Good morning Uni Watchers. It’s Friday — we made it!
While the major sports make up the lion’s share of our uniform coverage here, I’ve tried to also include some other sports’ uniforms as much as possible, and fortunately we’ve had a number of readers (plus our own Anthony Emerson and Jamie Rathjen, who are both soccer guys, and Jamie covers many women’s sports uns as well) who’ve contributed over the years to the non-major sports. One of those readers, Jared Buccola, is a big lacrosse guy, and he returns today to bring us a breakdown of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament, which is actually underway, but the main tourney begins Saturday.
The 18-team field was revealed on Sunday, May 4. The action started this past Wednesday, May 7, with two opening round games, before the first round kicks off on May 10.
Ten teams earned automatic qualification from winning conference tournaments, and eight others were chosen at-large by the DI Men’s Lacrosse Committee. The single-elimination tournament will conclude with final rounds at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, on May 24-26.
The two games that preceded this were Albany versus Siena (Albany won 11-9), and Air Force vs. Robert Morris (AF won 14-9), so Albany and Air Force have now punched their tickets to the First Round. You can see the full bracket here.
Let me now turn the rest of this over to Jared as he brings you his…
by Jared Buccola
Hello, Uni Watch readers! I am excited to be back for another look into lacrosse. I saw the comments and am happy to bring to you a breakdown of the 2025 NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament. There were two play-in games on Wednesday, but I was a bit behind and couldn’t get this done in time to include them. You can catch all the tournament action starting Saturday, 5/10. Below is a breakdown of all the teams that hope to be fighting for a national championship come Memorial Day weekend!
The Great Danes take the field in a classic purple and yellow color scheme. This Under Armour template keeps it simple with a single stripe on the sleeves, hem and pants. The maker’s mark and number outline provides the only contrast, but the “UALBANY” word mark is unique to them. Plenty of mix and match options for the Danes here with jerseys, shorts and helmets in purple and white, plus a bonus chrome helmet.
Under Armour on the board again with the Siena Saints. A pet peeve of mine within sports design is when the home and away uniforms are different templates. Siena is a perfect example here as their green jersey has blocky, multiple colored stripes on the sleeves, side panel and shorts. However, their white uniforms have no sleeve stripe, a solid hem stripe and swoop stripes on the shorts. Consistency is key. What saves this design is the color scheme and the awesome St. Bernard logo on the helmet.
A fittingly patriotic, red, white and blue color scheme for the Colonials out of the Northeast Conference. A simple star on the helmet, thick helmet stripe and “RMU” wordmark are nice. However, they seem contradictory to the gradient and tapered stripes everywhere else. Also, the stripe on the collar reminds me of Nike Flywire, yikes.
Boy, do our armed forces do sports uniforms right! The blue and white of Air Force just looks great on the field. They do like to change it up, and have some black options to add in the mix. They have an array of helmets including blue with the “AF”, black with lightning bolts, but the cream of the crop is the Special Ops helmets, enjoy!
Richmond has as many uniform combos as a spider has legs. Helmets, jerseys and shorts in every color and they were not afraid to mix and match. I personally love the script wordmark, and wish that was consistent on all of their jerseys. Overall, an identity that looks good on the field in any combination.
As I was doing my research, I was surprised by the options available to the Hoyas. Simple design is key here, with limited striping on any of the white, blue or gray uniform sets. They did have a black alternate with the bulldog logo. This really allows for the helmets to be the star of the show. Matte blue and the bold “G” is a classic. The white “Hoyas” leaves me wanting more, but the chrome bulldog is chef’s kiss.
As expected, these Ivy Leaguers wear, well, crimson. However, there is more to it than that. The crimson and white jerseys are crispy clean opposites of each other. They weren’t done there, as Harvard also has a graphite alternate with the crest, a nice touch. They have classic white and black helmets, in addition to a brushed aluminum lid, big fan!
The Raiders provide our first look at port hole mesh. This uniform material adds a unique aesthetic to the lacrosse world because you can see the protective padding below the jersey. No frills here as we have maroon port hole mesh and white port hole mesh uniforms. These are topped off with maroon and matte gray helmets.
Top tier aesthetics for the boys out of South Bend. The navy blue and gold is iconic, and works great on the lacrosse field. The navy uniforms have gold and white striping and the white chin strap on the helmet is a nice touch. The white uniforms are the exact reverse. Don’t think Notre Dame is going down that easy, when they have these beautiful alternates, navy and white. Just in case the chrome domes were too flashy, they have matte helmets too.
