The two conferences with the highest winning percentage thus far are set to square off this weekend, as the Big Ten and Ivy League have 3 matchups.
While there is no doubt that both conferences are strong, there are still question marks about just how good the Big Ten is from top to bottom. What we do know is that this weekend will certainly give us a much clearer picture of not only the conference but also the entire lacrosse landscape.
Big Ten vs the Ivy League
#RV Penn State vs #4 Cornell
Cornell at #4 is aggressive and I’m not sure that I agree. They are 4-0 but the lone impressive win is against Ohio State (a great win) while the other three wins hold little value. Penn State is a complete wild card beating Yale, losing to Penn by 1, but also sitting at 2-4 overall. This game comes down to which version of Penn State we get, if we see the team that beat Yale, expect Cornell to fall.
#7 Princeton vs #3 Rutgers
Both teams are elite but Princeton is my favorite rolling into this one. Rutgers is great, but their 6-0 record is misleading as 5 of the wins were against unranked teams. Princeton on the other hand beat Georgetown 10-8 while losing to Maryland 15-10 proving that they are without a doubt a Top 10 team. Big Ten bias aside, I’m all Tigers in this one.
#13 Michigan vs Harvard
The Maize and Blue are rolling into Saturday with the best start in program history at 7-0. It certainly helps when junior attackman, Josh Zawada, has already broken the programs single season scoring record. However, the Wolverines have yet to meet a defense as strong as that of Harvard. I expect Coach Byrne’s defense to create issues early, but I expect the powerful trio of Zawada, Boehm, and Bonomi to carry the Wolverines to a tight victory.
Other Big Ten Games
#9 Notre Dame vs #10 Ohio State
Perhaps the biggest game in the conference this weekend, we’ll see if the Buckeye defense can give Notre Dame the same treatment that it gave UNC earlier this season. All eyes should be on the talented ND attack against the physical Buckeye defense.
#RV Hopkins vs #17 Syracuse
Two teams on the cusp of relevancy, no one knows just how good either of them are, but expect the winner to be ranked next week.
#1 Maryland vs Albany
Light work for the ‘Terps this weekend. The Danes are good but lack the depth and top end talent to compete with this years Maryland.
