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The Michigan Wolverines are the 16th team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the second team from the Big Ten. Michigan finished 4-9 overall in 2019 and 1-4 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines failed to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament for another season, but recorded their first ever win over archrival Ohio State in their regular season finale.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Michigan’s 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 2/8 | Cleveland State | Michigan | |
| 2/15 | Michigan | Hofstra | First ever meeting |
| 2/18 | Canisius | Michigan | First meeting since 2015 |
| 2/22 | Merrimack | Michigan | First ever meeting |
| 2/29 | St. John's | Michigan | |
| 3/7 | Michigan | Yale | Pacific Coast Shootout (In Costa Mesa, CA) |
| 3/11 | Marquette | Michigan | |
| 3/14 | Michigan | Notre Dame | In Chicago, IL |
| 3/21 | Michigan | Delaware | |
| 3/28 | Michigan | Johns Hopkins | Big Ten |
| 4/4 | Maryland | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 4/11 | Rutgers | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 4/18 | Michigan | Penn State | Big Ten |
| 4/25 | Michigan | Ohio State | Big Ten |
Who’s In?
- Hofstra Pride (2/15)
- Canisius Golden Griffins (2/18)
- Merrimack Warriors (2/22)
Who’s Out?
- Drexel Dragons (17-16 L/2OT)
- Jacksonville Dolphins (11-10 W)
Michigan’s Opponent’s 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
| .591 | .561 | .646 | 26.08 | 35.25 | 11.4 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/8 vs. Cleveland State: Michigan began their season-opener strong with a 7-0 run. The game looked to be over midway through the second quarter, but the Vikings pulled off a 6-0 run of their on to keep it close. The Wolverines won by two that day, but Cleveland State provides a tough early season task, even if they have a new head coach.
- 3/7 vs. Yale (in Costa Mesa, CA): The annual Pacific Coast Shootout will bring two new teams out west in Michigan and Yale. The two teams played each other in a neutral site game last season in Atlanta, which saw the Bulldogs open up a 6-0 run late in the second quarter for a six-goal win.
- 3/14 vs. Notre Dame (in Chicago, IL): This has turned out to be a fun midweek game to watch for the last few years, highlighted by Michigan’s upset win over the Fighting Irish in 2018. This year, the game will be held on a Saturday in Chicago. No word on the venue just yet, but it does fall around Spring Training for Major League Baseball.
- 4/11 vs. Rutgers: Ever since joining the Big Ten in 2015, Michigan’s biggest problem has been winning conference games. After going winless in conference play in 2016 and 2017, the Wolverines got one win in the past two regular season finales, including last season against Ohio State. They lost to Rutgers by two last season, their closest defeat in conference play.
- 4/25 at Ohio State: We’ve already mentioned how big Michigan’s win over the Buckeyes was a year ago. That game was also in Ann Arbor and with Tre Leclaire out for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are a much different team offensively with Leclaire in the lineup and will have their eyes set on gaining revenge on their archrival from a year ago.