Rivalry weekend in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse kicks off with one of the most historic rivalries in college lacrosse. Johns Hopkins travels to Annapolis for a showdown with Navy on Friday night. Let’s take a look at the betting edge for this game.
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Johns Hopkins (-5.5) vs. Navy
| Johns Hopkins Odds | -700 |
| Navy Odds | +500 |
| Total | 25.5 |
| Time | Friday, 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via BetMGM.
The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays enter as 5.5-point favorites against the Navy Midshipmen and the total is as high as 25.5 on BetMGM. The Blue Jays have arguably exceeded expectations after struggling in recent years. They are currently ranked 10th in Inside Lacrosse’s media poll, following a 5-2 start to the season that includes wins over Jacksonville, Georgetown and Syracuse.
On the other side, Navy has struggled to find consistency on offense and is currently on a four-game losing streak, with last week’s 8-17 loss to Colgate being the low point of the season for the Mids so far. The absence of midfielder Patrick Skalniak, who is out indefinitely after sustaining an upper body injury in Navy’s loss to Lehigh a week prior, was seriously felt. Skalniak was tied for second on the team in points prior to his injury and Navy's offense looked lackluster without him.
While the Mids still have dynamic attackmen and two-sport athlete Xavier Arline, this offense is too one dimensional to expect a big day against a Blue Jays defense that has held every opponent they’ve faced — not named Virginia — to 14 or fewer goals. Furthermore, Hopkins has allowed an average of just 10.3 goals per game to unranked opponents.
As for the Navy defense, they’ll face a Hopkins offense that has looked good at many moments during the season, but plays at the 64th-slowest pace (there are only 75 teams in men’s division I lacrosse.) Both offenses are middle of the pack in terms of efficiency and haven’t truly delivered a full offensive performance yet.
BetMGM’s total is set at 25.5, which greatly differs from DraftKings’ 23.5 and FanDuel’s 22.5. Take advantage of a bad total and bet this game to stay under 25.5.
Pick: Under 25.5 (-105; BetMGM).
