swedlund scored his 300th career goal. This week, Salisbury's Cross Ferrara hit the 300-goal mark. Last season, Ryan Gebhardt became the first ever to reach 300 goals and he's still putting balls in the back of the net for MIT in 2023.

What do all three of these players have in common? They all started their college careers in 2018, meaning this is their sixth year of eligibility (including the COVID-shortened 2020 season).

This won't be the last time the NCAA record book is rewritten.

🌿 Ivy League Play Begins

Since returning from their 2021 hiatus, the Ivy League has been one of the most unpredictable conferences in college lacrosse. On Saturday, the chaos begins. Here are the matchups to watch:

Cornell at Yale: These two teams have the most NCAA Tournament potential. Both only have one loss, and the winner of this matchup will be in the driver's seat for the top seed in the Ivy League tournament.

Harvard at Brown: Both of these teams made the NCAA Tournament last year, but neither one has made a significant splash in 2023. The winner of this game may be a contender, while the loser is likely a pretender.

Princeton at Penn: These two squads have severely underperformed in 2023. They're both sitting at 2-3, and their wins have not been particularly impressive. The loser of this game will almost certainly drop out of the Top 20.

The only Ivy League team that has an out-of-conference matchup this week is undefeated Dartmouth (4-0). The Big Green will visit Chapel Hill to face North Carolina on Sunday.

📺 Weekend TV/Streaming Info

All times Eastern (streaming links via Inside Lacrosse/USA Lacrosse Magazine):

Friday, March 17:6 p.m. — North Carolina at Duke (ACCN)7 p.m. — Johns Hopkins at Navy (ESPN+)

Saturday, March 18:12 p.m. — Air Force at Queens (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Marist at Canisius (ESPN3)12 p.m. — Lindenwood at Cleveland State (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Colgate at Lafayette (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Cornell at Yale (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Drexel at Towson (FloSports)12 p.m. — High Point at Georgetown (FloSports)12 p.m. — Stony Brook at Hampton (FloSports)12 p.m. — LIU at Mount St. Mary's (ESPN3)12 p.m. — Marquette at Penn State (YouTube)12 p.m. — Vermont at NJIT (AmericaEast.tv)12 p.m. — Quinnipiac at Wagner (Wagner All-Access)12 p.m. — UMass Lowell at UAlbany (ESPN+)12 p.m. — UMBC at Bryant (ESPN3)1 p.m. — Army at Lehigh (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Harvard at Brown (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Holy Cross at Boston U (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Binghamton at Merrimack (ESPN3)1 p.m. — Notre Dame at Michigan (BTN+)1 p.m. — Rutgers at UMass (ESPN+)1 p.m. — St. Joe's at St. John's (ESPN3)2 p.m. — Jacksonville at Robert Morris (ESPN+)2 p.m. — Maryland at Virginia (ACCN)2 p.m. — Villanova at Monmouth (FloSports)3 p.m. — Hobart at Providence (cselax.com)4 p.m. — Loyola at Bucknell (ESPN+)7 p.m. — Fairfield at Hofstra (FloSports)7 p.m. — Princeton at Penn (ESPN+)9 p.m. — Bellarmine at Utah (PAC-12.com)

Sunday, March 19:12 p.m. — Dartmouth at North Carolina (ACCN)2 p.m. — Ohio State at Denver (DenverPioneers.com)7 p.m. — Delaware at Johns Hopkins (ESPN+)