Week 3 - Preview

Here's a look into this upcoming weekend's DraftKing's NCAA College Lacrosse games!

Saturday, February 18th

Bucknell vs Richmond at 1130am

Richmond -2.5 / Bucknell +2.5

O/U 24.5

Richmond went through the buzz-saw in their opening game, losing to defending champs Maryland 15 - 4, in a game that was never close. Bucknell has played two games; a 20-8 win over Mercer and a 12-9 loss to Robert Morris. Mercer didn’t have a healthy Ashton Wood this game (AA FOGO), so I do not count this as a good game to measure them. Against Robert Morris, there was one stark contrast between the two teams; goalie play. RMU G had 16 saves to Bucknell’s 5. No team can win a game against an opponent with comparable talent with only 5 saves. Bucknell was winning at half 6-5, but lost the 3rd quarter 6-2, which was the difference. Also, Bucknell lost the FO battle 15 - 9. Bucknell has a really strong attack line, but they have an issue with getting extra possessions. They’re weaknesses include their midfield and special teams, which against better teams, is a recipe for disaster because their only chance is to control the possession game. Richmond is a good team, who is well-coached and always balanced. I do not read to far into their loss to Maryland. Richmond still contended with Maryland in every stat category, including clears, TOs, FOs, and even outshot Maryland. Richmond has had two weeks to prepare for the Bison and two games to watch from them to create an effective game plan. Also, Richmond is a team that plays significantly better at home then they do away, and they’re entering a three home-game stretch.

Richmond 15 - Bucknell 10

Rutgers vs Army at 12pm

Rutgers -2.5 / Army +2.5

O/U 24.5

Army lost their season opener to UMass 10-8 behind 19 saves from goalie Matt Knote. Army will have to figure out what their team identity is going to be in 2023 with the graduation of G Wyatt Schulper and A Brendan Nichtern and transfer of D Marcus Hudgins. I believe it will take Army a few games to figure out what kind of team, who the offensive/defensive leaders, and what their strengths/weaknesses as a unit are. Rutgers, on the other hand, has a team loaded with offensive talent and players who just played in their first final four. Their biggest loss was the graduation of G Colin Kirst, but have plugged that hole with grad transfer Kyle Mullins from Harvard, who seems like a good fit. They have two wins so far this year, one over Marist 20-8 and over Stony Brook 11-7. The only reason the Stony Brook score looks close is because their goalie had 23 saves. They were under constant fire from Rutgers, and not point of this game felt close despite the score. Also, Rutgers had 6 penalties and held Stony Brook to one score of those 6. Historically, Army has owned the matchup, especially at home. Also, Army is one of the most resourceful teams in the country, where they have a knack of winning parts of each game they play that keep it close. My gut tells me to always take Army at home with the points, but I just think the talent and experience gap is too much for them to bridge.

Rutgers 14 - Army 10

Bellarmine vs Canisius at 12 pm

Bellarmine -2.5 / Canisius +2.5

O/U 23.5

Bellarmine is 1-1 on the year so far with a loss to Duke 20-8 and a win over St. Bonaventure 14-10. Despite the score, I was very impressed with Bellarmine’s settled defense and offense against Duke. However, their clearing was not great and they and so many costly TOs in the middle of the field. Canisius opened up the season with a loss at Hobart 20-14. Hobart was up at half 14-4, and Canisius scored 7 goals in the 4th, so the score doesn’t represent that how bad Hobart beat them. This game was super sloppy with 12 failed clears, 10 penalties, 31 TOs, and 111 combined shots. Therefore, it’s a bad gauge for either team. After watching both games, it seems that both teams are trying to get a lot of shots/playing much faster offensively. I think that Bellarmine has more talent on both sides and better coached.

Bellarmine 16 - Canisius 15

Cornell vs UAlbany at 12pm

Cornell -8.5 / UAlbany +8.5

O/U 25.5

Cornell is playing their first game of the season after losing in the NCAA Title game to Maryland 9-7. Cornell returns just about everyone including getting a couple midfielders back from injury. They are a top-3 team in this league and should be a favorite to return to the final four. UAlbany lost to Syracuse 20-7. I believe that the Danes had no chance in this game, and that all the energy was behind the Orange in this one. UAlbany will do the best they can with the players they have. They still cleared 100% and only had 11TOs against the Orange despite losing 20-7. However, in games where the talent mismatch is so large, they don’t stand a chance, like against Cornell. Cornell is significantly better than Syracuse. I think the game is close in the 1st quarter due to first game vs one game under the belt, but Cornell opens it up and pulls away fast at the start of the 2nd.

