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Picking March Madness 2018 based on nothing but lacrosse

Don’t know a lot about this year’s field? Just go with who has the best lacrosse team!

Gonzaga v North Carolina Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

We all survived the really bad NCAA selection show, and we might be done discussing why Syracuse is in and not Notre Dame. So now’s the time for you to make your predictions for this year’s tournament.

Odds are you’ll end up with some tough choices, and that’s okay! Here at College Crosse, we’ll help you with those tough choices, by picking all the winners based on college lacrosse teams!

Last year, we had the Duke Blue Devils beating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the title game, which was actually a pretty good bracket. So we’ll do it again! And you can pick your winner here!

South Region

First Round

#1 Virginia vs. #16 UMBC: Oh my god, we start with an actual game between two Division I men’s lacrosse teams. Virginia is all-around a better team, especially on offense, which UMBC lacks. The Retrievers may have a good defense, but they haven’t scored more than nine goals in any of their games this season. Virginia has done that six times. Pick: Virginia

#8 Creighton vs. #9 Kansas State: Both teams are rivals in the Lone Star Alliance at the MCLA Division II level. Kansas State beat Creighton, 8-6, back in February. Pick: Kansas State

#5 Kentucky vs. #12 Davidson: In the battle of Wildcats, Kentucky is 4-0 in the NCLL at the Division II level. Davidson is 0-3 at the MCLA Division II level. Pick: Kentucky

#4 Arizona vs. #13 Buffalo: Both teams have two wins this season at the MCLA Division I level. The Wildcats have also played in two more games than the Bulls and against tougher opponents. Pick: Arizona

#6 Miami vs. #11 Loyola-Chicago: If it was Loyola (MD), this would be an easy pick. But it isn’t. Miami is winless at the MCLA Division I level at 0-5, while Loyola-Chicago hasn’t started their season yet and plays against other teams in Illinois in the Great Lakes Lacrosse League. Pick: Miami

#3 Tennessee vs. #14 Wright State: Tennessee is 3-3 in the MCLA’s version of the SEC at Division I. Wright State doesn’t have a team. Pick: Tennessee

#7 Nevada vs. #10 Texas: Nevada is 1-3 after four games with a win over Arizona. But Texas is 5-5. The difference between both MCLA Division I teams: The Longhorns have former Michigan Wolverines and Johns Hopkins Blue Jays goalie Gerald Logan as their goalie coach. Pick: Texas

#2 Cincinnati vs. #15 Georgia State: Cincinnati’s 1-2 in the NCLL. The Panthers had a team up until 2016 in the MCLA before it went away. Pick: Cincinnati

Second Round

#1 Virginia vs. #9 Kansas State: 40 goals on the Wildcats? Pick: Virginia

#4 Arizona vs. #5 Kentucky: Another battle of the Wildcats, but just like the majority of John Calipari’s players in Lexington, Kentucky is one-and-done. Pick: Arizona

#3 Tennessee vs. #6 Miami: Tennessee has wins. That’s big if you want to be good in any sport. Pick: Tennessee

#2 Cincinnati vs. #10 Texas: Gerald Logan does magic for the Longhorns. Pick: Texas

Sweet Sixteen

#1 Virginia vs. #4 Arizona: Really? Pick: Virginia

#3 Tennessee vs. #10 Texas: Tennessee hasn’t had a road game yet, while Texas has, and they’ve played in the Ford Center in Frisco. Oh, and they have Gerald Logan. Pick: Texas

Elite Eight

#1 Virginia vs. #10 Texas: Congratulations to Lars Tiffany for reaching the Final Four after losing to Duke last year. Pick: Virginia

East Region

First Round

#1 Villanova vs. #16 Radford: Radford beats LIU Brooklyn, because they have a team. Sadly, it’s not an NCAA Division I team like Villanova. Pick: Villanova

#8 Virginia Tech vs. #9 Alabama: The Crimson Tide are undefeated in MCLA Division I, like their football team. But the Hokies are a very good MCLA Division I team, with close losses coming to Chapman and Colorado. Pick: Virginia Tech

#5 West Virginia vs. #12 Murray State: Country Roads has a team and is 2-2 in MCLA Division I. Murray State doesn’t have a team. Pick: West Virginia

