Less than 7 days after the previous meeting, Ohio State men's lacrosse will suit up against the Wolverines with the season on the line. Again. Hilariously, this season has been almost a carbon copy of last season. Ohio State has a repeat matchup against their rivals, at home, with literally the entire season hanging in the balance.
Even more than last week, if Ohio State loses here, they're done for good in 2022. There will be no national tournament appearance. There will be no good feelings. No more trophies. Nothing. Just the agony of having everything good ruined by the Maize and Blue. Again. I wish even a shred of this was hyperbole.
Honestly, if you want another rundown of the players involved for the Wolverines, here's the link to last week's preview. Literally nothing has changed.
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/forum/ohio-state-athletics/2022/04/130531/mens-lacrosse-ttun-preview
Now that you're back, let's cover what may have changed in the ensuing days, and what we're likely to see.
What you'll notice about Nick Myers' coaching style the most is he relies on players he feels he can trust. That means in big games, the Buckeyes are going to a short bench, generally, even though Zach Ludd made a few surprise appearances on Sunday. Only 22 players saw action last time out, with 2 of those being the FOGOS, and 6 of them being the SSDMs and LSMs. That leaves only 2 lines of middies to try and break down a defense (Ludd being the extra player).
Lots of coaches will stick with the standbys, it just seems like the Buckeyes will turn to fewer and fewer options with the game on the line. It's a long, long game, and running out just 6 total middies on offense leads to tired legs. We saw it last season when the Buckeyes got crushed by the Wolverines in the tournament, despite two relatively easy wins in the regular season.
Will fatigue be a factor this time out? I don't see how it can't be. Ohio State is fairly short on athletes. Ari Allen has been such a difference-maker at midfield and attack because he's so explosive in addition to being very skilled. But Allen came off the field gimpy in Q3 last week. Even one more line of middies would make a world of difference for this team, but Myers doesn't think that 25 guys can help his team win a game.
On a roster of 47, that's a big freaking problem. Too much dead weight could keep this team from yet another national tournament appearance, even with a victory tomorrow. Losing a third time in a row to Rutgers, especially if it's not close, could be the death knell to the season despite two victories over a heated rival. But one thing at a time.
Ohio State's offensive scheme is based entirely on a 2-man game behind the net, with picks and throwbacks, then using chaos in front of the net to get an open shooter. Jack Myers will dodge 1v1 from X (behind the cage directly) as a changeup whenever the matchup is favorable. But you're going to see the ball behind the goal 85% of the time. Even middie dodges will generally be on inverts behind the goal.
Conversely, the Wolverines are going to punish the Buckeyes in transition and go after the defensive midfield. The short stick midfielders have real trouble 1v1, and the Buckeyes are late a lot in rotation on dodges. Against the Maize and Blue that's exacerbated by the incredible talent they have at attack. You definitely don't want to leave Zawada, Cohen, or Boehm open for even a split second.
Justin Brown is a huge problem. He toasted Buckeye SSDMs last game. How will the Buckeyes adjust to that? Brown comes down the alley and in from the wing in a hurry. Slides from adjacent are a no-go. Will the backside be able to recover in time to prevent a quick series of passes leading to a wide-open shooter? If the Maize and Blue are smart, they'll use Brown more to stir the drink and create lanes for the attackmen to get open.
Or, barring that, Aidan Mulholland is more than capable of pouring it on if Zupicich or Raney lose sight of him as they fall in to help on defense. There are so many offensive options that it's going to be imperative for Inacio and Blanchard to keep the ball away from the Wolverines. Can the Buckeyes do that again?
When the game started to get a little too close, the Wolverines played a lot of make it, take it lacrosse. For whatever reason, faceoffs have become a lot more uncertain for Ohio State as the season has gone on. If the team dips below 50% on faceoffs for the game, this could be a disaster. It's only exacerbated by the fact that the Buckeye LSMs take terrible angles on the ball when it's won forward by their rivals.
I watched a transition goal happen at the faceoff X because instead of taking a 45 degree angle to cut off the FOGO, the LSM went perpendicular to the path of the ball and got left in the dust. That's inexcusable for a midfielder with multiple years of DI experience. It's little things like that keeping this team from true excellence.
Goalies were pretty even for the two teams in the last game, even though Shane Carr got yanked for Josh Kiracofe for the Wolverines to end the game. Ohio State struggled that entire time to generate offensive looks and get the ball out of their end, so it ended up being a nonfactor in the outcome. All that said, Carr is unlikely to be pedestrian two weeks in a row. Wahlund is going to need to take an even bigger step forward this week.
On the whole, it's a crazy timeline we're living in. Two years in a row, Ohio State has played their rival in the first game of the Big Ten tournament after meeting in the regular season. Two years in a row, Ohio State MUST win, or it will go home for a long, long offseason. This time, it's on even shorter rest. Can the Buckeyes manage another victory in the same week over the team that matters most? I think yes. Barely.
Final Prediction: Ohio State 15, Wolverines 14 (2OT)
Go Bucks!
