- T-Ho
College Lacrosse Final 4 Predictions
Championship weekend is finally here. The last four teams standing ready to take the field Saturday for a chance to play for the national championship. Two games. Four teams. Let’s get to the picks.
**Odds provided by Draftkings Sportsbook**
Rutgers -1.5 vs Cornell O/U 24.5
Colin Kirst and the Scarlet Knights made good work of Penn last week. Kirst made 18 saves with only 9 goals allowed. The most impressive thing is that their defense kept Sam Handley off of the scoreboard. Penn just could not get anything going, Rutgers always had an answer. Cornell got the job done against a hopeful Delaware squad. I really thought that Delaware had a chance for the majority of the game. There were some self induced errors that eventually led to the downfall but I want to congratulate the Blue Hens on a valiant effort. Cornell's Gavin Adler is an otherworldly defender and I think they will lean on him a lot going into this weekend. As I look ahead to this matchup between the Knights and the Red one thing I am most excited for is the battle of the Kirst family. Rutgers obviously has Colin Kirst between the pipes and he will be going up against his brother CJ at attack for Cornell. I think that this will be a low scoring affair with how well the goalies can play. I know that the Rutgers offense has a capacity to fill the back of the net but the Cornell defense should be able to keep them in check. I like the under here.
The Pick: Under 24.5
Maryland -6.5 vs Princeton O/U 27.5
Maryland has once again shown why they are undoubtedly one of the most if not the most dominant team in history of the game. They defeated the two time national champs for the second time this season. They dominated Virginia in every facet of the game. The Terps kept the ball out of UVA‘s hands as much as possible mainly due to Luke Wierman going 20 for 29 at the face off X. What was most mind blowing to me is that Ajax Zappitello in his first full year as a starting defender was able to hold Conor Shellenberger to zero points. It pains me to say this but I don’t see a way that Maryland does not win the national championship. I think that Princeton can make this an interesting game but I’ll try to step in front of the tarps before and I’ve only walked away defeated. It has never mattered what the spread has been Maryland has found a way to cover. I do however think that Princeton will add to the tallies on the scoreboard and contribute to the over. I like Maryland with the points as well as the Over.
The Picks: Maryland -6.5 and Over 27.5
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.
References:
https://cornellbigred.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule/2022