MLax Duke 18, Hopkins 5

[burnspbesq]

Plays Hopkins at Koskinen at noon Saturday.

Potential quarterfinal matchup w/Carolina.

[Eckster]

Off we go! 2010 is the year of the Devils and NCAA Championships!

Just replace the ball and hoop with Lacrosse sticks in my Avatar!

[Spy]

Here we go again. Another chapter in the Duke vs. Johns Hopkins NCAA Tourney rivalry. Even though JHU has struggled this year, it will always be a tough matchup with those fellas.

[Eckster]

Spy knows a lot about lacrosse and is right about Hopkins. They have been the biggest roadblock to Duke's championship dreams in recent years. A victory Sat would be a fitting start to a long tournament run.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25937&SPID=2027&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=204943304

Hope for a great crowd on Saturday!

[-bdbd]

Quite an impressive showing for the ACC in terms of seeding. Wonder if a conference has ever had 4 of the top 5 seeds. Wow! Don't bet against the ACC in this tournament! Will be interesting to see how UVA performs, given what's going on with them off the field. We're certainly "in the mix," though we could face three ACC teams in a row if we continued to progress... One match at a time --- just beat Hopkins guys!!




:D

[DukieInKansas]

Let's go, Duke. My Duke flag is still flying - leaving it up through the lacrosse season - hope to celebrate a championship or ships!:D

[chrishoke]

We need to pack the stands Saturday. JH played their best game of the year in their season final easily beating tourney bound Loyola. Given their past tourney success against us they will come in here supremely confident. JH also has a tradition of picking up their game at tourney time. GO DUKE!

[greybeard]

Hopkins is only a shadow of its usual self. This bid was a gift not earned. On the other hand, Pietramala, is Pietramala, but even he will be unable to game-plan a defense that will make a game of it. Duke blows them away.

I picked UVa going into the season and having watched them in the ACC Championship game, ouch! I think that Standowski is the best in the college game, and is overlooked because of UVa's All-american mid-fielders. I don't think the tragedy has anything to do with their team and I do not expect to effect their play. I think that they will be extremely focused and ready, especially because of the media's attempt to drag them into this. Very, very dangerous.

Syracuse, I didn't think that they could make up for the lose of Abbott, especially his play in transition, getting loose balls, and making plays. White on defense comes mighty close, and this freshman mid is the real deal.

If Duke has to play either of these two to win the Championship and does, they earned it. Both these two teams are passing terrific.

[Native]

I've always said that if Duke were to win a National Championship in lacrosse, they would need to break the curse of losing to Hopkins in close one-goal games. If they get by the Hop in the first round, don't be surprised to make them make a deep tournament run. It's karma, and they got a good look of how it's done courtesy of our basketball team.

[MCFinARL]

[QUOTE=greybeard;407278]Hopkins is only a shadow of its usual self. This bid was a gift not earned. On the other hand, Pietramala, is Pietramala, but even he will be unable to game-plan a defense that will make a game of it. Duke blows them away.

Wow, I hope you are right--but don't underestimate Hop at this time of year, no matter how iffy they have looked the rest of the season. Having seen the 2005, 2007 and 2008 tournament Duke losses to Hopkins in person, I can tell you that they play really smart lacrosse in May, and they seem to know how to get in our heads (as well as our goal). A shaky clearing pass here, an illegal stick penalty there, rushed shots--any little (or not so little) thing Duke did wrong in those games Hopkins found a way to capitalize on.

Hopefully we can break this string, the way UVA (sadly) broke our string of victories over them this year.

[greybeard]

[QUOTE=greybeard;407278]Hopkins is only a shadow of its usual self. This bid was a gift not earned. On the other hand, Pietramala, is Pietramala, but even he will be unable to game-plan a defense that will make a game of it. Duke blows them away.

Wow, I hope you are right--but don't underestimate Hop at this time of year, no matter how iffy they have looked the rest of the season. Having seen the 2005, 2007 and 2008 tournament Duke losses to Hopkins in person, I can tell you that they play really smart lacrosse in May, and they seem to know how to get in our heads (as well as our goal). A shaky clearing pass here, an illegal stick penalty there, rushed shots--any little (or not so little) thing Duke did wrong in those games Hopkins found a way to capitalize on.

