📺 NCAA LACROSSE ON TV

The wait is finally over.

College lacrosse is here, and so is the preseason edition of The People’s Top 20. See where your team is ranked in the graphic below…

Make sure to provide your feedback on our poll, so we can factor it into the rankings for next week. In the meantime, there are 18 NCAA Men’s Division I games set to be played this weekend. This newsletter will break down five must-watch matchups and provide broadcast info for every game.

If you want to test your expertise, you can play TLN’s new Pick ‘Em and Predictor games in the PLL App by clicking the button below.

1️⃣ Denver at Johns Hopkins

Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+

This matchup has potential to be the best game of the weekend. Hopkins is the No. 1 team in the Big Ten preseason poll, while Denver is entering a new era under longtime Bill Tierney assistant and first-year head coach Matt Brown.

Hopkins returns its top 11 scorers from last year’s team, which made it to the NCAA quarterfinals. Jacob Angelus is the primary facilitator on offense, but Russell Melendez is the flashiest playmaker and a dark horse candidate for this year’s Tewaaraton Award. The Blue Jays also added a major piece on defense in grad-transfer goalie Chayse Ierlan, who played in the NCAA Championship with Cornell a couple of years ago.

Denver does not have the offensive firepower to go shot-for-shot with Hopkins, but they could win this game if it turns into a defensive slugfest. AJ Mercurio is a very solid anchor at close defense, and Alec Stathakis could help the Pioneers play make it/take it at the face-off X.

This one will be a battle, but I think Hopkins will take care of business at home.

Prediction: Hopkins 12, Denver 8

2️⃣ Georgetown at Loyola

Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+

Never overlook a trip to Ridley Athletic Complex in February. Last year, Loyola pulled off shocking upsets over Maryland and Hopkins to start the season 2-0.

Georgetown, on the other hand, started last season with three straight losses. The Hoyas’ two leading scorers from last year — Tucker Dordevic and Brian Minicus — are now stars in the PLL. The pressure is on midfielders Graham Bundy and Alex Vardaro (Princeton transfer) to carry this team to a stronger start out of the gates in 2024.

Loyola had one of the best freshman attackmen in the country last season in Matthew Minicus (younger brother of Brian). He returns this season and will be flanked by two other lethal playmakers in Adam Poitras and Evan James, both of whom are graduate students.

I think this one will come all the way down to the wire but Georgetown will escape with a quality win on the road.

Prediction: Georgetown 14, Loyola 13

3️⃣ Utah at Ohio State

Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET
Watch: B1G+

You shouldn’t draw conclusions in early February, but this game will be an interesting litmus test for both teams.

Utah won the ASUN Championship last year and opens the season at No. 19 in The People’s Top 20. Although they scored the third most goals (274) in all of Division I last season, they were smoked by Notre Dame in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament and lacked signature wins on their final résumé. A road victory over Ohio State to start the 2024 season would be a statement.

Meanwhile, Ohio State is vulnerable. The Buckeyes went 5-9 last season and finished last in the Big Ten. They lost attackman Jack Myers to the PLL, and it’s unclear who will take over as the team’s go-to playmaker in 2024. One player to watch is grad-transfer Kurt Bruun, who had 109 points (62 goals, 47 assists) at the Division III level with Tufts last spring.

Ultimately, even the worst Big Ten team should be able to handle the best ASUN team.

Prediction: Ohio State 16, Utah 12

4️⃣ Maryland at Richmond

Time: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+

This should be a nice warm up for the Terps, right? Maybe not…

There’s some hype around Richmond heading into the 2024 season. The Spiders are coming off an Atlantic 10 Championship, and they return two legit playmakers in attackman Dalton Young and midfielder Lance Madonna. This is a scrappy team that could steal a big win early in the season.

Meanwhile, Maryland has fallen a few rungs in the Big Ten. The Terps are still a force on defense — led by new No. 1 Ajax Zappitello — but they aren’t quite as deep on offense. Although they beat Richmond 14-5 at home in last year’s season opener, this matchup will be on the road.

You know I had to get crazy with one prediction…

Prediction: Richmond 9, Maryland 8

5️⃣ Vermont at Syracuse

Time: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
Watch: ACCN

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s something special about watching Syracuse early in the season. NCAA broadcasts in February aren’t exactly cinema, but you can always count on ACC Network to put together a quality production from The Dome. This is guaranteed to be the most watchable game of the weekend.

When it comes to the game itself, Syracuse should beat Vermont. Although the Orange only won this matchup 7-5 last season, that was the very first game for a young team that was still finding its footing. You might remember then-freshman Joey Spallina’s infamous 1-for-15 shooting stat line in that game. He and the rest of the ‘Cuse offense will be far more efficient this time around.

Prediction: Syracuse 15, Vermont 7

📺 NCAA TV & Streaming Info

All times Eastern (streaking links via Inside Lacrosse):

Saturday, Feb. 3:
11 a.m. — Mercer at High Point (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Bellarmine at Duke (ACCNX)
12 p.m. — Cleveland State at VMI (Streaming Info Unavailable)
12 p.m. — Colgate at Penn State (B1G+)
12 p.m. — Denver at Hopkins (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Mount St. Mary’s at Navy (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Utah at Ohio State (B1G+)
1 p.m. — Bucknell at Merrimack (AmericaEast.com)
1 p.m. — Georgetown at Loyola (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Wager at Hofstra (FloSports)
1 p.m. — Lehigh at Rutgers (B1G+)
1 p.m. — Maryland at Richmond (ESPN+)
2 p.m. — NJIT at St. John’s (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Marquette at Air Force (GoAirForceFalcons.com)
4 p.m. — Vermont at Syracuse (ACCN)

Sunday, Feb. 4:
11 a.m. — Hampton at Mercer (Streaming Info Unavailable)
12:30 p.m. — Stony Brook at Sacred Heart (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Providence at Holy Cross (ESPN+)