Weekend One-Liners: Rivalries Rule

Last weekend, we got Army-Navy. This weekend, we get Hopkins-Maryland, Syracuse-Virginia and Michigan-Ohio State.

Rivalries rule.

What’s even better is that all three games and seven total are on linear TV. It’s a couch potato’s dream.

Here are 10 games to watch with one sentence on each. Rankings are per this week’s USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20. All times Eastern.

No. 7 Penn State (8-3, 2-2) at Rutgers (7-5, 1-3) – Friday 6 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

Rutgers hasn’t reached double figures in more than a month and will find it especially difficult to score against Jack Fracyon and a Penn State defense that’s getting healthier by the week.

Loyola (6-6, 4-2) at Navy (7-5, 4-2) – Friday 7 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)

Six Patriot League teams are 4-2 in conference play and it’s looking like a one-bid league, so home-field advantage would be mighty helpful for the one that emerges from the fray as the No. 1 seed.

North Carolina (6-6, 0-2) at No. 1 Notre Dame (8-1, 2-0) – Saturday 11:30 a.m. (ACC Network)

A late surge was not enough to keep the Tar Heels from suffering their third one-goal loss of the season against Syracuse and their trip to South Bend presents unfavorable matchups of youth vs. experience at virtually all levels of the field.

Boston University (7-5, 4-2) at Lehigh (6-6, 4-2) – Saturday 12 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)

BU’s loss to Lafayette was a head-scratcher, especially after the Terriers beat Army and took both Duke and Yale to the wire in close losses.

No. 19 Harvard (7-4, 1-3) at No. 10 Cornell (7-4, 3-1) – Saturday 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Crimson will need to upset the Big Red for the second straight year to keep their scant Ivy League tournament hopes alive.

No. 14 Richmond (8-4, 3-0) at UMass (6-5, 2-1) – Saturday 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

All eyes are on a top-20 showdown with St. Joe’s on April 27, but Richmond would be remiss to overlook tough, scrappy UMass team with four one-goal losses.

No. 4 Virginia (10-2, 1-1) at No. 12 Syracuse (10-4, 2-1) – Saturday 2 p.m. (ESPNU)

Since 2017, Virginia is 24-1 in games after a loss and the Cavaliers have won three straight games in their series with Syracuse.

No. 5 Maryland (8-3, 3-1) at No. 3 Johns Hopkins (9-3, 4-0) – Saturday 4 p.m. (ESPNU)

The 127th edition of the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse will be played to determine the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament.

No. 13 Penn (8-4, 4-1) at No. 18 Princeton (7-4, 2-2) – Saturday 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Fun fact: Emmet Carroll, who made 18 saves in a comeback win over Harvard, and Brendan Lavelle, who hurled in his first career goal from the defensive end of the field, were high school teammates in Rye, N.Y.

Michigan (6-6, 1-3) at Ohio State (6-7, 1-3) – Saturday 7 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

All seven of Ohio State’s losses have come to teams ranked in this week’s top 10, and the Buckeyes proved in consecutive one-goal defeats to Big Ten frontrunners Hopkins and Maryland that they will be a tough out in the playoffs.