Hopefully we can break this string, the way UVA (sadly) broke our string of victories over them this year.

One of the things that we do up North better than you guys is play old school lacrosse. I'm still convinced that my guys (Cornell) are told to miss the goal entirely when they have a good look but the goalie is positioned well in order to maintain possession and change the point of attack, rather than shoot on goal and if the goalie makes the save face a run out.

I think that you guys might see some of that type play from Hopkins, shots on goal being taken for real only when the shooter really sees space, in order to slow you guys down. I said going into each of the last two years that the half court game old style, which includes inhibiting runouts by precisely such ball control use of off target shots, was something that you'd need to win a Championship. Still think that. Still think that even a Syracuse, which will run and gun with the best, knows how to control ball in the half court and shoot on goal only off of really well conceived inside receptions that give its box lax guys a chance to operate in close. The other shots in the half court are possession occupiers, changers of the point of attack, which keep you playing D and do not permit runouts because everyone is packed back in and the other team's mids are positioned and rested to guard run out attempts.

Whether you guys have that half-court game of your own, whether you can make a UVa defend in the half court and only take shots in close when guys see plenty of net, and you have people back, might well end up deciding whether you bring the hardware home.

The best thing you have going this year is that the Ivies are down, which means Princeton and Cornell, and now also Hopkins. They are the mainstays of being able to play old school while running when they want. I always thought Duke's inability to play old school cost you guys.

This year it might not. This year if it is all ACC, you might not need that type game. I still think that it is a tremendous asset to bring to the table--to being able to assert dominion over an opponent, especially one that lives to run and gun, that says, we will when we want take that away from you, and we will match our inside passing game against yours and our half court defense against yours and outskill you in those skills. However, this year you might be able to win it all without that game even if Danoski has not developed that in his team.

Having watched Cornell, Princeton, and Hopkins all play on TV this weekend, I don't think any of them have enough strength through their lineups to play with the big boys, that they will tire under pressure, like Cornell did last year against Syracuse, if pressure is applied throughout, and then the runout game will prevail no matter how well these teams play in the half court.

Princeton and Cornell are potent in the half court. Hopkins is not. I think that Hopkins breaks down offensively with mistakes and defensively with just a lack of good play.

That said, Syracuse is capable of playing old school at times and that can be huge against the ACC schools. Then they'll play shoot em up when they want and continue if it is working but go the other way to change pace and break spirit. They could win three straight. On the other hand, if a team, say Duke, gets up three or so on them, they might be constrained to just play run and shoot. Then, then I don't know enough about what everybody's got to be making predictions.

Good luck guys; this could well be a run and shoot year. Be nice to see you win it.

[BlueTeuf]

Not sure Duke has what it takes in 2010.
From what I've seen this year, I'm not convinced Duke plays championship quality defense. I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

Anybody feel strongly that my concerns are unwarranted? I'm interested in hearing a spirited defense of the Duke defense.

[MCFinARL]

[QUOTE=greybeard;407359][QUOTE=MCFinARL;407338]

One of the things that we do up North better than you guys is play old school lacrosse. I'm still convinced that my guys (Cornell) are told to miss the goal entirely when they have a good look but the goalie is positioned well in order to maintain possession and change the point of attack, rather than shoot on goal and if the goalie makes the save face a run out. [QUOTE]

Thanks for the astute analysis, which I have quoted just a bit of--this confirms my own thinking, but with a much more detailed, sophisticated explanation than I could have come up with. This is an oversimplified analogy, I know, but Duke and Hopkins remind me a little of the Caps/Ovechkin (lots and lots of shots) and the Penguins/Crosby (fewer shots, but almost all precise and well timed).

When our offense is really clicking, it can be almost impossible to stop (assuming we can get our share of the face-offs--a key difference in the two Virginia games). But since--as Blue Teuf notes--our defense is not exactly impregnable this year (not sure I can contribute much to a discussion of why, though as a matter of observation the defense does seem less effective,and I don't think it's just the freshman goalie), it's that much more important for our offense to be clicking. If we come out hot and get a big lead against a team like this year's Hopkins team, I think you are right that that will make a big difference.

