Rivalry Week Lacrosse Predictions

Other than championship weekend, rivalry week is the most exciting time in college lacrosse. We have rivalries ranging from over 100 years old to just 10 years old and everything in between. Some schools are rivals because of football and others are born purely from lacrosse. This week I am dropping more picks than usual so the rationales will be shorter. Let’s not waste any more time.

** Odds provided by Draftkings Sportsbook**

Denver -4.5 vs Providence O/U 25.5

The Denver Pioneers are a perfect 13-0 against the Friars going back to 2000. They have only let Providence within 5 goals twice. Providence has not been competitive with any of the better teams on their schedule and they currently sit a 5-7 overall. Denver is looking to make a push for the Big East title so they cannot leave anything in doubt. They also have the likes of JJ Silstrop (27G, 17A) and Jack Hannah (25G, 10A) to lean on. I think the Pios roll in this one.

The Pick: Denver -4.5

Army -4.5 vs Navy O/U 23.5

This is by far one of the greatest rivalries in all of college sports. It is the story of two schools duking it out on the playing field that will one day be fighting on the same team. The Army-Navy lacrosse mirrors its gridiron counterpart in that we can always expect two things, sweet uniforms and the under. If we look back the last ten years these teams have never gone over 24 total goals. It is always a knockdown, dragout low scoring affair. These teams get up for this game but the score will not.

The Pick: Under 23.5

Cornell -2.5 vs Brown O/U 25.5

The Brown Bears are red hot right now. They currently sit at 2-2 in Ivy League play. But they are coming into this one after beating #5 Yale 20-13 and #8 Penn 12-10. Their in conference losses are by 1 to Harvard and then by 8 to Princeton. They seem to be hitting their stride at the right time and getting a two goal cushion against Cornell is something I am comfortable with. I believe that they can make it a close one so I am going with Bruno here.

The Pick: Brown +2.5

Boston -1.5 vs Lehigh O/U 23.5

The Boston Terriers have a legitimate chance to win the Patriot League this year. They are currently 6-0 in the conference and show no signs of letting up. No team in the conference has come close to beating them. Oddly enough they are 1-7 against the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh but something tells me this is a different year. I see the Terriers continuing their dominance over the Patriot and getting the job done.

The Pick: Boston -1.5

Rutgers -4.5 vs Penn State O/U 26.5

This is the year of fading Penn State. They have had a slew of injuries and they are an overall young team. I think that they will be better in the years to come, but for this season it is Operation fade PSU. Rutgers edged out Michigan by 1 goal last week after getting blown out by Maryland. They need to show that they are the clear second best team in the conference and that means beating up on the lesser teams. I would rather pick Rutgers and be wrong because that means Penn State has a good game. The Scarlet Knights are the play here.

The Pick: Rutgers -4.5

Ohio State -2.5 vs Michigan O/U 26.5

Do I really have to explain the depth of this rivalry right here? This is as good as it gets. This is set to be the most competitive match up in the history of these two teams. Michigan almost got the best of Rutgers last week, only losing by 1. Ohio fell to the Knights 17-8. I know that is only one common opponent but Michigan knows this is their year to make something happen. I am taking a flier on Michigan and the points.

The Pick: Michigan: -2.5

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://denverpioneers.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/opponent-history/providence-college/391

https://goarmywestpoint.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/opponent-history/united-states-naval-academy/229

https://brownbears.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/opponent-history/cornell-university/56

https://goterriers.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/opponent-history/lehigh-university/111