2025 Men’s College Lacrosse Conference Winner Picks
While we didn’t have conference tournament odds before the start of the season last year, we eventually got them for a few conferences right before the conference tournaments started. While there is a chance that you could miss out on some early season value, waiting for a season’s worth of information is far more valuable. Once the season starts, these odds aren’t likely to be offered again until right before the tournament starts so there won’t be any opportunities to hedge out if you’re wrong. In fact, most conference tournaments only feature the top four to six teams and there’s a chance you could be betting a team that won’t even play in their conference tournament, rendering your bet dead before the tournament even starts.
So, we’ll focus on a couple of teams that I do think have very favorable odds, even this early in the year.
Ohio State to win Big Ten Tournament (+1200)
The Buckeyes have the chance to make a deep run in the tournament if they can get past their Big Ten counterparts. While most conference tournaments only feature a select amount of teams, the Big Ten is set up so every team makes it, but the top two teams get a bye. Last year, none of the teams that secured a bye had longer than +220 odds and even Penn State was +290, despite having to play in the first round. A bet on Ohio State is essentially a bet that they won’t be one of the bottom seeds and their close losses to Notre Dame and fellow Big Ten opponents last season suggest they’re closer to the top than many may realize.
They brought in grad transfers Ryan Donnery (Quinnipiac) and Shane O’Leary (UMass) to give the offense a boost and the close defense Bobby Van Buren, Cullen Brown and Kyle Foster should thrive again regardless of which of their equally capable goaltenders Caleb Fyock or Henry Blake starts. Penn State is dealing with some key departures and the Buckeyes made just as many moves in the portal as Maryland, Michigan, Johns Hopkins and Rutgers did, while arguably losing the least out of all those teams.
Whether the Buckeyes make a surprise Big Ten tourney run akin to Michigan’s in 2023 or earn a Big Ten title in a more dominant fashion, Ohio State is worth betting to win the Big Ten Tournament at +1200 on DraftKings.
UNC to win ACC Tournament (+2000)
North Carolina enters this season after a disappointing 2024. However, there were signs of potential in the form of wins over Penn and Duke and even one-goal losses to Army and Syracuse. While Syracuse got stronger, Notre Dame, Virginia and Duke all got arguably weaker—though that doesn’t mean any of them will be bad this season.
The Irish and Orange will likely be at the top, but UVA and Duke are vulnerable and the Tar Heels just need 1-2 wins against ACC opponents to secure a spot in the conference tournament. If they do so, their odds would be nowhere near +2000 even as the fourth seed. You’d be just two wins from cashing and if they do advance to the title game, you could even hedge with a bet on say Syracuse or Notre Dame and still walk away with some profit thanks to this price.
So, I’m going to bet on a team with excellent coordinators, some offensive pieces that showed a ton of upside and a veteran goaltender in the form of Princeton grad transfer Michael Gianforcaro. Expect the Tar Heels to be competitive and bet a half unit on them to pull off an upset and win the ACC at +2000.
Conference Tournament Picks: Ohio State (+1200 DraftKings), North Carolina (+2000 on bet365 / FanDuel)
Next up, 2025 championship futures…