Cornell 18 - UAlbany 7

Penn vs Georgetown at 12pm

Georgetown -1.5 / Penn +1.5

O/U 23.5

Georgetown opened their season with a shocking loss to Johns Hopkins 13-12, after blowing an 11-8 4th quarter lead. Hopkins defense forced Georgetown to work deep into shot clocks for good scoring opportunities, and when they needed them most, Tim Marcille seemed to always shut them down. I personally believe this was Hopkins best game played during the Milliman era so far, and it’s not even close. So for any team to come in on someone’s best day, and play an average game, they’ll lose. I still believe Gtown is a top-5 team. This is Penn’s season opener and last year they lost to Georgetown 10-8. Penn is a really hard team to read because 10 of their 16 games last year we’re decided by two goals or less. Also, they were super inconsistent. They beat the national runner-up Cornell 15-11, but only beat Villanova and PSU by one goal. They lost to Brown as well. I’m staying away from this one, but I can’t see Georgetown not being the most fired up/focused team on planet earth after having two straight shocking losses for their last two games. Something’s gotta give.

Georgetown 14 - Penn 12

Hobart vs Lehigh at 12pm

Lehigh -3.5 / Hobart +3.5

O/U 26.5

Lehigh thoroughly dominated Fairfield 20-10 in every part of the game. 4 out of 10 Fairfield goals came on man-up, which was through 7 penalties. Lehigh comes into the season under the radar after losing Cole Kirst to Syracuse, but they still have Christian Mule, Scott Cole, and the best FOGO in the nation, Mike Sisselberger. Hobart thrashed Canisius in a wildly sloppy game, that had Hobart take their foot off the pedal in the 4th quarter. These teams have only played twice and Hobart has won both, and with a line like this, I have to lean Hobart to cover. They can score a lot of goals if teams underestimate them.

Lehigh 13 - Hobart 11

Hofstra vs Michigan at 12pm

Michigan -6.5 / Hofstra +6.5

O/U 24.5

Michigan is coming off a 17-13 loss to #1 UVA, where they went back and forth all game and it was 14-13 halfway through the 4th quarter. It would have easily been the game if the weekend if there weren’t so many major upsets. If you watched the game, the similarities between UVA and Michigan were uncanny. They were essentially the same team except UVA had better talent. I’m super high on Michigan going forward and can see them being a potential at-large bid in the tournament. Saturday, they host Hofstra for their first home game, and Hofstra has lost their first two games to Merrimack and Navy. Hofstra is a team that has always been super inconsistent but can get by on good local LI talent. This is a bad matchup for Hofstra because in their two previous games, they had a significant FO advantage against teams that aren’t offensively focused with limited transition. Michigan is the complete opposite, and a really tough team for them to be successful against.

Michigan 21 - Hofstra 10

Marist vs Jacksonville at 12pm

Jacksonville +7.5 / Marist -7.5

O/U 24.5

Last weekend, Jacksonville had their second consecutive upset over Duke, winning 13-12 after being down by 4 in the second half. Marist is coming off their 2nd loss of the season to Binghamton 18-11. Two teams that are in polar opposite positions in their season. Marist is almost in crisis mode, trying to scratch together a competitive game, while JU is bumping with energy after a big upset. Both teams should be high energy for this game, and I would expect a lot of shots and goals.

JU 17 - Marist 11

Manhattan vs Navy at 12pm

Navy -6.5 / Manhattan +6.5

O/U 20.5

Manhattan starts their season at Navy, which will be Navy’s 4th game. Manhattan has lost their coach and star G Brendan Krebs in the offseason, so we don’t know what kind of team were going to get. Manhattan is a team that was anchored by their defense behind Brendan Krebs, current PLL goalie, so losing him and their HC must have a negative affect for their season opener against a 3-0 Navy squad who is getting into their groove.

Navy 15 - Manhattan 5

Stony Brook vs Penn State at 12pm

Penn State -3.5 / Stony Brook +3.5

O/U 25.5

Both teams are coming off losses; Stony Brook lost to Rutgers 11-7 behind 23 saves from their G and Penn State lost to Villanova 14-12 in a game that is historically always close. Both teams are fairly similar in the case that they are inconsistent, have talent on both sides of the field, a mixture of senior leadership and starting freshman, and solid special teams.

Penn State 15 - Stony Brook 13

Siena vs Providence at 12pm

Providence -4.5 / Siena +4.5

O/U 23.5

Last year, when these two teams faced off, it was in the beginning of the season and Providence won 13-8. Later on that year, Siena improved in every game they played, eventually losing to St. Bonaventure in the MAAC Semis, where Brett Dobson had 27 saves. This year, Siena opens up 1-0 after a win against NJIT and Providence is 1-1 with a 12-9 win over Holy Cross and 15-14 loss to Bryant. Bobby Benson seems to have the offense moving in the right direction averaging 13 goals per game so far.

Siena has won 6 of the last 7 matchups between the two teams.

