NCAA men's lacrosse semifinals set May 23

The NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse championship reaches its semifinal round on Saturday, May 23, with both games scheduled for Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to NCAA.com. No. 1 Princeton will play Duke at noon Eastern, and No. 2 Notre Dame will face No. 6 Syracuse at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. Both semifinals are set to air on ESPN2, with streaming available through ESPN’s app and services that carry the network. Charlottesville hosts a field that includes three Atlantic Coast Conference teams and one Ivy League program. Duke advanced from the top half of the bracket to meet Princeton, while Syracuse emerged from the same side as North Carolina, according to the official NCAA bracket. Notre Dame, the No. 2 seed, reached the semifinal from the opposite half and will meet Syracuse for a place in the title game. (ncaa.com) ### Which teams are actually playing on Saturday? Princeton and Duke open the day in the first semifinal at 12 p.m. Eastern. NCAA.com lists Princeton as the tournament’s No. 1 seed, while Duke arrived in Charlottesville after defeating Georgetown in the quarterfinals. (ncaa.com) Notre Dame and Syracuse follow at 2:30 p.m. Eastern in the second semifinal. The official bracket shows Notre Dame defeating Jacksonville and Johns Hopkins to reach championship weekend, while Syracuse advanced through UAlbany and North Carolina. ### Where can viewers watch the semifinals? ESPN2 carries both semifinal games on May 23, according to NCAA.com and Sporting News. (ncaa.com) Sporting News said the championship game on Monday, May 25, will move to ESPN, continuing the tournament’s run across ESPN platforms. (ncaa.com) The ESPN app is listed as a streaming option for the semifinals and final. Sporting News also listed Fubo among the live-stream options for viewers who receive ESPN channels through that service. ### Why is Charlottesville the center of the tournament this weekend? (ncaa.com) Scott Stadium in Charlottesville is the designated final-site venue for the Division I men’s championship weekend, NCAA.com said. The NCAA daily schedule for the event shows Saturday’s two Division I semifinals, Sunday’s Division II and Division III men’s championship games, and Monday’s Division I title game all at the same site. (sportingnews.com) The NCAA’s championship page lists parking lots opening at 8 a.m. local time on both Saturday and Monday. Gates are scheduled to open at 11 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Monday. ### How did this final four take shape? The 18-team tournament began with automatic qualifiers and at-large selections announced by the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee on May 3. (ncaa.com) NCAA.com said the bracket narrowed through first-round and quarterfinal games before the final four was set for Memorial Day weekend. The official bracket shows Duke eliminating Richmond and Georgetown to reach the semifinal, while Syracuse beat UAlbany and North Carolina. On the other side, Princeton advanced to meet Duke, and Notre Dame moved through Jacksonville and Johns Hopkins. ### What comes after Saturday? Monday, May 25, is the date of the national championship game, which NCAA.com lists for 1 p.m. (ncaa.com) Eastern at Scott Stadium. The winners of Princeton-Duke and Notre Dame-Syracuse will meet there for the 2026 Division I men’s lacrosse title. (ncaa.com 1) (ncaa.com 2)