We kick off the week with a mid-week matchup in Piscataway, Marist vs Rutgers.
Marist isn’t LIU, so Rutgers won’t be able to throw it in cruise control for this matchup.
Marist returns a lot of scoring from last year, but I really like this Rutgers defense. The
way they were able to control one of the most explosive players in the country, Richie
LaCaladra, was impressive.
Happy hour lax gets started with Duke vs Manhattan Friday at 4. There should be
an ambulance and therapist on the sideline for this one. God only knows what kind of
pain Duke could potentially inflict on Manhattan. My player to watch will be #55 Jake
Nicolosi for Manhattan, this kids an absolute beauty. If you’re wondering, yes his brother
did pay me 50 bucks to write that. My thoughts and prayers will be with you Jake… and
Jet the fuck up.
Asher Nolting will continue to be a problem for defenses all year. He will have a
chance to put up big numbers in this one against Colgate.
I love this North Carolina Vs Richmond matchup. Richmond has been one of
those teams that has been able to beat “February Duke” the last few years. Paul
Richards, the defensive coordinator at Richmond, has done an incredible job of
frustrating high-powered offenses since he stepped on campus nine years ago. I think
whether it’s zone or man-to-man, they can slow down Chris Gray a bit. Chris Gray can
be slowed down but not stopped. My way-too-early Tewaaraton winner will do some
crazy shit in the second half and pull away from the Spiders. Disclaimer- Gray did
graduate from a high school which I have never beaten as a starter, so I am biased
against him.
Happy hour ends with a cross town rivalry, Hopkins vs Towson. This will be a
good chance for Hopkins to go 2-0 on the year. Towson has one of my favorite players
in the country in Koby Smith, but Smith alone will not be able to lift this team over a
decent Hopkins team.
11 o’clock Saturday at ol’ Hickox Field (Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium),
the sharks face Sienna. This is a much better matchup than they had with Rutgers. This
game has Richie LaCalandra written all over it. Games like this Richie and Will Mark
have proven they can put the team on their backs and take over.
The snoozer of the weekend is Umass Lowell vs Quinnipiac. Maybe just check
the live stats on this one throughout the day, no need to waste time watching this one. I
think Coach Zomerfeld’s squad will get the win in an ugly battle.
My Saturday thoughts and prayers game will be with NJIT as they host Lehigh.
Coach Cassese will be looking to start fast, and I don’t think NJIT will be able to do
anything about it.
Army vs Umass is the biggest “take the under” game of the weekend. These
guys are mirror images of each other, throw haymaker after haymaker and see who’s left standing at the end. The edge has to go to Army and the reigning player of the year
in the Patriot league conference, Brendan Nichtern.
Bellarmine has proven already they will not be making a run to championship
weekend this year. Marquette has been on a steady decline since they upset Denver in
the 2016 conference championship. With that being said, I give the slight advantage to
Marquette in this stinker.
Marist turns it around after its Rutgers matchup on Wednesday to head to one of
my favorite places in the world, Vestal, New York. They take on the Bearcats and what
should be a decent matchup. Binghamton hasn’t really been relevant in years and don’t
think this changes any time soon. Marist will be hungry to get their first win after losing
to Rutgers.
Boston U takes on the D2 boys of Merrimack, noon at home. BU is a very much
a “middle of the pack” team, like Hofstra, which Merrimack had a close one against last
week. I would assume this one would end in a similar fashion, a 1-2 goal game
unfortunately going against Merrimack.
Bryant and Providence have exchanged blows for the last 6 years. Back and
forth win loss win loss win loss its been quite the battle. Providence lost a one goal
game to kick off the year last year and I don’t want to mess with fate. God is telling us all
we need to take Providence in a very close game.
My brain is completely screwed by this Hobart-Canisius game. My brain will
forever remember Canisius playing Loyola in the tournament so I have to think they can
do it again. On the other hand, it is in my blood to hate Hobart with every fiber of my
being. My dad lost every year in the semifinals to Hobart back in the mid 80’s and it
would be a sin to root for them. I will defend my father’s honor and take the Griffins.
(What the hell even is a Griffin?)
