The NCAA Men’s Lacrosse quarterfinals wraps up on Sunday with Notre Dame taking on Johns Hopkins. The Irish are 4.5-point favorites against the Blue Jays and the total is 25.5 across most sportsbooks. Let's take a look at my two favorite bets for this game.
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Notre Dame (-4.5) vs. Johns Hopkins
| Notre Dame Odds | -600 |
| Johns Hopkins Odds | +370 |
| Total | 25.5 |
| Time | Sunday · 2:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPNU |
Odds via DraftKings.
Notre Dame draws the largest spread of the weekend—and rightly so. The Irish have rarely looked mortal this year and are well-balanced on the offensive and defensive end. They'll play a scrappy Hopkins team that has continued to exceed expectations and has rarely been out of any game this season.
That being said, I think the Irish defense gets it done and secures a trip to the Final Four, but I just can't bring myself to play the full game spread. Instead, I’m betting Notre Dame to cover the -2.5 first-half spread.
As a favorite, Notre Dame has led at halftime in 10 of 12 games and led by three goals or more in eight of those 12, only failing to do so against ACC opponents Virginia, Syracuse and North Carolina. They’ve also averaged a lead of more than four goals at halftime in those games.
In addition to this first-half bet, I’m also targeting two player props. The first prop I like is betting Russell Melendez to finish under 3.5 points (+105 on DraftKings). While Melendez has been hot, he’ll face the second-most efficient defense in the nation and he’s actually gone under this mark in 11 of 16 games, meaning his true odds are closer to -219.
While this second prop may feel like the boldest of the day, I also recommend betting Pat Kavanagh to stay under 5.5 points (-115 on DraftKings). This line is just too high, even for Kavanagh. He’s scored five points or less in nine of 13 games and I think he’ll stay under this mark again on Sunday.
Picks: Notre Dame -2.5 (1H) | Russell Melendez Under 3.5 Points | Pat Kavanagh Under 5.5 Points
