OSU to host Loyola of Maryland in NCAAs

The Ohio State coaching staff and players had a gut feeling their first-round opponent in the NCAA lacrosse tournament would be Air Force, Yale or Marquette, but their bracket was busted when they found out Sunday night that they would be playing Loyola of Maryland.

If coach Nick Myers was disappointed being matched against an opponent from the Buckeyes’ days in the East Coast Athletic Conference, it didn’t show. The game will be at 5 p.m. Sunday at Ohio Stadium. The winner will play May 20 against the winner of Saturday's game between Duke (12-4) and host Johns Hopkins (8-6).

“We’ll roll up our sleeves and prepare and make it all about us," Myers said. “You work hard for the opportunity to host a home game in the first round. We understand that every first-round matchup is great, and this one is no different. Loyola is Patriot League champion.’’

Ohio State (13-4) did get a lot of respect from the selection committee in being the third overall seed as an atlarge team after losing 10-9 to No. 1 seed Maryland in the Big Ten tournament championship game Saturday.

Face-off specialist Jake Withers said it didn’t matter which team Ohio State would play.

“We welcome all comers," he said. “We know we can play against any team in the country, and we showed that against Maryland on Saturday."

The Buckeyes won firstround games in 2015 over Duke, in 2013 over Towson State and in 2008 over Cornell.