There are currently two separate realities occurring in college lacrosse. There’s the Inside Lacrosse bracketology world, where somehow Rutgers beating Ohio State tomorrow would (likely) see the Buckeyes left out of the national tournament. And there’s the rest of us, where such a thing is blatantly ridiculous. Ohio State, in my opinion, has already put itself in the national tournament, regardless of tomorrow’s result.
I don’t care what IL has to say about it, there’s no way you're leaving out a 12-3 team in favor of 11-5 Duke, or 10-5 Syracuse (with imaginary results of the ACC tournament). Miss me with that nonsense.
The Buckeyes would have beaten #6 Notre Dame, #7 Penn State, and the #18 Wolverines, all on the road. From this week’s poll. Not to mention that Ohio State is this season’s Big Ten regular season champion. It’s just ludicrous.
Beating Rutgers would satisfy all of the naysayers in the ether that somehow think Ohio State is unworthy of a title shot through highly rigorous mental gymnastics.
And, with Rutgers on tap, the Buckeyes have to feel pretty good about their chances of securing their first tournament title game appearance in forever. That’s not to say that this will be an easy game. But playing against their rival, in Ann Arbor, after already beating them once in a miracle comeback, may have been a bridge too far for the Buckeyes to cross.
With some extra rest, a bit more scheming, and some return to form, Ohio State has all the makings of a title run in their hands. Big Ten and national. Just a few tweaks, and things could really be humming.
In lieu of another preview for an opponent Ohio State has already faced, the format of this will change a bit to address keys to this game specifically, instead of the personnel. Those are all known quantities, on both sides, and I’ll link the previous preview below to satisfy that urge if you missed the last game.
Big Gun Goes Boom?
First and foremost, Ohio State HAS to get Alex Marinier going again. Marinier is the best pure shooter on the Ohio State roster, and he’s shot a combined 1-10 the past 2 games.
Fully 8 of those shots came against the Wolverines, as well as his only goal. For Ohio State, this is a double edged sword. On the one hand, the Buckeyes proved they could score goals without their best shooter getting shots to fall.
On the other, the Buckeyes really slow down on goals when Marinier struggles. They’re going to need at least 2 tallies and around 30% shooting from him to make any real noise. If Marinier gets back on a heater, then we’re talking Memorial Day for sure.
Who Makes Saves?
Cardin Stoller and Caleb Fyock are fully capable of putting up 15 to 20 saves each, and making this game a 3-2 rock fight.
Rutgers pulled off its win over the Wolverines by suppressing their shots (just 32), keeping the shots on goal to 50% (16 of 32), and letting Stoller make an adequate number of saves (8).
In the win against Rutgers earlier this year, Fyock save shot after shot, stonewalling a surprisingly peppy Rutgers offense at the time in a game that turned into a bit of a shootout.
The Scarlet Knights are winning low-scoring, tight games this season, but struggling if their opponents reach 10 goals (1-5 in games where the opponent reaches at least 10 goals Scored). The only win was a 21-11 blowout of St. John’s, which is hardly a titan of lacrosse. If the Buckeyes hit that magic 10 spot, then this game will be over. If not, prepare to gnaw on your fingertips as every shot is taken.
O Colin, Where Art Thou?
This game will be won or lost based on how well Ohio State guards Colin Kurdyla. Kurdyla is the only Scarlet Knight above 20 goals this season, is Rutgers’ leading scorer, and is the biggest hurdle standing between Ohio State and a title shot. Bobby van Buren will get the assignment, with massive stakes. Letting Kurdyla beat them will get Ohio State in a world of a hurt if the offense sputters for any amount of time.
This team doesn’t have the horses this season to dig out of massive holes like Notre Dame with a 7-1 quarter. The last game in Ann Arbor was an aberration, not a rule. If the Buckeyes want to win, they’ll need to smother Colin Kurdyla. Do that, and we’re dancing for days.
What’s Up, Jack?
Jack Oldman has been maddening to watch all season. From an absolute disaster against Utah, to dominating the middle of the schedule, then fading horribly late, Oldman’s roller coaster of a season is putting the entire team in peril. Figuratively. A plus game against a bad Wolverines faceoff unit was marred by a long dry spell in the 2nd half which put Ohio State behind 3 goals to end the 3rd quarter.
The Buckeyes have to figure out a way to win more draws if they want to have a shot at the Final Four. Forget a title appearance if Oldman goes 40% or less past the 1" round. As faceoffs go, Ohio State goes. And the Buckeyes really need to get that phase of the game fixed if they want to achieve legendary status.
Overall
Without a doubt, this is the best Buckeye lacrosse team we’ve seen since 2017. I think they’re better in almost every phase than that squad, with faceoffs a glaring exception. Rutgers is a tricky opponent, as they’ve been grinding out close, low-scoring wins all season. The Buckeye offense has to come ready to play, and have a little bit more variety in order to pull out the W.
A win puts all doubts to bed, though I think they’re in regardless of what happens tomorrow afternoon. With literally everyone except Cornell looking beatable on a given day, I think Ohio State has as reasonable a shot at a national title as any other school. It’s time for this team to take that next step.
The 2025 season has been better than anyone could have hoped for, and it’s far from done. Just a little bit more, and these guys will be legends forever. I don’t think Rutgers has enough in the tank to overcome the defense and the goalie that Ohio State has.
Final Prediction: Ohio State 11, Rutgers 9. Go Bucks!
Game is today on BTN, at 12 p.m. EDT.
