Syracuse Lacrosse: Taking the odds, week 5

This is a weekly post I will be doing all year, just for fun. Keep track, add your picks in the comment section and watch along.

If you follow lacrosse, most likely you’ve ventured into the lax twittersphere where you can find a whole mess of interesting characters. One of the more intriguing profiles out there is @laxvegaslines which sets weekly lines for lacrosse. Back in 2015, the online sports book Bovada opened up for lacrosse wagers. Not long after beginning the experiment it was shut down due to a lack of interest. Thankfully, @laxvegaslines has filled the gap. It is a great follow and always makes for interesting lax talk. It should be made clear that the profile does not actually take wagers, just sets lines.

So just for fun, this season we’ll be keeping an eye on the odds, give you our picks, and I’ll keep an eye on how things go.

Join me and put your picks down in the comment section and maybe we can find out who will win all the Monopoly money!

Immediately below are this week’s lines followed by my picks. And of course, a big thanks to @laxvegaslines for putting together these weekly odds. I will also mention that I am not actually making any wagers (not that anyone would actually take lacrosse bets), this is simply for fun.

I came into last week all even, but got killed in my picks. Let’s see if I can pull myself up this weekend.

Stony Brook Seawolves +2.5, over 24.5

5-0 Rutgers has been playing tremendously, and a win over Army will be big come Tournament time. That being said, I think Stony Brook has a better offense. This has a chance to be a huge scoring affair.

Johns Hopkins Blue Jays -2.5, over 20

The #16 Towson Tigers haven’t beaten a winning team this year. After last week’s embarrassing 7-18 loss to the Princeton Tigers, I have no doubt that coach Pietramala will have his guys ready to go. The Princeton game was the only one the Blue Jays have scored under 13 goals.

Loyola Greyhounds -2.5, over 22.5

Loyola has played a tough schedule, with its only losses coming in a one goal game against Virginia and an overtime game with Hopkins. The Greyhounds do have a four goal win over Towson. Duke, meanwhile, has struggled going 4-2, scoring over ten goals only twice, against Cleveland State and Saint Joseph’s.

Yale Bulldogs -3.5, under 19.5

I’m picking Yale, but the Bulldogs have been maybe the most disappointing team in college lacrosse this year. Losing to UMass is awful. Fairfield has had trouble scoring and I’m not sure the Stags put up more than seven.

Pennsylvania Quakers -4, under 22

Penn’s defense has been fantastic this season. Don’t be fooled by Michigan’s 6-1 record. The Wolverines’ wins have come against teams with a combined 7-28 record. Against Notre Dame, Michigan lost 5-16.

Boston University Terriers -2.5, under 19.5

BU has been great this season, compiling a 6-0 record. I think this is an easy win for the Terriers over Colgate, this game could hit the over though.

Army Black Knights -4, over 21

14 goals against Syracuse? Army could do some damage in this game, and I think the over is a lock.

Ohio State Buckeyes -8, over 21

Cleveland State is not terrible, but I don’t think they keep within eight.

Syracuse Orange -6, over 22

Syracuse will destroy a weak St. John’s team on Saturday. The -6 is a lock and I think the over is pretty bankable.

North Carolina Tar Heels -2.5, over 23

After a disappointing loss to Hopkins, the Heels bounced back to take down the Denver Pioneers. The Carolina offense is back on track and I think they win, but the spread is in question. Hofstra is 4-0 with a big win over Princeton, this could be a great game.

Albany Great Danes +3, over 23.5

Albany has put up 17+ goals in each of its last three games. Maryland was held to just four goals against a very good Notre Dame defense last week in a game that was filled with turnovers. I think Maryland wins but Albany covers and the over should be pretty safe.

Virginia Cavaliers -5.5, under 25.5

5.5 is a big spread and I am seriously conflicted about it. I’ve changed my pick three times now. UVA has only beaten a team by more than five goals once this year, but considering Cornell has been a mess, and given its disappointing performance at the faceoff X and UVA’s ability to exploit that with its speed, I think there’s a chance the Cavaliers take it by six plus.

Denver Pioneers -1, under 20

Game of the week, by far. This actually may end up being the game of the year. This is a talented defense versus a big time offense. I think it may end up being a push but I’ll give the edge to Denver. Even more interesting is the over/under.

Penn State Nittany Lions -3, over 23.5

Penn State – Harvard will be the second game this weekend between two unbeatens. In my mind, PSU has just one quality win, a one goal tilt against Penn, but the Nittany Lions have had an impressive scoring margin. Harvard is 4-0 but hasn’t really played anyone of strength. I think Penn State knocks the Crimson back down to earth.

Throw down your picks below in the comments and let’s see who wins the bragging rights.