Ohio State should still be in prison for their actions last weekend with that live
stream. Unfortunately for Cleveland State they have been released on bail. This one will
not be close.
Stony Brook will be playing angry this entire season after being screwed over by
those scum bags in charge of the America East. I am a huge Coach Gilardi fan and will
ride with the Seawolves forever. Fairfield stinks and better get off the tracks because
the Dylan Pallonetti train is coming.
#StandWithWolfie
Hofstra takes on, arguably, the worst team in all of division one lacrosse, Sacred
Heart (sorry od). Congrats to Coach Tierney on being inducted into the Long Island
Metro Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Enjoy the HOF and enjoy the win this weekend.
Lafayette must be feeling themselves right now after their close game against
Penn State. If you asked me about this game a week ago, I probably would have given
the edge to VMI but not anymore. I love the Leopards big over VMI in this game.
Loyola will need to start this year the way they ended last year if they want to
compete with the Terps in this matchup. Ryan Mcnulty is back to cause some havoc on
both the offense and defensive side of the ball. He will need to be a huge factor in this
one if the Greyhounds want to keep it close.
Can Navy defend their honor and try and prove they’re not the worst military
branch in the country? I hope so, and I believe they will. If they can’t pull off this win
against a gritty Mercer team then we as a nation need to rethink our qualifications to
enter the Naval Academy.
St. Josephs will win their game vs St Bonaventure, thanks for reading.
Utah-Vermont could be the best game of the weekend. These teams showed
they can play with the big boy’s last weekend. Vermont has Ryan Cornell who last
weekend looked as good as Holly Barry in the 1994 Flintstones movie and for that
reason, I’m on the Catamounts.
It looks like Gary and Petro will be able to start their tenure with the Orange 1-0. I
love coach Reppert but he will need years to build this Holy Cross program. Cuse by a
billion in this one.
Over the years I have become a huge Bobby Mo fan. Don’t get me wrong, they’re
not great, but I love the way they play. They are scrappy, they talk shit, they aren’t afraid
of anybody… they’re awesome. This Bucknell matchup should make for an interesting
game. Bucknell beat a below average Mercer team last week that should have them
feeling good. Bobby Mo has proven they can compete with most teams in the country
and I think they will win this one.
Michigan should be a top team in the country, it’s so easy and I don’t understand
it. For now, they are off to a good start putting up an impressive 22 goals in week 1.
This matchup against Detroit should give them a good opportunity to build off that win
from week 1.
St Johns will be looking to get their first win since week 1 last year. Rutgers might
have something to say about that. This should be an easy one for the Scarlet Knights,
but that’s why they play the game; you never know what’s going to happen.
Denver scared me last weekend against Utah. If air force can start off the way
they did against Virginia, I don’t think The Pios will be able to crawl their way back. Air
Force is one of those teams that plays top 20 opponents well in February and I like
them in this one.
Villanova was a solid team last year. They competed in almost every game, beat
the teams they were supposed to and lost to the ones they were supposed to minus an
impressive win against Lehigh. Penn State scared me, that close one with Lafayette will
affect my brain the rest of the year when it comes to picks. Because of the consistency
from Villanova, I will be picking the wildcats.
North Carolina will be looking to stretch its wings and fly in its matchup with
Colgate. After a game in which it will be tough to flex its muscles offensively against
Richmond, this Sunday game will be the opportunity to show their offensive firepower.
Coach Galloway and Perzinski will have their hands full trying to slow down this
Duke offense. I just don’t think they will be able to and will be looking at an 0-2 record to
start the year.
Coach Warne has done nothing but get better and better in his ten years
at Georgetown. The Hoyas come in as the #4 ranked team in the country this year. I
think they will be sending the most obnoxious pep band in the history of music home
early in this one.
High Point matches up with another top 5 opponent early in the season vs
Virginia. As I’ve said, Asher Nolting is a problem, and he will not be going away in this
one. If High Point could put up 13 against the meat grinder that is Maryland’s defense, I
think they can put up even bigger numbers against Virginia. The only problem with that
for High Point is they gave up 21 to a post Jared Bernhardt terp offense. Virginia has a
few dudes of their own that will be lighting up the score board. Take the over and give
me Virginia.
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