Syracuse

(7-6, 3-2 Big East)

The Orange is in an unfamiliar position. With just one regular-season game and the Big East tournament left, Syracuse still has work to do to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. SU doesn’t have a marquee win on its resume to impress the selection committee, meaning it’ll probably have to win the conference tournament to earn an automatic bid. That would require the Orange to beat No. 4 Notre Dame on Saturday and No. 15 Villanova in the Big East tournament semifinals May 3. The Wildcats defeated Syracuse 11-10 in the Carrier Dome in the team’s regular-season matchup in March. The Orange has a steep uphill climb to reach the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight season.

Denver

(7-5, 3-3 Eastern College Athletic Conference)

Bill Tierney’s Pioneers are an enigmatic team. They have the ability to play a great game but lack the consistency to avoid poor ones. Denver’s best performance arguably came in a loss, when the Pioneers fell to Notre Dame 10-9 in triple overtime. They don’t have a single quality win, and winning the ECAC tournament to earn an automatic bid will be tough. The Pioneers play No. 3 Duke on Friday in the Mile High Classic, and a win or at least a competitive game will be significant for its postseason hopes.

Lehigh

(12-2, 5-1 Patriot League)

It’s been an incredible season for the Mountain Hawks, a veteran team that has been looking to bring the program to an elite level. Having so many wins, many over quality opponents, should be enough to earn Lehigh an at-large bid if it doesn’t win the Patriot League tournament. Colgate, which beat the Mountain Hawks 11-10 in overtime earlier this season, will be the Mountain Hawks’ toughest competition in the conference tournament. If the Raiders pull off another victory over Lehigh, then the Mountain Hawks will need that at-large berth. Though that’s far from a certainty, Lehigh probably has the best chance of making the cut of all the bubble teams

Villanova

(8-5, 4-1 Big East)

The Wildcats are another veteran team with some impressive victories on its schedule, including an 11-10 win over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on March 25. Villanova will host the first-ever Big East tournament May 3-5, with the Wildcats playing the Orange in the semifinals. Villanova has a potent offense, first in the conference in goals per game with 10.69. If the Wildcats beat SU again, they’d likely play Notre Dame in the championship game. Even if Villanova loses, it’ll still help its chances of clinching a tournament berth. The selection committee will likely only give one at-large bid to the Big East, and it would likely go to Villanova if it beats SU again.

Penn State

(8-5, 4-1 Colonial Athletic Association)

The Nittany Lions earned perhaps their biggest win of the season when they beat Notre Dame 4-3 in overtime Feb. 26 in a defensive battle. Since that victory, PSU hasn’t maintained that high level of play. They’ve gone 6-4 with losses to No. 16 Denver, No. 2 Massachusetts, No. 8 Lehigh and No. 18 Bucknell. The Lions will play Drexel, a team PSU has already defeated this season, in the first round of the CAA tournament. They would probably play UMass again in the championship game. Beating the Minutemen will be a challenge, as they are one of the elite teams in the country this season. Depending on how the final weekend of the regular season goes, the Lions could lock up one of the last at-large bids.

-Compiled by Chris Iseman, asst. sports editor, cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on April 23, 2012 at 12:00 pm