Super Bowl Lacrosse: February 12 College Lacrosse Picks

Since last week went so well with our inaugural picks blog for college lacrosse I thought we would do it again this week. I am well aware that the Super Bowl is on Sunday but I could not think of anything better to get warmed up for a betting weekend than College Lacrosse. We went 2-1 last week (minus Duke in February) so lets get after it once again.

**Odds provided by Draft Kings**

UNC -4.5 vs Richmond O/U 25.5

At a casual glance this game does not look like much. What I mean is those who just look at the names of the schools will wonder why Richmond is only a 4.5 goal dog to a school such as UNC. Last year these two met early in the regular season with UNC winning 14-9. Both of these teams are returning a lot of their scoring power which will make for some fireworks. Ryan Lanchbury of Richmond and Chris Gray of UNC both are early season contenders for the Tewaaraton so this is one to watch. For this game I really like Over 25.5. I think these two offenses are prepared to stuff the back of the net. If I had to pick a side I would lean towards UNC and the points just because of the depth of the team.

The Picks: Over 25.5, Lean UNC -4.5

Army -3.5 vs Umass O/U 23.5

Last time these two teams met the Black Knight trounced the Minutemen 17-4. I know that was two years ago but one thing still remains the same, Brendan Nichtern is still at West Point. He is regarded as potentially one of the more underrated players in the country. Players from the service academies often get overlooked. These academies also have a super narrow recruiting pool because of the nature of their institutions. But they found a true gem with him as he put up 57 points (26G, 31A). UMass has a slew of successful seasons in recent history and I know they are looking to make 2022 one of them. For me this is a “show me” game for UMass as well as West Point. Umass went 4-6 last year so we will see what happens. But for right now, Army -3.5 is my play.

The Pick: Army -3.5

Syracuse -8.5 vs Holy Cross O/U 25.5

Not much to say here. It is not difficult for me to say that Cuse is 8.5 goals better than Holy Cross. This will be Gary Gait’s first game as the head coach of the Men’s Team at Syracuse and I am willing to bet that the boys are ready to show up. If Cuse does not cover it's not the end of the world, but Holy Cross does not give me the confidence I need to take them as the underdog.

The Pick: Syracuse -8.5

Villanova -1.5 vs Penn State O/U 25.5

Last week the Nittany Lions got off to a rough start in their 20-15 victory over Lafayette. Yes it is possible to have a rough week even with a win. The big factor was that this game took place indoors. The weather in State College forced the game inside Holuba Hall, which according to Terry Foy of Inside Lacrosse, is the worst place to play goalie in the universe. In the first half Lafayette put 16 shots on goal and PSU goalie Aleric Fyock only had 4 combined saves. So I am willing to afford them a pass. They are looking to try and gel in their first season without Grant Ament or Mac O’ Keefe on the field. The Nittany Lions have the talent to make a run in the Big Ten this year and no better time than an in-state match up with the Villanova Wildcats. I’ll take PSU +1.5 as long as the game is outside.

The Pick: Penn State +1.5

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.