Michigan
Johns Hopkins
U-M Hosts No. 18 Johns Hopkins to Open Big Ten Play
3/26/2019 4:38:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
» Saturday's matchup against Johns Hopkins opens Big Ten play for Michigan and is the first of three Big Ten Conference home games.
» Michigan head coach Kevin Conry is a 2004 graduate of Johns Hopkins, where he played for current Blue Jay head coach Dave Pietramala.
» The Michigan women's lacrosse team's noon game against Johns Hopkins will take place prior to the men's contest.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, March 30 -- vs. No. 18 Johns Hopkins (U-M Lacrosse Stadium), 3 p.m.
TV: BTN | Live Stats | Live Video | Coach Conry on WTKAÂ
Promotions: Postgame autographs [ More ]
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | InstagramÂ
The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team will open Big Ten Conference play when it hosts No. 18-ranked Johns Hopkins on Saturday (March 30) at 3 p.m. from U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The matchup will be broadcast on Big Ten Network, with Mike Monaco and Mark Dixon on the call. Prior to the men's showdown, the undefeated U-M women's lacrosse team will play host to the Blue Jays at noon.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan's man-down unit ranks No. 8 nationally, allowing opponents to convert on only 21 percent of their EMO chances. With five goals allowed, U-M has given up the third-fewest man-down goals in the country.
• Saturday's matchup against the Blue Jays is the first of five games in a tough Big Ten schedule. The combined record of Michigan's conference opponents is 33-10, with its nationally-ranked Big Ten home opponents -- No. 18 Johns Hopkins, No. 1 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State -- holding a combined 18-5 record.
• Senior Decker Curran tied the U-M record for assists in a single game with four vs. Delaware (March 23), bringing his season total to nine and equaling his career best for a season, which he set last year. He enters the weekend with 91 career points, and is looking to become the fourth Wolverine to reach the 100-point plateau.
• Sophomore Alex Buckanavage leads U-M in points (34) and points per game with 4.25, which ranks 28th nationally. His 34 points rank sixth in program history, 14 off U-M's program record (48), held by senior Brent Noseworthy.
• U-M's offense boasts six players with double-digit point totals and ranks No. 20 in the country in points per game (20). Michigan's extra-man unit has converted 14 goals, which is tied for the fifth most in the country. Curran leads the team in EMO goals with four. The offense has scored 99 goals on 330 shots (33 percent) to rank seventh in the shot-percentage category.
• U-M has outscored opponents, 26-20, in the opening quarter, and are 3-1 in contests when leading at halftime.
• With a rash of injuries at the faceoff position, Michigan has gone 39-of-120 (25 percent) at the dot over the last four games. U-M has utilized six different players at the dot over that span and ranks 61st in the NCAA. U-M is 2-1 in contests this season when winning the faceoff battle and is 1-5 when on the other end of the ledger.
• The U-M offense has scored 46 goals over the past three games despite its struggles at the 'X' and while playing without Noseworthy, who ranks No. 18 in the country in offensive efficiency.
• Michigan head coach Kevin Conry is a 2004 graduate of Johns Hopkins, where he played for four seasons under current Blue Jays head coach Dave Pietramala. Conry helped JHU to a runner-up finish in the 2003 NCAA Division I Championship.
Opponent Preview
Johns Hopkins
The Blue Jays enter the Big Ten season ranked No. 18 in the latest USILA poll with a 4-4 overall record. All four losses have come against ranked teams, and Johns Hopkins has played a common U-M opponent in Delaware. Michigan fell, 16-13, to the Blue Hens last Saturday (March 23) at U-M Lacrosse Stadium, while JHU knocked off Delaware, 12-10, on March 16 in Baltimore, Maryland.
JHU ranks No. 36 (11.13 goals per game) in scoring offense, and is led by freshman Joey Epstein with 28 points (20 goals, eight assists), Kyle Marr (17G, 6A) and Cole Williams (8G, 11A.). Epstein also leads the team in shots with 61, while Marr ranks No. 3 in the country in man-up goals with five. Williams ranks No. 61 in the country in assists per game with 1.38 per contest.
Defensively, Hopkins allows 12.63 goals per game, which ranks No. 55 nationally. Goalie Ryan Darby has stopped 50 percent of shots faced, with a goals-against average of 12.69 to go along with 12.38 stops per contest. The Blue Jays also boast two of the better longsticks in the country in Robert Kuhn (23 ground balls, six caused turnovers) and Patrick Foley (12GB, 7CT).
The two Face Off Get Off (FOGO) options are Kyle Prouty, who has won 60.8 percent of his faceoffs, and Matt Narewski (49.5 percent). JHU ranks No. 25 in faceoff percentage at 54, while Narewski -- a freshman -- leads the team in ground balls with 30.
Last season, Hopkins defeated U-M, 10-9, thanks to a Marr goal with less than a minute to go at U-M Lacrosse Stadium. Michigan led, 3-0, early and Noseworthy scored four goals in the game, but could not pull off the upset of the then-No. 7 Blue Jays. Hopkins leads the all-time series, 6-0, against the Wolverines.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all remaining U-M men's lacrosse games are now on sale, with general admission tickets available for $6 and group tickets (10 or more) on sale for $3 each. Group experiences are also available. [ Tickets ]
Tweet of the Week
READY for @B1GLacrosse play to start!
— Michigan Men's Lacrosse (@UMichLacrosse) March 26, 2019
Matchup will be broadcast nationally via @BigTenNetwork.
See you SATURDAY at 3 p.m.! #ProveIt? | #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/fxrXKUUdFN
Keep Up with the Wolverines
Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's lacrosse on Twitter and Instagram (@umichlacrosse), on Snapchat (@umichathletics) and by "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook! Inside access can also be seen via the team's YouTube page by searching 'MGoBlueLacrosse.'
Next Week
Saturday, April 6 -- at Maryland (College Park, Md.), 2 p.m. (TV: BTN)
