March Madness may be going on for basketball, but things are getting crazy in lacrosse. There are some very big games this weekend, excluding Penn State playing Cleveland State. So, let’s look at the rest of the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse schedule to see what’s worth watching. All three of the main Stringers Society writers are weighing in on this edition so you can see what everyone predicts.
We are also doing a head to head match-up with the guys from the Quickstick Blog. You’ll see their pics under our picks in some of the games. This “battle of the blogs” should go down as the first time we compare our imaginary lacrosse gambling skills against anyone else. Best of luck to the Quickstick Blog in this first ever “battle of the blogs” on Stringers Society.
NCAA Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse Predictions: March 23
There are 33 NCAA Division 1 men’s lacrosse games on March 23rd, 2019. Here are our predictions for the 9 best games of the day.
Army Clamps Colgate in an Arm-bar
A strong season from the Black Knights means trouble for Colgate. The only two losses that
After their upset of Syracuse, Colgate hasn’t exactly kept up that same caliber of play. It’s been a rough downfall from that high, and Colgate is on a 2 game losing streak against Canisius and Hobart. Unfortunately for Colgate, this game against Army should be adding to that streak. Sorry, Colgate, but this one just isn’t in the cards. Prediction: Army +4 goals.
Matt Predicts: Army. Paul Predicts: Army.
Canisius Crashes Siena’s Party
Canisius lacrosse just had two solid wins for themselves, and this weekend should be another dub for the Griffs. Colgate and Robert Morris couldn’t take down Canisius in wins that didn’t happen on accident. The Griffs are showing real promise going into their conference play, and Siena is just the next team on the docket.
Siena is also on a winning streak, but their’s is going to end at 3 wins. Canisius is just looking too hot, while Siena has been on a slow burn. Nothing against the Saints, because they have been doing well this season, but they don’t have any wins that are impressive enough to change my mind. Prediction: Canisius +3 goals.
Matt Predicts: Siena. Paul Predicts: Canisius.
Cornell Calls Out Penn
Cornell is spelled correctly now that they have two L’s on their schedule, but those losses are to some of the best other two teams. Yale and Penn State took down Cornell recently, but the Big Red is still pretty mighty. Cornell did knock Towson off their number-one perch, only to lose to Yale in the next game. Still, Cornell has one of the best offenses in the nation, and their snipers want to pick apart Penn this weekend. Teat, Piatelli, and Petterson are all sitting at 34 points. Bet on that going up during this game.
Penn, on the other hand, has been on a heater as of late with 3 wins after starting with 3 losses. They recently pumped Princeton by 9 goals during an absolute thrashing. This streak started after they lost to Penn State by 1 goal in a game that they had the lead in during the last 3 minutes. Penn also has an OT loss to Maryland, but that is still a loss on their schedule. Iron sharpens iron, and Penn is going to be getting sharpened this weekend. Prediction: Cornell +4 goals.
Matt Predicts: Penn. Paul Predicts: Cornell.
Quickstick Predictions. Brody Predicts: Cornell. O’Rourke Predicts: Cornell. Shears Predicts: Penn.
Virginia Visits Hopkins for A Victory
Virginia has really been heating up recently with a four game win streak under their belt that should turn into a fiver. The ‘Hoos are back to regular Virginia lacrosse with a gritty team that keeps things close. This should play to their favor this weekend against Hopkins as Virginia travels up to Homewood field for a fight.
Hopkins has racked up some good wins after losing some of their biggest games this year, but Saturday’s game is going to be another disappointment for the Jays. This one is going to be close; however, Virginia will find a way to sneak out a win in this one too. The Blue Jays haven’t been as sensational on the offensive side of the ball as you normally expect, and Virginia is going to bring a lot of consistent defense with them. Prediction: Virginia +2 goals.
Matt Predicts: Hopkins. Paul Predicts: Virginia.
Quickstick Predictions. Brody Predicts: Hopkins. O’RoHke Predicts: Virginia. Shears Predicts: Virginia.
Georgetown Goes Hard in the Paint On Marquette
Georgetown is a silent 7-1 this season and will look to continue that “under-the-radar” conquest that they are on. They haven’t really tested the waters too much, but their sole loss is to Towson. The Hoyas are just a solid squad that has been getting it done when they need to. Most of their stats are pretty even with their opponents, except that they are outscoring them by 40.