Providence 14 - Siena 10

Saint Joseph’s vs Towson at 12pm

St. Joe’s -1.5 / Towson +1.5

O/U 24.5

Towson started the year with a massive 20-7 victory over Mount St. Mary’s. They come in as one of the most underrated teams in the country. Last year, they had bunch of seniors and grad transfers mixed in with freshmen for a team that was 7-9 with close losses against tough opponents and eventually losing in the CAA Finals against Delaware. St. Joe’s was the darling of the 2022 NCAAs, almost defeating Yale in the opening round. Both teams return key pieces, St Joe’s more than Towson. St. Joe’s is so tough to beat in these games because of AA FOGO Zach Cole dominating the possession battle.

Towson 14 - St. Joe’s 13 OT

Boston U vs Bryant at 12pm

BU -3.5 / Bryant +3.5

O/U 24.5

Game of the weekend. Boston lost to Vermont 14-12 in a game that is the poster child for “team that played an emotional first game that gets them into regular season mode against a team playing their first game away”. Pair that with stellar special teams, especially goaltending from Vermont, who had 11 saves with 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. BU is a great team and a bonafide top-12 contender/Patriot league frontrunner. They are being criminally underrated in this game, just like last year where they beat Bryant 13-8. Bryant was much better last year; they lost two of their three starting attack and legendary HC, Mike Pressler.

BU 17 - Bryant 9

Holy Cross vs Mercer at 1230pm

Mercer -1.5 / Holy Cross +1.5

O/U 23.5

Mercer opens the season with back-to-back blowouts against Bucknell and UNC. Holy Cross has been a tough adversary in all three of their games against Merrimack, Providence and Syracuse. Ashton Wood tips the favor for Mercer in these games, but he has been banged up and Holy Cross always seems to have good FOGOs.

Holy Cross 13 - Mercer 11

Dartmouth vs Merrimack at 1pm

Merrimack -3.5 / Dartmouth +3.5

O/U 22.5

Dartmouth losing their best player, G Danny Hincks, to graduation (grad transfer to Georgetown) will affect them greatly. Because of Hincks, they were the hardest team to read in the nation, they lost to Cornell 8-7 and Princeton 12-10, but lose to Merrimack 8-6. Merrimack is 3-0 with wins over Hofstra, Holy Cross, and LIU. This will be an interesting game to watch, but I’m completely unsure about which way it’ll go. Dartmouth plays a tough schedule every year being in the Ivy League, so giving away 3.5 goals seems like a lot.

Merrimack 11 - Dartmouth 8

UMBC vs Drexel at 1pm

Drexel -1.5 / UMBC +1.5

O/U 23.5

Two teams that are unbelievably inconsistent and can shock you with a bad loss or an upset. This game is both these teams openers, but UMBC won this one last year 12-8. Both teams play all their games close despite who the opponent is.

UMBC 11 - Drexel 10

Fairfield vs Wagner at 1pm

Fairfield -3.5 / Wagner +3.5

O/U 22.5

Fairfield lost to Lehigh 20-10, in a game that was worse than the score. They were a worthy adversary in all their games last year and this opening loss was worse than any other losses from last year. Wagner struggles to score all year last year, but shocked people with huge wins over Mercer and Sacred Heart. They scored double digit goals in only 2 games last year.

Fairfield 14 - Wagner 6

Lindenwood vs LIU at 1pm

LIU -10.5 / Lindenwood +10.5

O/U 21.5

LIU opened the season with a 15-9 loss to Merrimack. With a new HC and big losses to both offense and defense with the graduation/transfer of A Richie LaChalandra and G Will Mark, LIU seems to be in rebuild mode. Lindenwood lost to Marquette, who looks formidable this year, 17-2. 10.5 goals is a lot to lay on the line for a struggling team against a team with nothing to lose. Expect this to be Lindenwood’s super bowl because its a game they can realistically be in for four quarters for.

LIU 15 - Lindenwood 8

Syracuse vs Maryland at 1pm

Maryland -4.5 / Syracuse +4.5

O/U 24.5

Maryland lost to Loyola 12-7 in a game that was a trainwreck for the Terps, but it was a long time coming. They were bound to have a blow-up game sometime. Also, Logan McNaney, G, is out with a season ending ACL injury. Teddy Dolan, Binghamton grad transfer, will step in to replace him. Teddy Dolan is not a big downgrade; he was Binghamton’s best player the last 4 years. One loss and a big injury will not take Maryland out of the top-5. Syracuse is coming off three straight wins against Vermont, UAlbany, and Holy Cross. Syracuse is extremely aggressive on D, faces off at 50% against teams ranked outside the top-25, and relies too heavily for offensive production from their attackmen. All these areas are where Maryland, refocused after a loss, will dominate them. Makar and Zapitello should shut down Hiltz and Spallina, while Weirman dominates possessions and their O will capitalize on over aggressive slides/doubles.

