Top Matchups of 2018
Another little joy that comes from team schedules being released is that we can start to mark our calendars for the top matchups. For those lacrosse fans given to long-term planning, this post is for you. We’ve looked at every scheduled game in order to identify the top ELO matchups of the 2018 lacrosse season.
The methodology is simple. We look at every scheduled game, then add the current ELO rating of both teams. Voila, list of the best matchups. As the fortunes of each team ebb and flow throughout the season, this list will change. Consider this our best guess at which games will be headliners. And check back periodically as we update this list weekly.
Without further ado, here are the top 10 matchups of the 2018 season (top 100 games can be found in the appendix along with the top February games).
| Date | Home Team | ELO Rating | Away Team | ELO Rating | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Mar 10 | Maryland | 1,949 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,919 |
| Sun Apr 22 | Yale | 1,759 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,729 |
| Sun Apr 22 | Maryland | 1,949 | Ohio State | 1,779 | 3,728 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,721 |
| Fri Feb 16 | Duke | 1,836 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,688 |
| Sun Apr 15 | Maryland | 1,949 | Rutgers | 1,719 | 3,668 |
| Sun Apr 08 | Penn State | 1,693 | Maryland | 1,949 | 3,642 |
| Sat Mar 17 | Denver | 1,851 | Ohio State | 1,779 | 3,630 |
| Sat Mar 24 | Denver | 1,851 | Towson | 1,765 | 3,617 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Albany | 1,970 | Stony Brook | 1,645 | 3,615 |
What are we watching?
The first few weeks of the season will be a bit sleepy, but the third weekend is when we start to get some games that will shake us from the early-season stupor.
Two games in particular stand out. Later this week (Feb 16), Duke and Denver will clash in what is currently the 5th-ranked game of the season. Not to be outdone, the following day, Syracuse and Albany get together in what is currently the 4th best game of the season.
A bit farther out, circle Sunday Apr 22. That is when we have Yale vs. Albany and Maryland vs Ohio State. The Yale / Albany game is currently the 2nd rated game of the year and the Terps/Buckeyes game is #3. Outside of the numbers, Yale/Albany will likely feature two of the top Tewaaraton candidates (Ben Reeves and Connor Fields). And of course, Maryland / Ohio State is a rematch of last year’s championship game.
In terms of teams, the Terps feature heavily in this list. They are featured in 4 of the top 10 games of the season. Will Terps fans suffer from big-game fatigue? I doubt it.
Mark your calendars.
Appendix
Top 10 February Games
| Date | Home Team | ELO Rating | Away Team | ELO Rating | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Feb 17 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,721 |
| Fri Feb 16 | Duke | 1,836 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,688 |
| Sat Feb 10 | Air Force | 1,720 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,572 |
| Sat Feb 03 | Duke | 1,836 | Air Force | 1,720 | 3,557 |
| Tue Feb 13 | Maryland | 1,949 | Marist | 1,580 | 3,530 |
| Wed Feb 21 | Maryland | 1,949 | Penn | 1,574 | 3,523 |
| Wed Feb 28 | Loyola MD | 1,732 | Towson | 1,765 | 3,498 |
| Sat Feb 10 | Maryland | 1,949 | Navy | 1,539 | 3,488 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Hofstra | 1,675 | 3,454 |
| Sat Feb 24 | Stony Brook | 1,645 | Brown | 1,779 | 3,424 |
