This is most likely the game of the year. It’s the most-hyped team in the nation (Albany), which has been knocking at the door of the elite for years, against the defending national champions in Maryland, which has seemingly reloaded and looks poised to compete for another title.

What more could you want in a game?

Between Connor Fields and Tehoka Nanticoke turning in highlight-reel goals each game, and Connor Kelly emerging as a solid Tewaaraton candidate, there’s plenty of reason to grab the popcorn and watch this game. The No. 1 team in the USILA rankings up against the No. 1 team in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20.

For the Great Danes, the matchup with the Terps at College Park represents a benchmark to see how strong this team could be. They made waves with the season-opening 15-3 win over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, where freshman Tehoka Nanticoke broke onto the scene with five goals.

Albany blew out both Drexel and UMass, with a scare against Cornell sandwiched in between. Connor Fields (7.50) and Nanticoke (5.25) sit in the top 10 nationally in points per game.

As a team, Albany is first in scoring offense (15.75) and second in scoring defense (6.25). And let’s not forget faceoff specialist TD Ierlan leads the nation with an 86.7 faceoff win percentage.

But Saturday will be the toughest test yet for Albany. Maryland has been where the Great Danes want to be at the end of the season.

 

NO. 2 ALBANY AT NO. 1 MARYLAND
WHEN: Saturday, March 10, 12 p.m.
​WATCH: Big Ten Network

 

Despite losing key pieces to the offense from last season, the Terps still rank 10th in the nation with 12.80 goals per game. Kelly leads the way with 29 points — including 10 in the 12-10 win over Notre Dame last weekend.

He’s stepped into the role as the leader of the offense, and he’s helping names like Jared Bernhardt, Logan Wisnauskas, Tim Rotanz and Bubba Fairman produce this season.

And without names like Isaiah Davis-Allen and Tim Muller, the Terps have held opponents to 8.20 goals per game. Bryce Young anchors the defense, which has stepped up so far this season.

But the key to this game for Maryland could be the services of Austin Henningsen, who has won 53.9 percent of his faceoffs this season and Justin Shockey, who sits at 62.8 percent for the year. Shockey, the highly-touted freshman out of Landon, won 15-of-22 against Notre Dame last week. If the Terps want to gain momentum, they’ll have to get to Ierlan, which is no easy task.

Rest assured, we will have a concrete No. 1 team in the country come Monday. Will the Terps prevail or will the Great Danes train keep rolling?

Other games highlighting the weekend include:

• No. 3 Duke at No. 10 Loyola​

Saturday, 3 p.m., Patriot League Network

Two of the most dynamic players in the nation go at it at Ridley Athletic Complex. Duke’s Justin Guterding leads the nation with 3.83 goals per game, while Loyola’s Pat Spencer sits seventh in assists per game and ninth in points per game. But both defenses have excelled this season, with both sitting in the top 10 nationally in goals allowed per game. Will it be a shootout or are the defenses going to step up as they have this season?

• No. 4 Denver at No. 7 Notre Dame

Saturday, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU

Notre Dame looks to rebound from the road loss to Maryland by hosting a well-traveled Denver team that has owned the series as of late. The Pioneers have won six straight matchups with the Fighting Irish dating back to 2013. In comes Trevor Baptiste to Arlotta Stadium, winning 78.1 percent of his faceoffs. Notre Dame sits at 50 percent as a team this season, good for 39th in the country.

• No. 5 Villanova at No. 18 Penn

Saturday, 1 p.m., Ivy League Network

How will Villanova respond after suffering its first loss this season? The task doesn’t get easier, as the Wildcats travel to Franklin Field, where Penn recently took down No. 1 Duke but fell to Penn State. For the Quakers, coming off an 11-3 win over Navy at US Lacrosse on Tuesday night, it’s the last chance to pick up a quality win before entering Ivy League play.

• No. 20 Johns Hopkins at No. 8 Syracuse

Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN3

The historic matchup between the Blue Jays and the Orange is renewed. Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series 29-26-1, but Syracuse has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including last year’s overtime thriller that saw Brendan Bomberry score the game-winner. The Blue Jays are in danger of falling out of top 20, so a win at the Carrier Dome would do wonders. For the Orange, they’ll look to build off a win over Virginia without the services of the suspended Nate Solomon.

• No. 17 Penn State vs. Cornell - on Tierney Field at US Lacrosse headquarters

Saturday, 12 p.m., Lacrosse Talk Radio

Cornell didn't win a faceoff against No. 2 Albany on Sunday, and still almost beat the Great Danes before falling 11-9. They'll face another challenge this week with Penn State's Gerard Arceri winning at a 72 percent clip. The Nittany Lions have won two straight, including a win over Penn, since a surprising loss to Robert Morris. If Cornell can get the ball, Jeff Teat (10g, 12a in four games) is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the country.

MORE GAMES ON OUR RADAR

All times are listed in ET. For a full list of broadcast games, please visit our US Lacrosse TV listing page, presented by Nationwide.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9

7 p.m.

Air Force at Michigan (BTN2Go)

SATURDAY, MARCH 3

12 p.m. 

Lehigh at No. 12 Army (Patriot League Network)

Hobart at No. 16 Georgetown (GUHoyas.com)

No. 11 North Carolina at Hofstra (Lax Sports Network)

1 p.m.

Colgate at Boston U. (Patriot League Network)

No. 13 Rutgers at Princeton (ESPN3)

No. 6 Yale at Fairfield (Facebook Live)

Robert Morris at No. 14 Marquette (MU Tube)

Towson at No. 15 Ohio State (Big Ten Network)

No. 9 Virginia at Stony Brook (America East TV)

Delaware at Binghamton (ESPN3)