Here’s how, when you can follow No. 1 Penn State men’s lacrosse on its path to a national title

To no one’s surprise, the Penn State men’s lacrosse team was awarded the No. 1 overall seed Sunday night in the NCAA tournament.

The seeding was expected after the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten title Saturday night with an 18-17 overtime win over Johns Hopkins, boosting their national-best winning streak to 11 games. With Sunday’s announcement, Penn State’s path to the national title is now clear.

The Nittany Lions (14-1) will host the winner of a play-in game — either Marist or UMBC, who play 7 p.m. Wednesday — at Panzer Stadium noon Sunday. The first-round game will air on ESPNU.

The winner will then advance to East Hartford, Conn., in the quarterfinals, which will also air on ESPNU on May 19 at a time to be determined. The semifinals will take place May 25, and the national championship will be held 1 p.m. May 27 — with both games being aired on ESPN2 and played at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

Fellow Big Ten programs Johns Hopkins (8-7) and Maryland (11-4) will also compete in the tournament with at-large bids. Both will appear on the other side of the bracket, however, meaning Penn State has a chance to play either team in the national championship.

In the latest poll, April 28, Penn State was the unanimous No. 1 team with all 23 votes. Maryland was No. 5, and Johns Hopkins was No. 16.

Yale, the only team that beat Penn State this season, was ranked No. 2 and could face the Nittany Lions in the semifinals.

This story was originally published May 6, 2019 at 12:36 PM.