#4 Wichita State vs. #13 Marshall: Marshall has a club team that has played a game. That’s one more game than Wichita State. Pick: Marshall

#6 Florida vs. #11 UCLA: Maybe this game would be different if this happened next year with St. Bonaventure fielding a men’s Division I team. But Florida is currently the better of the two MCLA Division I teams in this game. Pick: Florida

#3 Texas Tech vs. #14 Stephen F. Austin: The Red Raiders are a game above .500 at 6-5 in MCLA’s Division I. Stephen F. Austin is winless in MCLA’s Division II. Pick: Texas Tech

#7 Arkansas vs. #10 Butler: The Bulldogs were an NCAA Division I team for some time before ending their program. A club team existed for a few years as well. Arkansas has an MCLA Division I squad that has a 4-5 record this season. Pick: Arkansas

#2 Purdue vs. #15 Cal State Fullerton: Both teams are in the MCLA, but the Boilermakers are in Division I. The Titans are one of the better teams in Division II at 5-1. We have a huge upset. Pick: Cal State Fullerton

Second Round

#1 Villanova vs. #8 Virginia Tech: The NCAA Division I team will always prevail, even if their basketball counterpart may choke in the second round. Pick: Villanova

#5 West Virginia vs. #13 Marshall: A nice West Virginia derby. Except Marshall’s one game they played was a blowout loss to West Virginia. Pick: West Virginia

#3 Texas Tech vs. #6 Florida: The Gators are known to be a pretty good MCLA team. Pick: Florida

#7 Arkansas vs. #15 Cal State Fullerton: Cal State Fullerton will be this year’s Florida Gulf Coast. Pick: Cal State Fullerton

Sweet Sixteen

#1 Villanova vs. #5 West Virginia: This would be a fun lacrosse matchup if the Mountaineers had lacrosse and they were still in the Big East. Pick: Villanova

#6 Florida vs. #15 Cal State Fullerton: This is a tough pick. Both teams are good in their respective MCLA divisions, but I’m going with the D1 team over the D2 team. Pick: Florida

Elite Eight

#1 Villanova vs. #6 Florida: STAND UP, MAIN LINE! Pick: Villanova

Midwest Region

First Round

#1 Kansas vs. #16 Penn: Congratulations to Penn for being the first ever #16 seed to upset a #1 seed. Pick: Penn

#8 Seton Hall vs. #9 NC State: Once an NCAA team, the Wolfpack are now an MCLA Division I squad that’s gone 1-3 so far this year. Seton Hall doesn’t have a team. Pick: NC State

#5 Clemson vs. #12 New Mexico State: Clemson is currently 9-1 on the MCLA Division I season. Their head coach is also Buff Grubb. That’s a beauty. Pick: Clemson

#4 Auburn vs. #13 Charleston: War Eagle sits at 4-2 so far at the MCLA Division I level. Charleston is 2-4 at the MCLA Division II level. Pick: Auburn

#6 TCU vs. #11 Syracuse: Somehow Cuse is in the actual men’s basketball tournament. They made this pick easier. Pick: Syracuse

#3 Michigan State vs. #14 Bucknell: Michigan State was a Division I lacrosse school. Now they aren’t. Bucknell still is. Pick: Bucknell

#7 Rhode Island vs. #10 Oklahoma: Both schools are in MCLA’s Division I, but the Sooners have a better record and have a better resume than Rhode Island. As a consolation prize, Rams head coach Hubbard Jordan has a cool bowtie. Pick: Oklahoma

#2 Duke vs. #15 Iona: This will be another way to make sure everybody knows that Justin Guterding should be a Tewaaraton finalist. Pick: Duke

Second Round

#9 NC State vs. #16 Penn: This is going to be fun for Penn. Pick: Penn

#4 Auburn vs. #5 Clemson: Clemson defeated Auburn this season in the lacrosse battle of the Tigers, just like in football. Pick: Clemson

#11 Syracuse vs. #14 Bucknell: We haven’t had a matchup featuring two Division I teams in some time. Syracuse has some pretty good wins, but some awful blowout losses. Bucknell’s wins aren’t Army West Point or Virginia, but they didn’t lose their two games by more than 10 goals. Pick: Syracuse