Top 100 Remaining Games
| Date | Home Team | ELO Rating | Away Team | ELO Rating | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Mar 10 | Maryland | 1,949 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,919 |
| Sun Apr 22 | Yale | 1,759 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,729 |
| Sun Apr 22 | Maryland | 1,949 | Ohio State | 1,779 | 3,728 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,721 |
| Fri Feb 16 | Duke | 1,836 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,688 |
| Sun Apr 15 | Maryland | 1,949 | Rutgers | 1,719 | 3,668 |
| Sun Apr 08 | Penn State | 1,693 | Maryland | 1,949 | 3,642 |
| Sat Mar 17 | Denver | 1,851 | Ohio State | 1,779 | 3,630 |
| Sat Mar 24 | Denver | 1,851 | Towson | 1,765 | 3,617 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Albany | 1,970 | Stony Brook | 1,645 | 3,615 |
| Sat Mar 17 | Towson | 1,765 | Duke | 1,836 | 3,602 |
| Fri Apr 20 | Albany | 1,970 | Binghamton | 1,630 | 3,600 |
| Sat Mar 03 | Duke | 1,836 | Richmond | 1,757 | 3,594 |
| Sat Mar 24 | Duke | 1,836 | Syracuse | 1,750 | 3,587 |
| Sat Mar 17 | Villanova | 1,623 | Maryland | 1,949 | 3,572 |
| Sat Feb 10 | Air Force | 1,720 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,572 |
| Sat Mar 03 | Maryland | 1,949 | Notre Dame | 1,621 | 3,570 |
| Sat Mar 10 | Loyola MD | 1,732 | Duke | 1,836 | 3,569 |
| Sat Mar 24 | Maryland | 1,949 | North Carolina | 1,617 | 3,567 |
| Sat Feb 03 | Duke | 1,836 | Air Force | 1,720 | 3,557 |
| Sat Mar 10 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Towson | 1,765 | 3,544 |
| Sat Apr 14 | Brown | 1,779 | Yale | 1,759 | 3,539 |
| Tue Feb 13 | Maryland | 1,949 | Marist | 1,580 | 3,530 |
| Wed Feb 21 | Maryland | 1,949 | Penn | 1,574 | 3,523 |
| Sat Apr 28 | Johns Hopkins | 1,568 | Maryland | 1,949 | 3,517 |
| Sat Mar 03 | Brown | 1,779 | Rutgers | 1,719 | 3,498 |
| Wed Feb 28 | Loyola MD | 1,732 | Towson | 1,765 | 3,498 |
| Sat Apr 28 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Rutgers | 1,719 | 3,498 |
| Sat Feb 10 | Maryland | 1,949 | Navy | 1,539 | 3,488 |
| Wed Mar 28 | Albany | 1,970 | Harvard | 1,511 | 3,481 |
| Sat Apr 28 | Richmond | 1,757 | Air Force | 1,720 | 3,478 |
| Sat Apr 07 | Villanova | 1,623 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,475 |
| Sat Mar 10 | Notre Dame | 1,621 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,472 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Penn State | 1,693 | 3,472 |
| Sun Mar 18 | Rutgers | 1,719 | Syracuse | 1,750 | 3,470 |
| Mon Mar 05 | North Carolina | 1,617 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,469 |
| Sat Apr 07 | Notre Dame | 1,621 | Duke | 1,836 | 3,457 |
| Sat Apr 28 | Hartford | 1,486 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,456 |
| Tue Mar 06 | Massachusetts | 1,485 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,455 |
| Sun May 06 | Duke | 1,836 | Boston U | 1,618 | 3,455 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Hofstra | 1,675 | 3,454 |
| Fri Mar 30 | Duke | 1,836 | North Carolina | 1,617 | 3,454 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Hofstra | 1,675 | Towson | 1,765 | 3,441 |
| Sat Mar 03 | Albany | 1,970 | Cornell | 1,464 | 3,434 |
| Sat Feb 24 | Stony Brook | 1,645 | Brown | 1,779 | 3,424 |
| Sat Apr 28 | Denver | 1,851 | Marquette | 1,571 | 3,422 |
| Tue Apr 24 | Brown | 1,779 | Bryant | 1,642 | 3,421 |
| Sat Apr 21 | Providence | 1,564 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,416 |
