May 6, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland men's lacrosse team has been selected as the No. 7 seed in the 2007 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. The Terps will host UMBC in the first round at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium, Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.

The Terps, 10-5 on the season, were awarded one of nine at-large bids to the tournament. Maryland is listed with having played the second toughest schedule in the nation, according to LaxPower.com's rankings. That same service rated the Terps 10th in the ratings percentage index (RPI).

This marks the third time that Maryland has been named the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Terps were previously a No. 7 seed in 1982 and 1991. In 1982, Maryland lost a first round game to Johns Hopkins by a 14-9 margin. In 1991, Maryland advanced to the Final Four, but lost to Towson, 15-11, in the semifinals.

The Terrapins have never faced the Retrievers in the NCAA Tournament. The two teams have met 28 times during the regular season with Maryland holding a 24-4 record vs. UMBC. Earlier this season the Terps won an 11-7 decision over the Retrievers at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

Maryland is making its 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which is tied for second all-time with this year's top-seed Virginia. The Retrievers will be making just their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.

UMBC, which was also awarded an at-large bid, have won six of its last seven games and have an overall record of 10-5. The Retrievers only loss in their last seven came in the CAA title game, a 15-14 decision to this year's No. 5 seed Albany. UMBC has an RPI of 14 and is 12th in strength of schedule according to LaxPower.

Tickets for the Maryland-UMBC game can be purchased through the Maryland Ticket Office at 1-800-462-TERP (1-800-462-8377). Tickets prices are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.

The winner of the Maryland/UMBC game will meet the winner of the Virginia/Delaware first round game in the quarterfinals on Sunday, May 20, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

Tournament Breakdown:
No. 1 Duke (ACC) vs. Providence (MAAC-AQ)
No. 8 North Carolina (ACC) vs. Navy (Patriot-AQ)

No. 4 Cornell (Ivy-AQ) vs. Towson (CAA)
No. 5 Albany (America East-AQ) vs. Loyola (ECAC)

No. 3 Johns Hopkins (Independent) vs. Notre Dame (GWLL-AQ)
No. 6 Georgetown (ECAC-AQ) vs. Princeton (Ivy)

No. 7 Maryland (ACC) vs. UMBC (America East)
No. 2 Virginia (ACC) vs. Delaware (CAA-AQ)

Tournament Teams By Conference:
ACC (4): Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia
America East (2): Albany (AQ), UMBC
CAA (2): Delaware (AQ), Towson
ECAC (2): Georgetown (AQ), Loyola
Ivy (2): Cornell (AQ), Princeton
Patriot League (1): Navy (AQ)
Great Western Lacrosse League (1): Notre Dame (AQ)
Independent (1): Johns Hopkins MAAC (1): Providence (AQ)

For the printable bracket, log on to http://ncaasports.com/lacrosse/mens.