The temptation here is to just write the obvious and leave: Ohio State is going to lose this game. But that's not fair to anyone. And, frankly, this team doesn't deserve that kind of slack. So buckle up. This Maryland team is not last year's by any stretch of the imagination. It's a more traditional Tillman team, good defensively, just slightly above average on offense. They're likely an Elite Eight team, but probably not Final Four caliber. The offense is led by Dan Maltz (#37), HS teammate of Mitchell Pehlke. Maltz is an attackman, a good shooter, and the biggest offensive threat to Ohio State. Freshman Braden Erksa (#10) has gotten a starting role down low as well, further indictment of the personnel management of this staff. Kyle Long (#23) is the facilitator, with 15 assists. But this is a far more balanced, far less talented, unit than last year's Maryland squad. Ohio State would have an opportunity here, if the defense wasn't such a disaster. Defensively, Maryland is led by senior Brett Makar (#1), who is a certified beast and is the first defensive player to get that number in a long time, maybe ever. Flanking Makar are Ajax Zappitello (#36) and Colin Burlace (#40). As a whole, the defensive unit isn't great. They're allowing teams to score on 27.9% of shots, which is mediocre. They're holding opponents to 10.44 goals per game, however, which is very good considering their competition this year. And the Terps have maybe the best defensive/transition middie in the country in Dante Trader. Trader plays for Maryland's football team as well, and is far, far better at it than the other dual sport athlete at Navy. This is going to be tough for Ohio State because Maryland can take away Myers and Shean, leaving no one left to dodge super effectively. That spells trouble, as we saw against Penn State. In goal, Maryland starts Brian Ruppel (#19), who is stepping in for injured Logan McNaney. Ruppel has been pretty solid this year, saving over 53% of shots faced. Yes, he got fleeced by TTUN, but the Wolverines have probably the best attack unit in the Big Ten. At faceoff, Luke Wierman (#52) has been dominating opponents, winning 61% of his draws. The Wolverines managed to keep him below 50% last week, leading to their win. That was really the difference in the game. Ohio State, barring a massive comeback by Drew Blanchard, won't do that. On special teams, Maryland is crushing Man Up (I will never use Player here, sue me), scoring 44% of the time. They're also holding opponents to just 31%, which is not ideal for OSU. The Buckeyes took a big step back from last year's special teams' dominance. All in all, there's not much hope for Ohio State, other than the game being at home, and being a sellout. They released a few more standing tickets, but it's not going to help. Maryland is too good on defense and facing off to lose here. Buckeyes need to get to probably 60% to have a chance. They won't get there, even if Blanchard comes back. Final Prediction: Maryland 15, Ohio State 10. Go Bucks!
Men's Lacrosse: Maryland Preview
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