#2 Duke vs. #10 Oklahoma: This would be another double-digit point game for Justin Guterding. Pick: Duke

Sweet Sixteen

#5 Clemson vs. #16 Penn: This is fun. Pick: Penn

#2 Duke vs. #11 Syracuse: They’ll play each other in Durham next Saturday, a day after the end of the Sweet Sixteen games. But right now, Duke appears to be the more consistent team. Pick: Duke

Elite Eight

#2 Duke vs. #16 Penn: Because of Penn beating Duke by one at Franklin Field a few weeks ago, a 16 seed is going to the Final Four. This is much better than last year’s version. Pick: Penn

West Region

First Round

#1 Xavier vs. #16 NC Central: None of these schools currently have lacrosse teams, but Xavier and NC Central used to. Well, at least Xavier did. Pick: Xavier

#8 Missouri vs. #9 Florida State: Both schools play at the MCLA Division I level, but the Seminoles have played against better competition. Pick: Florida State

#5 Ohio State vs. #12 South Dakota: Tre Leclaire puts up 10 goals in the win. Pick: Ohio State

#4 Gonzaga vs. #13 UNC Greensboro: The Zags are a winless MCLA Division II team, which is better than UNC Greensboro, which doesn’t have a team. Pick: Gonzaga

#6 Houston vs. #11 San Diego State: For some reason, the Cougars don’t have an MCLA Division I team like they did last year? They went winless in 2017. Meanwhile, San Diego State is 2-4 at the MCLA Division I level. Pick: San Diego State

#3 Michigan vs. #14 Montana: Hail to the Victors. Pick: Michigan

#7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Providence: Another Division I lacrosse team moves on. Pick: Providence

#2 North Carolina vs. #15 Lipscomb: Duh. Pick: North Carolina

Second Round

#1 Xavier vs. #9 Florida State: The school that has a lacrosse team moves on. Pick: Florida State

#4 Gonzaga vs. #5 Ohio State: So long, America’s favorite small-school basketball team! Pick: Ohio State

#3 Michigan vs. #11 San Diego State: Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Pick: Michigan

#2 North Carolina vs. #10 Providence: For this season, North Carolina would probably win by a goal because they don’t really know how to win convincingly against teams they should breeze by. Pick: North Carolina

Sweet Sixteen

#5 Ohio State vs. #9 Florida State: Go Buckeyes. Pick: Ohio State

#2 North Carolina vs. #3 Michigan: The Wolverines aren’t ready for their first really big upset yet in college lacrosse. But they’re close, or we hope they are. Pick: North Carolina

Elite Eight

#2 North Carolina vs. #5 Ohio State: This would make the folks at The Season salivate. Ohio State is a weird team and is slumping. North Carolina is 6-2 but just got blown out by Hofstra and their best win was against Hopkins by two, which is good. Pick: Ohio State

Final Four

#1 Virginia vs. #5 Ohio State: The Cavaliers haven’t had the best of games for the past week. Sure they beat Manhattan by three (MANHATTAN ISN’T THAT GOOD) and edged Stony Brook by one, but they lost a key midfielder in Ryan Conrad last week in their loss to Syracuse. Pick: Virginia

#1 Villanova vs. #16 Penn: This is so hilarious and #OnBrand for us. Two Philly teams and a 16 seed coming out of nowhere. But thanks to Saturday’s result, all good things must come to an end. Pick: Villanova

National Championship

#1 Virginia vs. #1 Villanova: The Cavaliers have a one-goal loss to Syracuse, while the Wildcats have a three-goal midweek loss to Brown. Virginia’s good wins are against Loyola in overtime and Princeton, while Villanova’s good wins come against Penn State and Yale in overtime, as well as Hofstra (I guess) and Penn. Plus, they’re doing this with backup goalie Nick Testa.

National Champion: Villanova Wildcats

Imagine if Penn beat Villanova on Saturday. If that happened, they would’ve been national champions and this site would melt to the ground.

Check out our sweet little angel of a bracket we made just for you! Good luck picking your actual winner using your basketball (and maybe lacrosse) knowledge!