D-Fly & Dixie: Brick by Brick with Penn State's Alex Ross

This week brings the best weekend schedule of the season, and D-Fly & Dixie are back to set the table for you. The episode opens with Dan and Mark previewing a massive weekend in college lacrosse—nine games total, including seven top‑20 matchups and a marquee No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown between North Carolina and Notre Dame. They bring on guest analyst Josh Davey, a longtime Inside Lacrosse colleague, to help break down the slate. The trio works through major conference battles across the Ivy League, Big Ten, ACC, and Patriot League, offering context on RPI implications, strength‑of‑schedule quirks, and key personnel storylines. Throughout the discussion, they highlight pivotal matchups such as Penn–Princeton, Hopkins–Ohio State, Duke–Cornell, Harvard–Yale, and the annual Army–Navy rivalry game. As they analyze each contest, they make game picks and debate which teams are trending upward or fighting for postseason survival.

The second half of the episode dives deeper into the weekend’s headliners, especially Syracuse–Virginia and the No. 1 UNC vs. No. 2 Notre Dame clash in South Bend. The hosts break down faceoff battles, midfield depth, defensive matchups, and the momentum each team carries into the weekend. They also preview Rutgers–Maryland, which Dixon will call on BTN, noting the Big Ten tournament stakes for both programs. 

Penn State standout defenseman Alex Ross joins the show as this week’s player guest. The interview is an easy, grounded look at his journey from Annapolis club standout to All‑American anchor of Penn State’s defense. He reflects on his longtime friendships from the 2022 Annapolis Hawks, how he stumbled into playing defense, and the older Nittany Lions who shaped his development. Ross explains why Penn State’s “build your own house” culture resonated with him during recruiting and how early‑season losses strengthened the team’s identity. Ross describes the Big Ten as a weekly “AFC North‑style” battle, shares what senior day at Panzer will mean to him, and answers a series of quick‑hit personal questions—from his Ravens fandom to favorite State College food spots to who controls the locker‑room aux cord—offering a mix of humor, humility, and appreciation for the brotherhood around him.

GAME PREVIEWS
ALL GAMES on SATURDAY

No. 18 Penn (5-5, 2-2 Ivy) at No. 3 Princeton (8-2, 2-1) | noon | ESPN+ | Tigers -4.5/22.5
No. 10 Johns Hopkins (7-3, 2-1 B1G) at No. 14 Ohio State (8-3. 1-2) | noon | BTN | Blue Jays -1.5/19.5
Michigan (4-7, 1-2 B1G) at No. 11 Penn State (6-4, 2-1) | 1 p.m. | BTN | Nittany Lions -6.5/23.5
No. 12 Duke (8-2) at No. 7 Cornell (6-3) in Brookville, N.Y. | 2 p.m. | Corrigan Sports Network | Big Red -1.5/24.5
No. 5 Harvard (9-1, 3-0 Ivy) at No. 17 Yale (5-4, 2-2) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+ | Crimson -1.5/25.5

Navy (7-4, 3-2 Patriot) at No. 15 Army (8-3, 3-2) | 2:30 p.m. | CBS Sports Network | Cadets -2.5/23.5
No. 9 Virginia (7-4, 2-0 ACC) at No. 6 Syracuse (9-3, 1-1) | 4 p.m. | ESPNU | Orange -1.5/24.5
No. 1 UNC (10-1, 1-0 ACC) at No. 2 Notre Dame (7-1, 0-1) | 5 p.m. | ACCN | Irish -1.5/22.5
No. 19 Rutgers (8-4, 1-2 B1G) at No. 8 Maryland (5-4, 2-1) | 6 p.m. | BTN | Terps -3.5/19.5

GIVE & GO
In this week’s Ravens-themed Give & Go, the guys do a “snake draft” of each host’s three favorite Baltimore Ravens of all time, featuring names like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Joe Flacco, Todd Heap, Tony Siragusa, Kyle Hamilton, and Lamar Jackson.