programs want to only play once a week for a host of reasons from recovery time, academics (yeah, right) to playing conference games. That means they are stretching out schedule to fit in their 13-15 regular season games.

There are no more mid-week games where a Hopkins plays a Mount Saint Marys or ND plays a Detroit Mercy or the like.

Down the road, if not now.

One of the factors that has helped the sport to grow is the fact that the NCAA grants automatic bids to every conference which steps up to the plate to sponsor men's lacrosse. If not for that, it's possible that neither the NEC nor the SoCon would have gotten off the ground.

I've posted for awhile now that I think it's only a matter of time before the A10 adds men's lacrosse with the impending movement of St. Bonaventure to Division I next season. Further down the road, I could see the Pac-10 adding men's lacrosse (although it could be the Mountain West or a lacrosse-specific conference, but I think we'll see something out west eventually), as well as another conference in the Midwest (most likely the Horizon League, although the MAC is also a possibility if a few of their members add lacrosse, as is a lacrosse-specific Midwest conference).

The upshot of all of that is that I think in the long-term, a 24-team NCAA tournament field is inevitable, although it likely will take at least another 10-20 additional schools adding Division I men's lacrosse programs before we get to that point. That, of course, adds another full round to the tournament, which could cause the NCAA to end regular seasons a week earlier than is the case now (I don't think the NCAA wants to give up Memorial Day weekend as the championship weekend in lacrosse).

The only options that would be available at that point would be to begin the season earlier, or to schedule more mid-week games. And as you mentioned, teams are reluctant to embrace the latter option for a host of reasons.

Both the Lax committee and ESPN want the championship on Memorial Day. The committee wants it then because it's all by itself then and ESPN wants it then because it's over before the baseball and softball playoffs begin. I couldn't begin to tell you how many schools have the right Title IX numbers and income to move to D-1 from the MCLA, but I hope when they do the NCAA can keep the 50/50 mix of AQs and at-larges.

At-large. Technically men's lacrosse is currently in violation with 9 AQ's and 8 at-large bids, but the lowest two ranked AQ's are placed in a play-in game.

I'd wager some form of West Coast/Rockies Mountain conference is coming in the near term with Utah adding a DI program in 2018. You are still 3 teams away(Denver, AFA, and Utah) away from forming some type of conference similar to the ECAC. The issue is obviously getting over Title IX and someone with money that wants to fund a program like Utah just did.

High Point and Manhattan are on the road, but Manhattan may be during Spring Break as we play Stony Brook in NY the Saturday after Manhattan.

Last year ND had only 1 (Marquette), but it also had one fewer game. I don't recall a previous ND season with no weekday games, although they do seem to be decreasing as a general trend, particularly for elite teams who have more flexibility in scheduling.

I had forgotten that lacrosse season has already started (dealing with a death in the family this week, so I suppose that's to be excused). I just checked Inside Lacrosse, and they have games going back to February 1. Do those games count, or were they just scrimmages?

after trailing 6-5 after three quarters. This was the earliest opener in ND history. The previous earliest was February 14, in 2009 (vs. Loyola in Atlanta) and 2015 (vs. Georgetown @ Loftus) (ND won both).