The selection shows for the 2026 NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse tournaments aired Sunday night on ESPNU, but the brackets were already leaked earlier in the evening.
By the NCAA.
Lacrosse fans noticed that the brackets were released on the NCAA official website before the two selection shows on Sunday evening. It appears that the brackets were posted on the NCAA website’s lacrosse scoreboard around 8:15 p.m. ET.
So……..the NCAA appears to have leaked the bracket pic.twitter.com/rLbLkzmKGf
— The Crosse Commission (@College_Crosse) May 4, 2026
Both men’s and women’s brackets were posted on https://t.co/cFwuKsHkOv on the scoreboard around 815 pm. We heard from multiple men’s teams they were posted.
— Scott Strasemeier (@ScottStras) May 4, 2026
The women’s lacrosse selection show aired at 9 p.m on ESPNU, followed by the men’s selection show at 9:30.
And when the men’s selection show arrived, ESPNU host Anish Shroff even acknowledged the early bracket reveal to open the program alongside Paul Carcaterra and Quint Kessenich.
ESPN’s Anish Shroff addresses the NCAA leaking the lacrosse tournament brackets before the selection shows air on ESPNU. pic.twitter.com/ujnYf4Tn0o
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 4, 2026
“We know you have the internet,” Shroff began, alluding to the bracket leak. “But listen, the watch parties, they’re still fun. You gather, you hear your name called. It’s part of what makes May May.”
“Yeah, I know. I know,” Shroff said. “It’s out there. Hard to hide from it. It’s out there. We get it. But for those of you who don’t have Wi-Fi, or, you know, maybe just like to indulge in full suspense, we’ll get to it. Listen, if you want to see the bracket, you can.”
Later, Shroff dropped a hilarious line about the NCAA leaking the bracket.
“That was one of the big surprises when the intern posted the bracket early.” – Anish Shroff pic.twitter.com/jij5Hj0dE9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 4, 2026
“That was one of the big surprises when the intern posted the bracket early,” Shroff quipped about the Duke Blue Devils making the field of 18.
If this sort of thing happened with selection shows in college basketball or with the College Football Playoff, it would be a major story that would get a lot of attention. And it would make those television networks (CBS, ESPN, etc) quite angry.
For lacrosse fans, the selection shows being buried on ESPNU — and while sporting events like the NBA and NHL playoffs were taking place on a Sunday night — can already feel like a lack of spotlight for the sport.
And to then have the NCAA release the brackets before the shows even take place, ruining the suspense? That’s really not a good look for the NCAA, and it’s frustrating to lacrosse fans, teams (and with their watch parties), and ESPN.
