Tuesday night's college lacrosse slate features a battle between the Cornell Big Red and Syracuse Orange. Let’s break down the out-of-conference matchup between two top-20 teams and discuss my best bets for the game.
If you’re an avid bettor who’s new to lacrosse or a lacrosse fan who’s new to betting, check out my guide on how to bet on lacrosse for some tips to use when placing a lacrosse bet.
No. 13 Cornell vs. No. 4 Syracuse
| Cornell (+2.5) Odds | +190 |
| Syracuse (-2.5) Odds | -250 |
| Total | 27.5 |
| Time | Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Both Cornell and Syracuse are coming off close losses to conference rivals. The Big Red fell to Penn in a double-overtime thriller and a late comeback attempt from Syracuse fell short against No. 1 Notre Dame. Syracuse is a 2.5-point road favorite, yet I think there’s value in backing the Orange in Ithaca.
Both teams feature elite offenses. Cornell ranks first in adjusted offensive efficiency at 39.3% during competitive situations and Syracuse ranks second with an adjusted offensive efficiency of 39.1%. Where the Orange edge out the Big Red is on the defensive end. The Will Mark-led Syracuse defense ranks fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency at 24.2% in competitive situations, which is a stark contrast from Cornell’s 69th-ranked mark of 33.9%, according to Lacrosse Reference.
This is especially important because Syracuse will also likely have a possession advantage thanks to a significantly better faceoff unit. The Orange boast an adjusted faceoff percentage of 64.6% during competitive situations, which is the fifth highest in the nation. Meanwhile, the Big Red’s unit ranks 33rd overall (50.4%).
While the Orange gave up 14 points on Saturday to Notre Dame’s seventh-ranked offense during competitive situations, their adjusted defensive efficiency of 21.8% was better than their season average. Trust Syracuse to be able to make enough stops on defense and lean on their high-powered offense and faceoff advantage en route to a multi-goal victory.
Bet Syracuse -2.5 at -120 at BetMGM or DraftKings.
I also recommend betting the player props for two Syracuse attackmen. Syracuse leading scorer Joey Spallina has been relatively quiet recently, particularly as a goal scorer. A lot of that has had to do with Spallina facing some incredibly efficient defenses and being guarded by each team’s best defender. That said, this is a good matchup against a bad defense and a great buy-low spot to bet Spallina to go over his shots on goal prop of 4.5.
Spallina has recorded at least five shots on goal in seven of 12 games this season and in 17 of 27 career games. At -120 on DraftKings, bet Spallina to go Over 4.5 shots on goal tonight.
I’m also betting attackman Christian Mulé to surpass his points prop of 3.5. Mulé has only surpassed 3.5 points four times in 12 games this season, but has done so against defenses that rank 35th or worst in adjusted defensive efficiency — Vermont (59th), Utah (35th), Army (42nd) and High Point (57th). The odds make this just a half-unit play, but it's still a great matchup to bet Mulé to record four or more points against a weak Big Red defense. Bet a half unit on Over 3.5 points at +170 on DraftKings.
Picks: Syracuse -2.5, Joey Spallina Over 4.5 SOG, Christian Mulé Over 3.5 Points (0.5 Unit)
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