A nice looking wardrobe here for the Tigers. Clean uniform layout with some contrasting sleeve stripes across the board. Their options include our second port hole mesh jersey on the list in black and crisp white. Additionally, they exhibit the pros and cons of alternate uniforms. Two helmet options for the Tigers, white and black.
When you have your own color, you have to look good wearing it, and the Tar Heels do. Both jerseys and shorts had a Carolina blue or white option. However, for a majority of the season they were topped with a navy blue lid. It’s not a bad look, but I will never understand how these weren’t the primary from day one. Now this looks like UNC! The shorts and helmet feature a diamond stripe pattern; good. The back of the jerseys have a huge sublimated Ramses logo; bad.
Just 10 miles up the road from Chapel Hill, the Blue Devils get suited up in their top tier, classic design. Options include both white and blue uniforms with a bold word mark, large numbers, sleeve stripes and a beautiful script helmet. The Devils had a big hit with their gradient helmet, including mohawk stripes that reference the chapel architecture on campus. Just like their other athletic programs, Duke has some black options, which they mixed and matched throughout the season. On the back of the jersey is a 75th Ranger Regiment patch, to honor the memory of Sgt. James John Regan, a former Blue Devil lacrosse player who was killed in action while serving in Iraq.
The team name speaks for itself for the boys from the Carrier Dome. Every single combination of orange, navy and white looks great. The block S helmet is tradition, but man oh man, these chrome blues are special. Fun fact, starting with Gary Gait in 1988, the number 22 has been reserved for the best player. Since then, there have been 27 All-American awards earned by players wearing #22.
White and navy, I expect nothing less from Penn State. The consistency in the uniform is appreciated, with a wordmark, front numbers and two sleeve stripes. But these Nittany Lions have a few more options that what we’re used to on the field in fall. White helmets, navy helmets and two chrome options, one being the salute to service. Kudos whoever came up with the idea to put “Penn” on one side, and “State” on the other!
THE Ohio State (excuse me) also closely resembles their school’s fall sport athletes. The scarlet and gray, and white uniform combos are top notch. The mono-gray falls a little flat by comparison. Huge points for the stripes matching from the helmet to the sleeves and all the way down to the shorts. And it just wouldn’t be OSU without the buckeye pride sticker. A great ensemble all around. Just when you think they’re done, they bust out the Buckeyes script helmet.
These Tigers know their stripes, and wear them well! With black, white and orange in the repertoire, Princeton can’t put out a bad look. I do wish the black jerseys had sleeve stripes like the other two. The tiger stripe mohawks are a nice touch, but you can’t argue with the winged helmet they used to wear.
I say Maryland and you know what’s coming: flag motif. But these are tame compared to previous iterations. The red, black and yellow looks great no matter how you slice it. The flag cues on the sleeves and shorts are just enough, and I actually like the subtle “M” on the helmet. It provides nice balance to the rest of the uniform.
This is the third squad whose team name is a color. Spoiler alert, they’re red. Block “C” on the helmet, no stripes on the uniform, just the school crest, that’s Ivy League for you! But just when you think you got them figured out, they pull these out of the closet. Good for a one-off, but give me the pure red for the Big Red.
Readers? What say you?
GTGFTS: Game 5, 1956 World Series. Don Larsen’s perfect game.
RE: the Mother’s Day gear, I have to imagine New Era was losing money on those hats and that’s why they scrapped them. About time.
In my opinion, the league wide initiatives like the Mother’s Day/Father’s Day/Armed Forces hats and jerseys are a much bigger sin than the city connects–it makes it look like there are no individual teams.
Nailed it.
They definitely lost money on them. I’ve seen a fair amount of the armed forces day camo hats and a few of the Fourth of July hats in the wild (generally more in the rural areas), I don’t think I have ever seen anyone wear a Mothers/Fathers day hat in my life
Thanks for more lacrosse content!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for the support!
Keep the lacrosse content coming!!
Don’t have to tell me twice! Thanks for the positive feedback!
Thank you for covering lacrosse! I have never played, but as a kid I loved watching the college tournament as the uniforms, athleticism, and environment always thrilled me.
Content like this makes me wanna figure out how to start playing lacrosse in my late 20s
You should! I started in High School, played club level in college, coached at the Club DII level and now play in a social pick up league in Arizona. I’ve played all sports growing up and once I picked up a stick, I’ve never put it down since. There’s an organization called ULAX. It’s full contact, men’s league. Maybe something to look into if it’s in your area!