| Sat Feb 24 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Army | 1,663 | 3,414 |
| Tue Mar 20 | Albany | 1,970 | Canisius | 1,443 | 3,413 |
| Sat Feb 24 | Penn | 1,574 | Duke | 1,836 | 3,410 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Michigan | 1,461 | Maryland | 1,949 | 3,410 |
| Fri Apr 20 | Duke | 1,836 | Marquette | 1,571 | 3,407 |
| Sat Feb 24 | Albany | 1,970 | Drexel | 1,437 | 3,407 |
| Tue Mar 06 | Villanova | 1,623 | Brown | 1,779 | 3,402 |
| Sat Mar 03 | Bryant | 1,642 | Yale | 1,759 | 3,402 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Brown | 1,779 | Princeton | 1,622 | 3,401 |
| Sat Mar 17 | Albany | 1,970 | Vermont | 1,431 | 3,401 |
| Sun Mar 25 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Notre Dame | 1,621 | 3,400 |
| Sat Feb 10 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Boston U | 1,618 | 3,397 |
| Fri Apr 20 | Loyola MD | 1,732 | Army | 1,663 | 3,396 |
| Sat Apr 07 | UMBC | 1,422 | Albany | 1,970 | 3,392 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Villanova | 1,623 | Yale | 1,759 | 3,383 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Army | 1,663 | Rutgers | 1,719 | 3,382 |
| Sat Mar 24 | Yale | 1,759 | Princeton | 1,622 | 3,381 |
| Sat Feb 10 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Binghamton | 1,630 | 3,381 |
| Sat Feb 24 | Notre Dame | 1,621 | Richmond | 1,757 | 3,379 |
| Wed Mar 14 | Richmond | 1,757 | North Carolina | 1,617 | 3,375 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Notre Dame | 1,621 | 3,372 |
| Sat Apr 14 | Syracuse | 1,750 | North Carolina | 1,617 | 3,368 |
| Sat Apr 07 | Penn | 1,574 | Brown | 1,779 | 3,353 |
| Tue Mar 13 | Hofstra | 1,675 | Monmouth | 1,676 | 3,352 |
| Sat Apr 14 | Loyola MD | 1,732 | Boston U | 1,618 | 3,351 |
| Fri Mar 02 | Ohio State | 1,779 | Marquette | 1,571 | 3,350 |
| Sat Apr 07 | Johns Hopkins | 1,568 | Ohio State | 1,779 | 3,347 |
| Tue Apr 17 | Brown | 1,779 | Providence | 1,564 | 3,344 |
| Sat Mar 10 | Princeton | 1,622 | Rutgers | 1,719 | 3,341 |
| Tue Apr 17 | Yale | 1,759 | Marist | 1,580 | 3,340 |
| Sat Mar 03 | Air Force | 1,720 | Boston U | 1,618 | 3,339 |
| Sat Feb 10 | Johns Hopkins | 1,568 | Towson | 1,765 | 3,334 |
| Sat Mar 31 | Yale | 1,759 | Penn | 1,574 | 3,333 |
| Sat Apr 14 | Virginia | 1,491 | Duke | 1,836 | 3,328 |
| Sat Feb 17 | High Point | 1,374 | Maryland | 1,949 | 3,323 |
| Tue Feb 27 | Stony Brook | 1,645 | Hofstra | 1,675 | 3,321 |
| Sat Mar 10 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Johns Hopkins | 1,568 | 3,319 |
| Sat Feb 03 | Penn State | 1,693 | Villanova | 1,623 | 3,316 |
| Sat Mar 03 | Furman | 1,462 | Denver | 1,851 | 3,313 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Marist | 1,580 | Air Force | 1,720 | 3,301 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Loyola MD | 1,732 | Johns Hopkins | 1,568 | 3,301 |
| Sat Feb 24 | Hofstra | 1,675 | Villanova | 1,623 | 3,299 |
| Sat Feb 17 | Princeton | 1,622 | Monmouth | 1,676 | 3,298 |
| Sat Mar 10 | Hofstra | 1,675 | North Carolina | 1,617 | 3,293 |
| Sat Mar 17 | Harvard | 1,511 | Brown | 1,779 | 3,290 |
| Sat Apr 21 | Syracuse | 1,750 | Navy | 1,539 | 3,290 |
| Sun Apr 01 | Rutgers | 1,719 | Johns Hopkins | 1,568 | 3,287 |
| Sat May 05 | Notre Dame | 1,621 | Army | 1,663 | 3,285 |
| Sat Apr 07 | Boston U | 1,618 | Army | 1,663 | 3,282 |
| Fri Apr 27 | Binghamton | 1,630 | Stony Brook | 1,645 | 3,276 |
| Sat Mar 17 | Navy | 1,539 | Loyola MD | 1,732 | 3,272 |
| Sat Apr 28 | Yale | 1,759 | Harvard | 1,511 | 3,270 |
