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College Lacrosse Weekend Preview: Big City Classic Special

The biggest event in the Northeast this weekend is the Konica Minolta Big City Classic on Sunday, which is being played in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium. First I’ll run through the games going down on the BIG stage, and then I’ll preview the rest of the action from NCAA D1, D2, D3, the MCLA, NCLL and NJCAA!

Got a game you think I missed?  Make me a believer in the comments.

The Big City Classic

St. John’s plays Notre Dame to open college play at the Big City Classic (technically two high school teams open the day), and there is no way that the Fighting Irish will lose this one. St. John’s pushed Syracuse to the limit, but ND is a very different beast. I’m calling a 9-3 win for Notre Dame, if SJU can put up 3 goals.

Syracuse vs. Duke is the next game at the BCC, and it should be a lot of fun to watch, and the outcome pretty much depends on which Duke lacrosse team shows up.  The Duke players are young, inconsistent, talented, tough, aggressive and physical on D – making them totally unpredictable.  I’ll take Cuse by 2.  I just like their chemistry and consistency a little more. However, if Duke can dominate face offs, it’s anyone’s game.

Someone is excited for the Big City Classic!

The real game of the weekend is probably UNC Vs. Johns Hopkins. Personally, I think Johns Hopkins will run away with this one, and the game may be a bit of a disappointment in that regard.  Many people want to see Hop lose for some reason, and North Carolina would be a weird team to make it happen, even though probably do have the capability on offense.  I’m guessing they’ll put up 11 or 12 goals, but I think Hop might score 18 or more here because of UNC’s inconsistent, and at times, porous defense.

More NCAA Division 1 Action

I know the Big City Classic is a big deal, but don’t forget about Lehigh at Navy on Friday night!  In year’s past I would have been shocked to see Lehigh win this one, but this year it’s a complete 180 degree turnaround.  Lehigh comes in ranked highly, Navy is looking for a big win. I’ve got Lehigh by 2 or 3, but it should be a great game in Annapolis!

On Saturday, Colgate at Army could also be a superb game to catch. ‘Gate’s Peter Baum is one of the best lacrosse player in the country, and it will be interesting to see if Army’s poles can limit him.  If they can, Army has a chance.  However, I’m predicting Colgate by 2.

Villanova at Penn State might be a great game as Nova is a proven team of excellence, and PSU has the potential to be that as well.  I like Villanova here, but they could suffer from a letdown after knocking off Syracuse last weekend.

Virginia at Maryland should be an awesome game because of the rivalry, but also because both teams are coming off close and emotional losses.  I think Virginia will take this one by 3-5 goals in the end, but I still wouldn’t be surprised to see Maryland make it really close, or even pull out the upset.  It all depends on how Maryland bounces back from a ugly loss to UNC.

NCAA Division 2 Lacrosse Games

In NCAA D2 game action, Adelphi at Merrimack should be good. ‘Mack has talent and is often a Top 10 quality team.  Adelphi hasn’t always lived up to their high 2012 expectations, but are fun to watch and have serious talent in many positions.  I like Adelphi to right the ship a bit and win by 4-5 goals.

CW Post at Mercyhurst could be a fun game to watch, but I just can’t see anyone taking down Hurst right now. They will strangle you on offense and are loaded with players.

For the D2 game of the week, I’d have to go with the battle of the HILLS.  Seton Hill travels to Philly to take on Chestnut Hill, and it’s a battle of new up and coming programs. Could be an epic NCAA Division 2 lacrosse battle for the ages.  One of these two teams will win a National Championship in the next 10 years, and this game will tell us who’s closer!  It’s like a crystal ball of D2 lax.

NCAA Division 3 Lacrosse Games

In NCAA D3 action we’ll see a couple of really superb match ups.  Wesleyan is coming off a huge win over #3 Amherst and now faces Endicott at home.  If Wesleyan’s recent win wasn’t a fluke, they should win by a couple here, but from this point on, the pressure is on Wesleyan to keep performing.

