It’s finally conference tournament time and we have a loaded Thursday slate in college lacrosse. Let’s take a look at my four best bets for Thursday and a pair of conference tournament picks as well.
Note: The odds presented below are those at the time when Hutton sends his picks out to DubClub subscribers and are subject to change. Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis. Picks are sent out at least 20 minutes in advance of articles published on Bet On Lacrosse.
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Penn State at Maryland (Neutral Site)
 Penn State Moneyline/Spread | +180 / +2.5 |
 Maryland Moneyline/Spread | -220 / -2.5 |
| Total | 21.5 |
| Time | Thursday · 2:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Big Ten Network |
Odds via BetMGM
Maryland takes on Penn State in Ann Arbor and I’m targeting the total in this game. The first meeting between these teams saw a 13-9 finish, but Maryland took advantage of a handful of unsettled situations and Penn State scored a goal in the final seconds of the third quarter as well, so the final score wasn’t indicative of how well these defenses played. I like this game to stay under 20.5, but BetMGM is currently hanging a 21.5 and that’s a great number to bet this game to stay under, given the potential for an overtime finish.
Maryland’s defense was extremely efficient, holding the Nittany Lions to nine goals despite a possession advantage for Penn State. I also thought the Terps still could have played even better, with a lot of Penn State goals coming on sweeps to the middle of the field and Maryland being uncharacteristically slow to slide on most of those goals. Maryland’s defense currently ranks first in adjusted defensive efficiency during competitive situations, and I expect the Terps to have an even better showing than last time.
Give credit to Penn State’s defense as well, which held its own against Maryland’s settled offense for much of the day too. They rank 12th in adjusted defensive efficiency during competitive situations and if it wasn’t for some defensive collapses during Maryland’s fast breaks, they likely would have held the Terps to single digits as well.
Trust Maryland and Penn State to play a tight, low-scoring game and bet the total to stay Under 21.5 at -115 on BetMGM.
Pick: Under 21.5
Hofstra at Towson
 Hofstra Moneyline/Spread | +210 / +2.5 |
 Towson Moneyline/Spread | -270 / -2.5 |
| Total | 21.5 |
| Time | Thursday · 4 p.m. ET |
| TV | LacrosseTV |
Odds via bet365
Hofstra and Towson played each other less than a week ago, but the stakes were much lower for the Tigers, having already locked up the top seed in the CAA tournament, and the weather played a factor early on. The rainy conditions led to sloppy play early on and Towson did a good job controlling the clock with longer-than-usual possessions. This total is an overreaction to last weekend’s low-scoring game.
Both Hofstra and Towson are Top 25 in adjusted offensive efficiency and rank in the bottom half in adjusted defensive efficiency during competitive situations, according to Lacrosse Reference. As far as pace is concerned, the Tigers play at the 20th-fastest pace in competitive situations and should attack Hofstra much more than they did a week ago. The Pride play at a slower pace, but have one of the better on-goal shooting percentages and are facing a Towson team that allows the 14th-highest amount highest percentage of shots on goal, and 54.1% of those shots on goal allowed have been goals.
I expect a high-scoring CAA semifinal matchup and recommend betting this game to go Over 21.5 at -115 on bet365.
Pick: Over 21.5
Marist at Siena (Neutral Site)
 Marist Moneyline/Spread | +190 / +2.5 |
 Siena Moneyline/Spread | -240 / -2.5 |
| Total | 24.5 |
| Time | Thursday · 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via bet365
Siena and Marist face off in the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament in another rematch from less than a week ago. Last weekend, Siena demolished Marist, 24-9. While I don’t expect another 15-point rout by Siena, I do expect them to win and cover again.
Siena scored on 54.5% of their possessions last game and also benefited from a slight possession advantage. Again, we likely won’t see this level of efficiency in the rematch, but it underlies the mismatch between these teams.
While I expect another close faceoff battle, Siena is the better team on both sides of the ball, ranking 27th and 45th in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively. Meanwhile, Marist ranks 49th and 70th in those same categories. I expect another big showing from the Saints and recommend betting Siena -2.5 at +100 on bet365.
I also like the value on Siena to win the MAAC tournament. Siena took Sacred Heart to overtime and if the Pioneers also advance, Siena will likely be closer to +115 to win this potential matchup. So at their current odds, Siena to win the MAAC tournament at +155 on DraftKings is worth a bet.
Picks: Siena -2.5, Siena to win the MAAC Tournament
Providence at Villanova (Neutral Site)
 Providence Moneyline/Spread | +120 / +1.5 |
 Villanova Moneyline/Spread | -150 / -1.5 |
| Total | 21 |
| Time | Thursday · 9 p.m. ET |
| TV | CBS Sports Network |
Odds via Caesars
Providence faces Villanova in the Big East semifinals and it’s another example of the sportsbooks overreacting to the most recent matchup when setting the total. At 21 and 21.5, I think this total is too low given how these two teams play.
The Friars scored on just 21.6% of their possessions when they last played Villanova, which was the 3rd-lowest this season. Yet, the Providence offense has had far better outings, ranking 24th in offensive efficiency during competitive situations according to Lacrosse Reference. I expect they’ll have more success against a Villanova defense that has had defensive lapses this season, including allowing 17 to the Hoyas just last week.
The Wildcats’ offense has been streaky, but they rank 17th in offensive pace and their advantage at the faceoff dot should allow them to control the tempo and score often against a weaker Providence defense. Ultimately, I expect a higher-scoring affair and recommend betting Over 21 at -115 on Caesars or DraftKings.
I also like betting Providence to win the Big East Tournament at +600 on bet365 and FanDuel. This bet is based on a few factors. First, these odds are too long for a team that has a great chance to beat Villanova and advance to the championship game. Second, if they advance, their opponent will be either Georgetown or Marquette. They lost to the Hoyas by just a goal in two straight meetings and there is a chance Marquette pulls off the upset, after losing to Georgetown by just a goal themselves. Providence beat Marquette just a few weeks ago by a score of 14-2. The value on the Friars to win the Big East is there at those odds.
Picks: Over 21, Providence to win the Big East Tournament
2025 College Lacrosse Season Best Bets: 37-32-1 for +7.23 units
All bets are to win 1 unit or more (i.e. 1.2 units at -120, 1 unit at +120) unless otherwise specified.
Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis!
Use code “Lax10” to get 10% off your Streaker Sports order!
