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April 18, 2024 — Backing out the schedule
Hey, quick question: how many league fixtures are left in the two most prominent conferences in women’s lacrosse — the ACC and Big Ten?
Well, as of the end of today’s play, one.
Yep, one. That’s a Sunday game between Michigan and Northwestern. which ends the Big Ten season.
If that stuns you, it really is no surprise. Women’s lacrosse starts in early February for many teams, and the current Division I tournament is much different from what it was 30 years ago, when there were two play-in games in the semifinal round and two teams made the Final Four automatically.
Today, the Division I women’s lacrosse field is nearly 30 sides whittled down from 129 total teams, and plays a month-long tournament over four rounds, including a Thursday quarterfinal quadrupleheader with the Final Four taking place eight days later.
And it is much different from Division I field hockey. Field hockey has nearly 80 teams, but the Division I tournament’s 18 teams play down to its champion over only 12 days.
It used to be that this time of year was midseason for women’s lacrosse teams. Now, the postseason awaits at the Ides of March.
Something doesn’t seem right with the regular season ending this early.
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