Hamilton travels to Amherst, and the Lord Jeffs need to regroup here and win big to get back on the right track.

Ohio Wesleyan plays at Denison and this is just a classic NCAC match up.  Both of these teams should make the NCAAs under Pool B this year, and it is possible they will face each other early in the playoffs. Big time barometer game to see who the best in Ohio is right now.

RIT should cruise over Geneseo, but I think the RPI at Clarkson game could be tight and competitive.  I like Clarkson by 1 or 2 at home.

And in more Upstate action, St. Lawrence at Union has potential, but I’m a believer in Union.  Dutchmen by 4.

Tufts at Trinity could be an upset game, but I like Tufts to keep it rolling in the NESCAC.  Trinity has talent, but can be undisciplined at times, which Tufts thrives on.  Stevenson proved Tufts is beatable, even by a “fast and loose” team, but I don’t think Trinity has it in them yet.  If their goalie stands in his head, and stays in his crease, the Bantams could have a chance at home.

Finally, we get to Whittier at Cabrini!  Cabrini is no longer the team that continually lets you down as a fan, and Whittier is on a mission to get back to the Top 20.  A win here could launch the Poets on to huge things for the rest of 2012!

MCLA Lacrosse Games

Let’s pick out some AWESOME MCLA games, shall we? WE SHALL.

Friday night rolls around and we have TWO unreal games on tap.  BYU hosts Arizona State, and BYU will win by 2 or 3 goals there.  Should be a killer game though.  Clemson at South Carolina will also be a top notch game, as the SELC D1 bragging rights title is very much on the line. At least for now!

On Saturday, Arizona State plays again, but this against Utah.  That could be an even and tough game for both squads.

Chapman at Cal Poly might just be the game of the weekend regardless of division or conference.  I love how both of these teams play and I’ve caught each team playing online at least once so far.  I like Cal Poly by 2, 11-9.  Great game with a lot on the line.  Want some D2 action?

Davenport at St. John’s should more than deliver.  Minnesota laxing.  I like Davenport by 5 actually.

Indiana at Pitt is good because Indiana’s coach, the legendary 412, played at Pitt.  Pitt is rolling and Indiana is looking for their Tipping Point win.  I’ll say Pitt squeaks it out, but if Indiana’s younger players can show a lot of composure, anything could happen.

Both Idaho and Simon Fraser are a little down this year, but if you want to see a physical game, check this one out!  I think it will deliver.

Michigan State at Boston College will be good, but probably not great.  I’m not sold on BC yet though, and I think MSU will walk away from this one winning by 3 or 4.  Want a little more D2 lax action?

WPI heads to Briarcliffe out on Long Island.  Briarcliffe needs to keep racking up wins, and I think they’ll do it here without too much of a problem.

The best Sunday game is Virginia Tech at Buffalo.  I like Buffalo here by 2.

NJCAA Action

In NJCAA action, I’ll be paying attention to Monroe CC this weekend as they take on Mohawk Valley on Saturday, and Suffolk on Sunday.  Two wins and they’re balling!  The MV game should be a win, but the Suffolk game should be a dogfight!  I expect both Onondaga and Nassau CC to win easily.

NCLL Action

In the NCLL, St. Joseph’s Club is 6-0 and faces a good 0-1 Villanova Club, TCNJ and Monmouth.  But I like St. Joe’s to keep it rolling here and win all three.

The Navy club is off this weekend, but also sits at 6-0 right now.  Rutgers is 9-0 right now and could be the top team in the NCLL.  We’ll know a whole lot more after they play Virginia’s Club team, Salisbury’s Club team and then the Loyola Club team.  All four of these teams are packing games in this weekend in an almost mini-tournament format, all in the span of only two days.

Cornell’s Club is 3-0 and takes on Albany’s Club and Clarkson’s Club on Sunday.