Hey Carson, it’s a great sport. The perfect blend of speed, strategy and strength. Plus, it’s more than just a sport for those who play due to the historical ties to indigenous people. I appreciate that you can watch as a fan, without being a player. You should definitely pick up a stick and give it a shot!
Hello Jared, thanks and I agree with everything you said. I great up in a huge hockey town but was a collegiate soccer player. I always thought the two sports have a bit of an infusion in lacross. Side note: the aesthetics in your sports is beautiful
My son lax’d when he was in high school, some 12 years ago; I got caught up in it, and vicariously bought jerseys for myself (Syracuse, Johns Hopkins, etc.)! I agree that the ‘Heels need to wear the Carolina blue lid with their kit- Even with that silly sublimation on the back, it’s still the best of the lot. Hoyas look good, as does Air Force. Albany looks modern yet regal. ‘Not a fan of those MASSIVE BLOCK NUMERALS on Duke’s jersey. A lot of these teams seem to be highly inspired by their respective football teams. I do find it odd that the NCAA allows opposing teams to both wear white helmets- ‘Could cause some brief peripheral confusion.
PROPERLY SIZED BLOCK NUMERALS…and I love them!
Also a fan of the matte gold Notre Dame helmet. I wish the Irish football team would wear that.
Most of these teams look really good. Thanks for sharing, Jared!
As a player back when everyone wore white helmets…it has no impact. I don’t ever remember getting confused by helmet color of my opponents.
College lax jerseys are great, pretty standard white at home, although there are quite a few color vs. color matchups each season. White for the higher seeded team in conference/NCAA tournaments.
Many teams, Syracuse included, do a weekly uniform reveal on social media.
One note about NCAA lax story – no more Carrier Dome, it’s now the JMA Wireless Dome.
Hey Brad, yeah I saw that in my research but just couldn’t bring myself to say it. Carrier Dome sounds way better, and just had so much tradition associated with it. Maybe uni-watch can add it to their store that says “I still call it the Carrier Dome”
You do know that Carrier Dome (despite having that monicker for decades — and I don’t think it ever had any other name besides “Carrier Dome”) is itself corporately named: Carrier as in the air conditioners.
link
So they’re really just swapping one advertiser for another. And yes, it’s not quite the same, but Carrier was allowed to put their name on the dome after Carrier paid $2.75 million to the school for its construction. Ironically, for most of its life, the Carrier Dome was not actually air conditioned.
So, if we were still doing “Naming Wrongs” T-shirts (unfortunately Paul closed that down), I don’t think “I Still Call It Carrier Dome” would even exist. Although I’d *almost* place Carrier Dome with Wrigley (named for the chewing gum magnate and his product) or Busch Stadium (the family name, but also the name of a brand of beer they produced, and which was created — literally — after MLB told Gussie (I believe it was he) Busch, “No you can’t name it ‘Budweiser Stadium'”.
But again…Carrier Dome is the only name it ever had, and it got that name in 1980, long before all these naming rights deals took place. (I also attended a few concerts inside, so it does have a *special* place in my heart. But it’s still an advertiser, after all is said and done.)
Jared all good, completely understand where you were coming from. Loved the article!
Agree with others for more college lax coverage.
As Phil knows I co-publish a Syracuse sports website – The Juice, simply ingrained in us I guess, and most of the time we siimply wrecker to the building as “the Dome.” There’s also the long back story between corporate/community/university to finally remove the Carrier name.
Thank you, Jared! – Love the LAX Content!
Happy to do it! I’ll do my best to keep it coming
Fun Fact to add to your “fun fact” about Syracuse.
The Orange made it to 22 straight Final Fours in the NCAA lax tournament (1983-2004).
The streak was broken in year 23 (2005) when there wasn’t anyone on the team wearing number 22 (Mike Powell had graduated in 2004 – the last to wear #22 at the time (like both his brothers Casey and Ryan)).
Porthole mesh is a throw back to what teams wore in the 80’s. As a former player, it is much cooler to play in especially as lacrosse is played in warm weather and the old turf fields could get brutally hot. I was a FOGO (“Face off Get off”) and getting down on the ground on those old turf fields was awful sometimes.
Interestingly, there’s been no push back here on the addition of black to team uniforms in lacrosse by schools that is not traditionally a part of their color scheme.
Also wasn’t aware that STX gotten back into the helmet game (See UNC). Cascade is largely the major supplier of helmets now (replacing Bacharach-Raisin in the 90’s – what were referred to as “buckets”). A Cascade helmet has a very distinctive shape so those UNC lids stand out even more. See the Duke, OSU, and Albany photos in comparison to UNC. The Cascade has a “tail” for lack of a better term.