It’s That Time of Year:February 5th College Lacrosse Picks

Folks, college lacrosse is officially back. Lacrosse is truly on the rise in popularity in the world, so much so that for the first time ever we the people can bet on it. Just like for the PLL last summer, I will bring you my best picks for this college lacrosse season. Let's get to it.

**All odds and lines come from Draft Kings Sportsbook**

Ohio State -6.5 vs Detroit Mercy O/U 22.5

The last time these two teams met, Ohio State routed Detroit Mercy with a score of 23-9. This is one of two games on my slate where the two teams competing are not in the same category of skill or depth. Last year the Big 10 decided to go with the conference only model in which OSU finished 4-7. Detroit Mercy is still still a somewhat new team relative to the rest of the college landscape with their first season being in 2009. They only got a chance to play in 7 games last season and went 3-4 against the teams in the MAAC. Ohio State is gearing up for a run at the Big Ten title and they are looking to start it off with a confidence boost. That is why I like Ohio State -6.5.

The Pick: OSU -6.5

UVA -7.5 vs Air Force O/U 24.5

The Cavs are back again like they never left. They are coming in after going back to back as National Champions and a 3-peat is definitely on the table. These two teams also got a chance to play each other last year. That game ended with Virginia on top in a 20-4 victory. Unfortunately for the Falcons, this is another situation in which I think the underdog is just simply out matched in every way. I will say that Air Force is always good for an early season shocker but I do not think it will be in this game. UVA brings back almost all of their team from last year and the off season rumblings are saying that they look just as good if not better than last year. That is why I will be taking the Cavs and the points.

The Pick: UVA -7.5

Maryland -4.5 vs High Point 25.5

This game is going to be my flyer on the slate so proceed with caution. Maryland is the number 2 team in the country right now, in their first season without Tewaaraton winner Jared Bernhardt. Senior Logan Wisnauskas looks to lead them this year as they look to make another appearance at championship weekend. High Point is a team that is on the rise as of late. They are getting better and better every year. They have developed a reputation for keeping it close with the top teams in the nation and are famous for beating both Duke and UVA in the 2019 season. So my feeling is that because it is the first game of the season, High Point may catch Maryland napping and cover that 4.5 goal spread. I am not necessarily saying they will beat the Terps but they could definitely keep it close. Conversely, there is the other possibility of Maryland steam rolling them, so please be careful in this one. This is my flyer of the week and I am taking High Point +4.5.

Duke in February

This is my chance to take the time and explain to all my non lacrosse friends reading what Duke in February means. So the Duke Blue Devils are one of the true storied programs of college lacrosse. Since 2010 they have appeared in 4 national championship games and won 3 of them. They have also been in the Final 4 more in those 10 years than they have not. Even with all of those trophies and appearances they still always have this way of losing to or at least having a close game with an objectively lesser opponent during the month of February. They have lost to Air Force twice in February since 2017. Last year Robert Morris took them to a 16-12 finish. Duke plays two games this weekend. The first is against Robert Morris on Friday and the other is against the University of Vermont on Sunday. Now, Duke has a fully loaded roster and is the pre-season number 3 team in the country and they will obviously be in contention for the title once again. I will just say this, I would not be surprised if Robert Morris covers the +6.5. I would also not be surprised if Vermont potentially even beat the Blue Devils given that it's a double header weekend for them and Vermont is actually a sneaky good team. The line for the Vermont game is not out yet (I assume they’re waiting until after Friday). All I am saying is it would not hurt to give a look at the spreads for both Bobby Mo and Vermont in their respective games.

Those are my predictions for this weekend's games. Stay tuned for another blog dropping soon with my predictions for next time. If you like my picks, or disagree with me, let me know on Twitter @t_hohenshelt. As always lets have ourselves a weekend and make some money, responsibly.