Marquette just recently popped out of a slump but will be falling right back into one. Their two recent wins against Michigan and Robert Morris are impressive considering their previous 3 losses; however, Marquette hasn’t shown me enough to think that they’ll be able to stop Georgetown. I’m all in on the Hoyas to keep this streak going with practically nobody noticing. Prediction: Georgetown +5 goals.
Matt Predicts: Georgetown. Paul Predicts: Georgetown.
Maryland Messes Up UNC’s Plans
Maryland’s lone loss to Notre Dame means very little to me. And UNC has lost their two biggest games. I don’t have anything else to say but “Maryland does two things: crab cakes & lacrosse.” Prediction: Maryland +3 goals.
Matt Predicts: UNC. Paul Predicts: Maryland.
OSU O-lim-O-nates Notre Dame
Ohio State lacrosse has come a long way under Coach Meyers, and his squad is only getting stronger. They haven’t had the strongest schedule this year, but now Notre Dame stands in their path. OSU still has a strong Canadian skill repository on their team on offense, with grit all over the defensive half. This should keep Ohio State undefeated all the way through this Saturday.
Notre Dame has had some very impressive wins this year but along with some unfortunate losses. Dropping the ball against Richmond wasn’t a great move for the Irish, and Ohio State is much fiercer than Richmond. The Irish have always been a great scheme team with a lock down defense, but Ohio State sits one spot above them in Scoring Defense. This doesn’t mean anything on the field; however, Ohio State is going to be fired up for a win after their game against Denver was cancelled. St. Patrick’s day is over boys! Prediction: Ohio State +2 goals.
Matt Predicts: Notre Dame. Paul Predicts: Notre Dame.
Quickstick Predictions. Brody Predicts: Notre Dame. O’Rourke Predicts: Notre Dame. Shears Predicts: Notre Dame.
Yale Pulverizes Princeton
This one might get ugly. Yale has really proven themselves over the past few games and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Princeton has 1 quality win over Navy. That’s it. Don’t get in the way of an oncoming train. Prediction: Yale +9 goals.
Matt Predicts: Yale. Paul Predicts: Yale.
Denver Doesn’t Tone it Down for Towson
Denver hasn’t really had a huge chance to shine this year except for their 1 goal loss to Duke. They just had a disappointing loss to Notre Dame; in which the Irish got up to a 6 goal lead and never let the Pios within 2 goals. This is still a very solid Denver team with Tierney at the helm of it, and I believe in them.
Towson is still a great team too, despite their two recent losses. Unfortunately, they are on one of the toughest runs in all of college lacrosse. I believe that they will drop this one because these games are just too difficult to have in a row, Prediction: Denver +1 goal.
Matt Predicts: Towson. Paul Predicts: Denver.
Quickstick Predictions. Brody Predicts: Denver. O’Rourke Predicts: Towson. Shears Predicts: Denver.
NCAA Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse Predictions: March 24
The best game to watch on March 24th for Division 1 NCAA Men’s lacrosse is Duke vs Syracuse.
Duke Declares War on Cuse
Duke really is looking like a favorite for the national championship this year. Besides their High Point loss, this team has been dominant in their other games. Even the 1 goal win against Denver felt like Duke just couldn’t miss. This team could be very special, and I don’t see Cuse being the team to stop their momentum.
Syracuse has plenty of good wins on their schedule, but they have still been shaky. Besides their destroying of Albany, Syracuse doesn’t seem to have it all together. Regardless, they are still a talented group that can make individual plays all over the place. Too bad this won’t beat Duke. Prediction: Duke +3 goals.
Matt
Quickstick Predictions. Brody
NCAA Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse Predictions: March 25
The only NCAA Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse game on March 25th, 2019 is Brown vs Villanova.
Brown Bears Down On Villanova
Brown has been a scrappy group that has only lost close games this year. I’m always inclined to stay with the team that keeps it close during their losses.
Villanova should be sticking to basketball this time of year. Prediction: Brown +2 goals.
Matt Predicts: Brown. Paul Predicts: Villanova.
Quickstick Predictions. Brody Predicts: Villanova. O’Rourke Predicts: Brown. Shears Predicts: Villanova.
