Author Photo
Northwestern's Izzy Scane and Notre Dame's Pat Kavanagh
(Getty Images)

The road to a national championship begins Sunday evening, when both the NCAA men's and women's lacrosse tournament selection shows take place, setting the stage for the tournaments to follow in the coming weeks. 

NCAA LACROSSE BRACKETS 2024: Women | Men

And, in both the men's and women's tournaments, familiar faces sit atop the rankings, ready to embark on a quest to repeat as national champions.

On the men's side, Notre Dame ousted Duke in the 2023 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament final. And the Fighting Irish will enter the 2024 tournament as one of the strong favorites, having posted a 10-1 record in the regular season. In a stingy ACC — Duke, Virginia, and Syracuse also rank inside the top-six — Notre Dame prevailed, posting a 4-0 conference record in the regular season. 

On the women's side, Northwestern again finds itself as the dominant outfit. Last year, the Wildcats earned the No. 1 overall seed and eventually downed Boston College in the championship game. 

This season, Northwestern is just as potent, as the Wildcats finished the regular season with a 14-2 mark. But Boston College and Syracuse — two other semifinal teams from a year ago — remain formidable challenges. 

Here is everything you need to know about the selection shows. 

When is the NCAA lacrosse tournament selection show? 

  • Date: Sunday, May 5
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET (Women's) | 9:30 p.m. ET (Men's)

The 2024 NCAA women's lacrosse tournament selection show begins at 9 p.m. ET. The men's lacrosse tournament selection show follows at 9:30 p.m. ET. 

What channel is the NCAA lacrosse tournament selection show on? 

  • TV channel: ESPN2
  • Live stream: Fubo

Both the 2024 NCAA women's lacrosse tournament selection show and men's lacrosse tournament selection show will air nationally on ESPN2. 

Viewers hoping to stream the selection shows can do so on Fubo, which offers a free trial. 

If the selection shows are not available to watch live in your location or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming service from any device, anywhere in the world. 

NCAA lacrosse tournament selection format

Twenty-nine teams comprise the field for the NCAA women's lacrosse tournament, with 15 conference champions earning automatic bids and 14 other teams receiving at-large spots from the committee. 

The top three teams will receive first round byes, while the remaining 26 teams will compete in a first-round matchup. 

On the men's side, there are 17 teams competing in the tournament, with nine spots earned by automatic qualifiers (conference champions). Two teams will compete in the Opening Round, while the rest will begin their quest for a championship during the First Round. 

NCAA lacrosse tournament schedule 2024

Women's NCAA Tournament

RoundDates
Selection ShowMay 5
First RoundMay 10
Second RoundMay 12
QuarterfinalsMay 16
SemifinalsMay 24
ChampionshipMay 26

Men's NCAA Tournament

RoundDates
Selection ShowMay 5
Opening RoundMay 8
First RoundMay 11-12
QuarterfinalsMay 18-19
SemifinalsMay 25
ChampionshipMay 27

NCAA lacrosse tournament tickets 2024

Tickets for both the men's and women's NCAA lacrosse tournaments are available for purchase on StubHub, using the link below. 

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Author(s)
Jared Greenspan Photo

Jared Greenspan is a contributing writer for The Sporting News. Before joining The Sporting News, he covered University of Michigan football and basketball for The Michigan Daily and spent two summers working for the New York Post. Even though they often test his strength, he enjoys rooting for his favorite teams — the New York Mets, New York Knicks and New York Jets.