The Premier Lacrosse League All-Star Game returns to Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday with the game airing at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. Despite it being the All-Star break, I still have two best bets for this weekend.
Let’s dive into my picks and predictions for the PLL All-Star Game and Skills Competitions.
Premier Lacrosse League All-Star Game Picks
PLL All-Star Skills Competition
Before the 2024 PLL All-Star Game gets underway, there is a series of skills challenges at 1:15 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and DraftKings is offering odds on two of those competitions.
One of the challenges available to bet is the accuracy challenge, where three-time winner Marcus Holman is favored at +200. Holman has participated every PLL season and only lost last year. He’s rightly favored and my pick to win, but there simply isn’t enough of an edge on him when considering the competition. Mac O’Keefe is another returning candidate from last year whose odds are +320 and sandwiched between him and Holman are Jeff Teat at +275 and Grant Ament at +300. Ultimately, I don’t have a best bet for the accuracy challenge, though I lean Marcus Holman to win for the fourth time.
The challenge I am interested in betting on is the fastest shot contest. Jarrod Neumann, like Holman, has taken home the award for fastest shot in three of the past four years and probably should have won it in 2021. (Neumann recorded the fastest shot in the first round at 117 MPH, but the winner was determined by fastest shot in the final round where Jake Froccaro’s 114 MPH edged Neumann’s second attempt of 113 MPH.)
Unlike 2021 when Neumann lost, the rules this year are once again simple: Each contestant gets two attempts to hit the highest velocity and the fastest shot wins.
Neumann is favored once again with odds of -180. His competition is Brennan O’Neill and Jake Piseno at +500 and Matt Campbell at +750. Long-poles have a distinct advantage in this contest given the amount of torque they can generate with 60″ pole compared to the 30” stick attackmen and midfielders use. So that leaves just Neumann and Piseno as two candidates we should consider.
After clocking in at 121 MPH last year, I have a hard time believing anyone can beat Neumann this time around and -180 is actually too short for the repeat champion. Bet two units on Jarrod Neumann to win the fastest shot challenge at -180 on DraftKings.
Pick: Jarrod Neumann to Win Fastest Shot Challenge (2 units)
PLL All-Star Game
| East (-1.5) Odds | Moneyline: -120 |
| West (+1.5) Odds | Moneyline: -110 |
| Total | 46.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 3 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Odds via DraftKings
As for the All-Star Game itself, we’re going back to ole’ reliable and betting this game to stay under 46.5. While All-Star games in any sport are typically higher-scoring, this total is nearly double what a normal PLL total is and still a tad too high.
While past All-Star Games have come close, none have ever gone over this mark. Last season saw 45 goals scored between the two squads. The year before had 46 combined goals, but that game featured a shorter two-point arc and two-minute periods during each quarter where both single goals and two-point goals were worth double. The year before that saw 44 goals scored, and the 2019 all-star game finished with only 33.
Like last year, there isn't a new set of rules for the All-Star Game, and while totals in the past have come close to hitting 47, betting this game to stay under is still the move.
Bet this game to stay under 46.5 at -115 on DraftKings.
Pick: Under 46.5
