Weekend One-Liners: The Big Three on the Road and Hopkins-Syracuse in Charlotte

Proclamations of the ACC’s demise were probably premature — if not hyperbolic. 

Yes, the big three of Duke, Notre Dame and Virginia all lost in the last two weeks. They’re imperfect. But all three got right in a big way, most notably the Fighting Irish with an impressive performance in defeating previously unbeaten Maryland.

And yet here again we could put all three on upset watch as they continue their challenging non-conference schedules on the road with Duke at Loyola, Notre Dame at Ohio State and Virginia at Towson.

Would anyone be shocked to see at least one the host teams — unranked as they may be — come away with a win? Loyola has given Duke fits over the years. Notre Dame snapped a three-game losing streak in the Ohio State series just last year. And while Towson hasn’t beaten Virginia since 2001, Nick DeMaio and Mikey Weisshaar have invoked visions of Ryan Drenner and Joe Seider with their offensive chemistry.

Undeniably, however, the game of the week resides in Charlotte, where Johns Hopkins takes on Syracuse in the crowned jewel of the Crown Lacrosse Classic.

Here are 10 games to watch this weekend and why, with one sentence on each. All times Eastern.

No. 8 Cornell (3-1) at No. 9 Penn State (4-1) – Saturday 12 p.m. (BTN+)

Let CJ Kirst and TJ Malone cook on opposite ends of the field and enjoy the four-course meal at Panzer Stadium.

No. 2 Notre Dame (3-1) at Ohio State (4-2) – Saturday 12 p.m. (BTN+)

This front six for the Fighting Irish – Pat Kavanagh, Chris Kavanagh and Jake Taylor at attack; Eric Dobson, Jordan Faison and Devon McLane at midfield — leaves you scratching your head on just who to pole. 

No. 6 Virginia (4-1) at Towson (4-2) – Saturday 12 p.m. (LacrosseTV)

For all the Cavaliers’ weapons, two-way midfielder Joey Terenzi might be the most fun to watch and gives off Ian Laviano vibes with the infectious passion with which he plays.

No. 13 Penn (3-2) at Villanova (3-2) – Saturday 1 p.m. (FloSports)

The North Carolina loss after the Duke win felt like an inevitable letdown, but Penn’s Brendan Lavelle continues to insert himself into the defenseman of the year conversation. 

Vermont (1-4) at UMass (4-1) – Saturday 1 p.m. (ESPN+)

A one-goal season-opening loss to Army in Atlanta is the only thing standing between UMass and a perfect season so far.

No. 4 Duke (5-1) at Loyola (2-4) – Saturday 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Duke ranks behind only Notre Dame in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to Lacrosse Reference, and the Blue Devils stretch the field with Andrew McAdorey drawing slides out of the midfield, Josh Zawada orchestrating from behind, Brennan O’Neill dodging from the wings and Dyson Williams lurking inside.

No. 3 Johns Hopkins (5-1) vs. No. 11 Syracuse (5-2) – Saturday 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Hopkins feels more “back” than Syracuse, whose best win so far is an 18-10 win over Colgate but whose losses have both come in overtime to Maryland and Army.

No. 17 Harvard (5-0) at No. 12 Michigan (5-1) – Sunday 12 p.m. (BTN+)

The five remaining undefeated teams in Division I men’s lacrosse are Army, Denver, Harvard, NJIT and Quinnipiac — parity, baby.

No. 15 Princeton (3-2) at No. 16 Rutgers (5-1) – Sunday 12 p.m. (BTN+)

The home team has won the last seven games in the series, with Rutgers prevailing in a 14-13 OT thriller last year.

No. 14 Yale (2-1) at No. 1 Denver (5-0) – Sunday 2 p.m. (Pioneers All-Access)

Yale will put Denver’s shiny new No. 1 ranking to the test, especially motivated after squandering a seven-goal lead against Penn State and having won three straight in the series.