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The Syracuse Orange received its lowest preseason ranking yet on Tuesday with the release of the Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Top 20. SU landed eighth on the list after being ranked fifth in the USILA/Nike Preseason Coaches’ Poll and seventh in the IL Face-Off Yearbook Top 20.
Denver received the top overall ranking in the Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Top 20. Reigning NCAA Champion North Carolina Tar Heels were slotted in the third spot behind the Maryland Terrapins and one ahead of Loyola, with Notre Dame rounding out the top five. Elsewhere in the ACC, Duke wound up in the 10th spot with Virginia at 11th.
Other than UVA, which received its highest preseason ranking this year, the Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 gave each of the other four ACC clubs their lowest preseason ranking yet.
2017 Preseason Rankings
| Rank | Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Preseason Poll | USILA/Nike Preseason Coaches' Poll | IL Face-Off Yearbook Top 20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Preseason Poll | USILA/Nike Preseason Coaches' Poll | IL Face-Off Yearbook Top 20 |
| 1 | Denver | North Carolina | Denver |
| 2 | Maryland | Maryland | North Carolina |
| 3 | North Carolina | Denver | Maryland |
| 4 | Loyola | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 5 | Notre Dame | Syracuse | Loyola |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins | Loyola | Yale |
| 7 | Yale | Duke | Syracuse |
| 8 | Syracuse | Johns Hopkins (tied) | Duke |
| 8 | Yale (tied) | ||
| 9 | Brown | Navy | |
| 10 | Duke | Navy | Brown |
| 11 | Virginia | Brown | Towson |
| 12 | Albany | Towson | Johns Hopkins |
| 13 | Navy | Albany | Albany |
| 14 | Towson | Virginia | Virginia |
| 15 | Penn State | Penn State | Richmond |
| 16 | Rutgers | Rutgers | Penn State |
| 17 | Marquette | Ohio State | Fairfield |
| 18 | Ohio State | Marquette | Air Force |
| 19 | Air Force | Air Force | Rutgers |
| 20 | Villanova | Fairfield | Marquette |
2017 Preseason Polls By School
| Team | Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Preseason Poll | USILA/Nike Preseason Coaches' Poll | IL Face-Off Yearbook Top 20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Preseason Poll | USILA/Nike Preseason Coaches' Poll | IL Face-Off Yearbook Top 20 |
| Air Force | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| Albany | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Brown | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| Denver | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Duke | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Fairfield | N/A | 20 | 17 |
| Johns Hopkins | 6 | T8 | 12 |
| Loyola | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Marquette | 17 | 18 | 20 |
| Maryland | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Navy | 13 | 10 | 9 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Notre Dame | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Ohio State | 18 | 17 | N/A |
| Penn State | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| Richmond | N/A | N/A | 15 |
| Rutgers | 16 | 16 | 19 |
| Syracuse | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Towson | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| Villanova | 20 | N/A | N/A |
| Virginia | 11 | 14 | 14 |
| Yale | 7 | T8 | 6 |