Maryland 17 - Syracuse 8

Quinnipiac vs Brown at 1pm

Brown -8.5 / Quinnipiac +8.5

O/U 25.5

Brown’s season last year ended in the NCAA First round to UVA 17-10. Before that, they went on a 5 game win streak to end the regular season beating Penn, Yale, Cornell, Bryant and Dartmouth averaging 15.4 goals per game. They lose midfielder Ryan Aughavin to the Pll, but return there other top point produces. Also, Connor Theriault, their star G, returns as well. Quinnipiac is coming off a 21-12 victory over UMass Lowell. Brown has scored 17+ in 5 of the last 7. Quinnipiac seems like they can score close to double digits every game.

Brown 22 - Quinnipiac 9

Binghamton vs St. Bonaventure at 1pm

Binghamton -1.5 / St. Bonaventure +1.5

O/U 21.5

Binghamton opened the season with a big 18-11 win over Marist. St Bonaventure lost to Bellarmine 14-10 in their opener. St Bonaventure will struggle in every game this year because of the dependency they have had on Brett Dobson the 4 years prior. Also, they don’t have as much offensive talent to win shootouts.

Binghamton 15 - St Bonaventure 8

Colgate vs Air Force at 2pm

Air Force -1.5 / Colgate +1.5

O/U 21.5

Colgate and Air Force are the most well-coached teams playing with the least talent. Both clear well, don’t penalize, and win key areas that help keep the game close. Last year, Colgate won 11-8, but this year, it seems Air Force has a different feel to the team. They upset Denver 12-10 last weekend, and A Brandon Dodd had 5G and 1A.

Air Force 11 - Colgate 10 OT

Monmouth vs Princeton at 3pm

Princeton - 12.5 / Monmouth +12.5

O/U 22.5

This game is always a blowout. Princeton is coming off their first NCAA Semifinal run in a long time. They’ve started every season with Monmouth since 2018 and have hit 20 goals in the last three. Monmouth has graduated a lot of production and talent this year.

Princeton 21 - Monmouth 6

Vermont vs Utah at 3pm

Vermont -1.5 / Utah +1.5

O/U 23.5

Vermont is coming off a huge upset of BU behind massive scoring runs and stellar goalie play. Utah beat Marquette 18-16 after losing to Denver 12-4. Vermont is a team that will be really tough to beat because of their special teams prowess, but it seems like the Catamounts don’t travel well. Last year, Vermont lost this game 11-10.

Vermont 17 - Utah 12

Harvard vs Virginia at 4pm

Virginia -5.5 / Harvard +5.5

O/U 26.5

Harvard made it to the NCAA Tournament last year ahead of Duke and ND. They were beat by Rutgers 19-9. Inexperience reared its ugly head in that game. Now a year older than prior and in Gerry Byrne’s third year, Harvard should be a tough team in the Ivy. UVA is coming off a win over Michigan 17-13 last weekend. If you watched the game, Virginia looked like the seasoned vet who was being prodded by their younger counterpart. The UVA-UMich similarities are eery, but UVA is still #1. This is an interesting matchup and I don’t know what to expect.

UVA 16 - Harvard 12

Sacred Heart vs Lafayette at 4pm

Lafayette -3.5 / Sacred Heart +3.5

O/U 24.5

Lafayette and Sacred Heart both opened the season against superior teams and getting thrashed. This game was a blowout 16-8 in the Leopards favor. I expect the same.

Lafayette 17 - Sacred Heart 11

Sunday, February 19th

Yale vs Villanova at 12pm

Yale -2.5 / Villanova +2.5

O/U 26.5

Yale was an extremely young team all over the field last year with young superstars in every position. 2022 NCAA Points leader Matt Brandau is in his senior year, and the freshmen are now sophomores. The loss of Brian Tevlin and Chris Fake may impact the team as a whole. Villanova beat PSU last Sunday 14-12 and is always a tough team to play. This game is close every year, but I think Yale has their best team since 2018.

Yale 19 - Villanova 11

Here’s how I lean in every line for each game on DraftKing’s;

Richmond -2.5

Rutgers -2.5

Bellarmine vs Canisius O23.5

Cornell -8.5

Georgetown ML

Hobart +3.5

Michigan -6.5

Jacksonville/Marist O24.5

Navy -6.5

Stony Brook +3.5

Towson +1.5

BU -3.5

Holy Cross +1.5

Merrimack / Dartmouth U22.5

UMBC +1.5

Maryland -4.5

Lindenwood +10.5

Fairfield -3.5

Binghamton -1.5

Brown -8.5

Colgate +1.5

Harvard +5.5

Princeton / Monmouth O22.5

Vermont -1.5

Yale -1.5

Lafayette -3.5

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