It is two top-15 teams facing off as Denver visits Johns Hopkins. It is time to continue our College Lacrosse odds series with a Denver-Johns Hopkins prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Denver comes into the game ranked 13th in the nation. They are coming in off a solid year last year. They went 10-5 on the year, and 4-1 in the Big East. Yes, Denver does play in the Big East. They finished second in the conference with just one loss in conference play, coming to Georgetown. Last year, they took Duke to overtime, beat North Carolina, and a ranked Ohio State team. Denver is replacing their legendary head coach though. William Tierney retired, and former player and long-time associate head coach, Matt Brown, has taken over the program.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins was 12-6 last year and 4-1 in Big Ten play under fourth-year coach Peter Milliman. The only loss for the team in conference play was a double-overtime loss at Penn State, who would go on to play in the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament. They would lose in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament but still receive a birth in the NCAA tournament. After beating Bryant 22-8, they would keep it close with Notre Dame, falling 12-9.

Here are the college lacrosse odds, courtesy of DraftKings. 

College Lacrosse Odds: Denver-Johns Hopkins Odds

Denver: +3 (+100)

Moneyline: +260

Johns Hopkins: -3 (-130)

Moneyline: -360

Over: 23.5 (-110)

Under: 23.5 (-110)

How to Watch Denver vs. Johns Hopkins 

Time: noon ET/ 9:00 AM PT

TV: ESPN+

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Denver Will Cover The Spread/Win

Denver was 40th in the nation in points per game last year, coming in with 18.27 points per contest last year. Further, Denver brings every single point from last year’s roster back this year. This includes JJ Sillstrop. Sillstrop led the team last year in goals and points. He has 36 total goals and five assists for his 41 points on the eyar. Joining him are Stephen Avery and Noah Manning. Avery had 26 goals last year with five assists, while Manning had 22 goals and 15 assists.

Further, the Denver offense returns their top assist men as well. Michael Laber and Richi Connell both had 18 assists last year, while Lambert had 19 goals and Connell had 16. Another major advantage for Denver is Alec Stathakis. He was eighth in the nation in face-off percentage, winning 60.4 percent of his face-off. He also led the team with 144 ground balls last year, while scoring three times.

Further, the Denver defense is solid. They were eighth in the nation allowing just 10.13 goals per game. They return all three close defenders and their Long Stick midfielder. The trio of close defenders have all played together since the 202 season and have been solid. Jack DiBenedetto leads the way, forcing 14 turnovers last year. Meanwhile, Jimmy Freehill forced nine, and Adam Hangland forced two. The LSM, AJ Mercurio, was named to the USA Lacrosse Pre-Season All-American team as well. Still, Devner will be replacing Jack Thompson, with Malcolm Kleban expected to get most of the starts in goal. He had a 47.3 percent save percentage last year.

Why Johns Hopkins Will Cover The Spread/Win

Johns Hopkins was 26th in the nation in points per game last year, and like Denver, returns a lot of their offense. While it was a slow start for Hopkins, they would finish in the top 15 in adjusted offensive effect last year. Leading points man Jacob Angeleus is back at attack. Angelus led the team with 44 assists last year, while also scoring 17 goals on the season. Also returning are Garrett Degnon and Russell Melendez. These were the top two goal scores last year for this year.

Dengon had 41 goals last year while also having five assists. Meanwhile, Melendez has 37 goals and 16 assists on the season. Both were high-quality shooters as well, with two of the best shooting percentages in the nation last year. In the face-off circle, Tyler Dunn will need to hold his own. He was part of a duo with Matt Narewiski for most of the year last year. Narewiski is gone, but back, and hopefully healthy, is Logan Callahan. He also took reps at the face-off circle when health last year.

The biggest area of concern may be in goal for Hopkins. They have lost Tim Marcille but brought in transfer Chyse Ierlan. Irelan was very good for Cornell last year, and with a better defense in front of him, should perform well. The defense is the best part of his team. They were ranked first by Inside Lacrosse in defensive midfield in the nation, which is led by Brett Martin. They also have Tucker Durkin. Durkin limited Pat Kavanaugh to just one assist last year in the playoff game and could be one of the best close defenders in the nation.

Final Denver-Johns Hopkins Prediction & Pick

Denver is going to control a lot of the possession in this game due to the face-off circle. The combination of Alec Stathakis and AJ Mercurio will be a huge part of that. Still, they do not have the level of offense needed to compete and continually score against a defense like Johns Hopkins. Expect this to be a tight game, but Johns Hopkins to cover on the back of a solid defense, and a highly efficient offense led by Jacob Angelus.

Click here for more betting news and predictions

Final Denver-Johns Hopkins Prediction & Pick: Johns Hopkins -3 (-110)