It's been a terrible season for Ohio State lacrosse. Men's and Women's. Wins have been few, the teams aren't looking like they're improving, and injuries have decimated the men's roster. Everyone on the field has been hampered, except the long poles. Now, we forget all that and focus on the game that means more than the rest. That Team Up North.

The beautiful thing about this rivalry is how it extends to every sport. Ohio State and Maryland hate each other on the lacrosse field. Ohio State and Maryland couldn't be less dramatic in football, basketball, softball or swimming. You mention that team up north, though, and everything changes. It's how God intended it to be.

And now, the ONLY thing left to play for is a victory over that team. The Wolverines have their best team ever. The attack unit is on par with anyone. The remaining phases are where you're going to see the game decided. And, with the way things are going, it looks a little bleak.

As mentioned, Josh Zawada (#9), Michael Boehm (#5), and Ryan Cohen (#40) are the drivers of the Wolverines' offense. All three are over 40 points on the year. All of them have over 20 assists. They're helping the team to a good 13 goals per game, an excellent shots on goal percentage of .642, and a great shot percentage of .333. But if you slow down the attackmen, the Wolverines are not great.

Defensively, the Wolverines are not great. They are allowing opponents to score on 31.1% of their shots. Additionally, teams average about 2 more shots per game than the Wolverines manage. Now, much like Notre Dame, the Wolverines are very good about letting opponents take bad shots. Only 56% of opponents' shots are on goal. That's very, very good.

Starting down low will be Kees Van Wees (#16), Andrew Darby (#19), and Jack Whitney (#14). None of them will really overwhelm you, but we haven't seen the Buckeyes take over a game on offense against any really worthwhile team.

At faceoff, fans should be concerned. Assuming Blanchard is still hurt, Ohio State is down to the 4th string faceoff man. Let me quash a roster management rant... that's not what you want to see in your biggest game of the year. Especially when the Wolverines are winning 59% of their faceoffs. Coleman Kraske, a true freshman, is going to battle two experienced FOGOs and have to hope he can get to 50%. Anything less and it's a bad day for Ohio State.

In goal, Shane Carr (#41) is likely to start. The good news for Ohio State is that none of the Wolverines' goalies has been good in 2023. If there's an even split for Ohio State in possession, they'll have some opportunities.

On special teams, the Wolverines are just bad. They only score 25% of the time on Man Up, and allow opponents to score 50% of the time on Man Down. There is certainly opportunity there also, with the game likely to feature a lot of crazy play. Ohio State hasn't been lighting up on special teams either, however, so the impact could be negligible.

Holistically, this game is a problem for Ohio State. The Buckeyes don't play well when made to go 1v1 for opportunities. Jack Myers is a better off-ball player than on ball, but there's no one else to really carry the load. Ed Shean is capable as a scoring threat, but he doesn't keep his eyes up enough while dodging. Ari Allen seems to be still hobbled, and isn't a technical dodger. So who draws slides? The Bucks haven't figured that out yet.

On the flip side, Ohio State can't stop opposing midfielders with their shorts. It's literally impossible. And the defense isn't cohesive as a unit. Slides are late all the time, if they even happen. There's not great communication. If Bryce Clay (#3) or Jake Bonomi (#2) are able to get going, this is going to be a shellacking. The attackmen in Maize and Blue are too good to suppress for 60 minutes.

This game will determine which team is objectively the worst in the Big Ten. It is on the road. It features an opponent that is great at faceoffs. There's an elite offensive unit lining up against a shaky defense. I don't think we're happy tonight.

Final prediction: TTUN 13, Buckeyes 8.

Go Bucks! Prove me wrong. Please.