🧐 HOPKINS BACK? FIND OUT SATURDAY

🐦 Will Hopkins Survive Battle vs. Georgetown?

Just like last year, the Blue Jays are 1-0 after beating Jacksonville. In 2022, they went on to finish 7-9 (4th in the Big Ten). Will 2023 be ANY different?

We'll find out Saturday, when Georgetown pays a visit to Homewood Field. The Hoyas are stacked with transfer talent, most notably A/M Tucker Dordevic, who was Syracuse's leading scorer with 47 goals last season.

Meanwhile, Georgetown's returning players from 2022 desperately want to wash away the taste of last year's NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas were a 2-seed and got bounced by unranked Delaware in the first round.

If Hopkins can hang with G'Town and potentially pull off an upset, Jays fans will be partying like it's 2007.

KEY STAT: Georgetown had the No. 1 defense in NCAA Division-I last season (8.18 goals allowed/game) 📊

💥 'Cuse-Albany Rematch on Friday Night

Before we dive into more Saturday matchups, let's not overlook tonight's clash. Syracuse is hosting Albany at The Dome, after falling to the Great Danes 14-12 on the road in Gary Gait's first season as head coach.

All eyes will will be locked on Syracuse freshman Joey Spallina, but don't forget about Albany LSM Jake Piseno. He's one of the best in the country, and he totally took over this game last year with two goals, three ground balls, a caused turnover and a face-off win in crunch time.

If Piseno finds himself marked up on Spallina at any point in this game, sparks will fly.

MATCHUP TO WATCH: Joey Spallina (No. 22) vs. Jake Piseno (No. 88) 💥

👀 First Look at The 2023 Virginia Cavaliers

If there's a team out there that can stop Maryland, many believe it's Virginia. The Cavaliers have a much more experienced offense than the Terrapins, and because of that they're hanging onto the No. 1 spot in two different media polls (Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine). Virginia is No. 2 behind Maryland in both the USILA Coaches Poll and The People's Top 20.

Virginia opens its season against Michigan at home on Saturday, and the outcome of that game will immediately be compared to what the Terps did last weekend. Maryland played a Richmond team that made the NCAA Tournament last season and stomped them 15-4. The Hoos will have to throttle Michigan in a similar fashion.

X-FACTOR: Linebacker-turned-midfielder Ricky Miezan, who was a captain on Stanford's football team last fall 💪

😈 Will We See "February Duke" This Year?

It doesn't truly feel like college lacrosse season is back until Duke drops a February matchup, but we may not see one this year. The Blue Devils are 2-0 and have outscored their first two opponents by a combined score of 39-15.

Jacksonville (0-1) appears to have taken a step back since upsetting Duke last February. Bill Tierney's Denver squad (1-0) has a history of knocking down Duke, but the team with the best chance to hand the Blue Devils an early season L is probably Penn. That game is on the road, and the Quakers beat Duke in overtime last season.

SILLY STAT: Duke attackman Dyson Williams has 11 goals through two games 🤯

📺 FULL Weekend Slate of Lacrosse on TV

TV schedule via USA Lacrosse Magazine (all times Eastern):

Friday, Feb. 104 p.m. — Queens at VMI (ESPN+)5 p.m. — Mercer at North Carolina (ACCNX)6 p.m. — Albany at Syracuse (ACCNX) 👀

Saturday, Feb. 1111 a.m. — Detroit Mercy at High Point (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Michigan at Virginia (ACC Network) 👀12 p.m. — Binghamton at Marist (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Army at Umass (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Delaware at Lafayette (ESPN+)12 p.m. — St. Bonaventure at Bellarmine (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Cleveland State at Ohio State (BTN+)12 p.m. — Canisius at Hobart (HWS All-Access)12 p.m. — UMass Lowell at Quinnipiac (Quinnipiac All-Access)12 p.m. — Boston U at Vermont (AmericaEast.tv)12 p.m. — Duke at Jacksonville (Dolphins All-Access)1 p.m. — Maryland at Loyola (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Fairfield at Lehigh (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Georgetown at Johns Hopkins (ESPN+)1 p.m. — LIU at Merrimack (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Stony Brook at Rutgers (BTN+)1 p.m. — NJIT at Siena (Siena All-Access)1 p.m. — Providence at Bryant (AmericaEast.tv)1 p.m. — Hampton at Guilford (ODAC Sports Network)1 p.m. — Manhattan at St. John's (Vimeo)2 p.m. — Navy at Hofstra (FloSports)2 p.m. — Marquette at Utah (Utah Live Stream)3 p.m. — Robert Morris at Bucknell (ESPN+)3 p.m. — Denver at Air Force (YouTube)3 p.m. — Towson at Mount St. Mary's (Mount All-Access)3:30 p.m. — Sacred Heart at Saint Joseph's (ESPN+)

Sunday, Feb. 1212 p.m. — Penn State at Villanova (FloSports) 👀1 p.m. — Holy Cross at Syracuse (ACCNX)