For the first time in school history, the University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team will play in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolverines (9-6, 2-3 Big Ten) blew out Maryland, a top-10 team, 14-5 in the Big Ten Championship to punch their ticket into the field. Michigan will play at No. 8 seed Cornell at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, and the showdown will air on ESPNU.
Michigan, which faced a challenging schedule this year that included a season-opening matchup with No. 2 overall seed Virginia, is riding a four-match winning streak into the NCAA Tournament. It’s the Wolverines’ longest winning streak of the season, and they’re eager to keep it alive against an 11-3 Cornell team.
Wolverines are short underdogs
Yes, college lacrosse betting lines are actually available in Michigan!
BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel are among the mobile sportsbooks that offer odds on NCAA Tournament lacrosse games, including Michigan’s first-round match with Cornell.
The Wolverines are short underdogs in the opening round, with DraftKings listing Michigan’s moneyline at +170. With lacrosse, like other sports, it’s never a bad idea to line shop. BetMGM has Michigan’s moneyline at +175, and FanDuel has Michigan’s moneyline at +180.
BetMGM lists the spread as Michigan +2.5 goals with -115 odds, while FanDuel also has Michigan +2.5 with odds of -122. DraftKings has Michigan +2 with -115 odds. Three of Cornell’s 11 wins this season have come by one or two goals.
Michigan’s defense will be tasked with slowing down CJ Kirst, who leads the country in goals per game with 4.5. Army is the only team to hold Kirst without a goal this season, and he’s scored at least two goals in every other game this season.
Freshman goalie Hunter Taylor was a revelation for the Wolverines in the Big Ten Championship, earning the start and making 14 saves in the 14-5 beatdown of Maryland, the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If Taylor comes close to matching that performance, the Wolverines will be a handful for any opponent in the tournament.
The winner of Michigan-Cornell faces the winner of Duke-Delaware. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 overall seed and the betting favorite to win the national championship at +350 at BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Notre Dame and Virginia are also expected to contend for the championship with similar odds to Duke across mobile sportsbooks.
Michigan is +2500 to win the national championship on BetMGM and FanDuel.
Photo: Jaime Crawford/Getty Images