[greybeard]

Not sure Duke has what it takes in 2010.
From what I've seen this year, I'm not convinced Duke plays championship quality defense. I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

Anybody feel strongly that my concerns are unwarranted? I'm interested in hearing a spirited defense of the Duke defense.

Missing on purpose and making the other team defend close to its goal gives your defense time to set up and defeats the other team's transition game. Could help Duke's defense. Only problem is, missing on purpose does not fit with the DNA profiling that is part of the admission's process at Duke from what I can tell by the posters I have encountered on this board. ;)

[DukieInKansas]

Missing on purpose and making the other team defend close to its goal gives your defense time to set up and defeats the other team's transition game. Could help Duke's defense. Only problem is, missing on purpose does not fit with the DNA profiling that is part of the admission's process at Duke from what I can tell by the posters I have encountered on this board. ;)

Maybe Zoubek can give them a few quick lessons. :D

[greybeard]

Maybe Zoubek can give them a few quick lessons. :D

"Missing on purpose" genes they weed out; wit, that they like. Me too. :)

[NYC Duke Fan]

Can anyone either tell me or give me the website hat would show who Duke recruited for next year's team.

Thank you

[MCFinARL]

Can anyone either tell me or give me the website hat would show who Duke recruited for next year's team.

Thank you

They are listed by colleges (in alphabetical order; I found the Duke recruits on pp. 23 and 24) on the laxpower.com website:
http://www.laxpower.com/recruits/recruits.php?action=viewRcd&db=recruits2010&q=order+by+%60College%60&page=1

[4decadedukie]

Quite an impressive showing for the ACC in terms of seeding. Wonder if a conference has ever had 4 of the top 5 seeds. Wow!

. . . and they are all "at large" selections, since the ACC does not receive an "automatic qualifier," with only four conference teams competing in Man's Lacrosse.

[4decadedukie]

FYI, for those of us who cannot attend due to distance, one of ESPN's channels will cover Duke - Hopkins live at noon on Saturday.

[MCFinARL]

FYI, for those of us who cannot attend due to distance, one of ESPN's channels will cover Duke - Hopkins live at noon on Saturday.

Yes, it's on ESPN. Most of the tournament games are on ESPNU, but there are two games at noon on Saturday. Ours got main ESPN, probably because it's a more intriguing and "big name" matchup than the other one (Maryland-Hofstra), especially since Hop has beaten Duke in three of the last five lacrosse Final Fours (2005 and 2007 finals, 2008 semis). Hopefully this result will be different.

[DukieInKansas]

FYI, for those of us who cannot attend due to distance, one of ESPN's channels will cover Duke - Hopkins live at noon on Saturday.

I hope so - I couldn't find it listed on my program guide even though it listed other games with teams. I'll keep watching.

Let's Go, Duke!

[4decadedukie]

I hope so - I couldn't find it listed on my program guide even though it listed other games with teams. I'll keep watching.
Let's Go, Duke!

ESPN is listed on "GoDuke.com"

[4decadedukie]

Bumping this, only as a reminder that Duke and Hopkins will play in the NCAA Tournament's first round at noon Saturday on ESPN.

GO BLUE DEVILS!

[JaMarcus Russell]

Did anyone expect Duke to beat up on Hopkins so badly? According to Inside Lacrosse, it's 15-4 right now. Definitely didn't expect such a dramatic blowout.

[LetItBD08]

Bumping this, only as a reminder that Duke and Hopkins will play in the NCAA Tournament's first round at noon Saturday on ESPN.

GO BLUE DEVILS!

Thanks for the reminder. Unfortunately Hopkins didn't get the memo. Duke's up 16-4 after 3 quarters.

[4decadedukie]

The game just concluded, with Duke winning our first-round Tournament match with Hopkins, 18 to 5. This was a GREAT Blue Devil victory -- the Blue Jays were simply embarrassed, on both sides of the ball -- although at times our defense seemed somewhat anemic. On the other hand, Duke's offense -- critically, including long stick midfielders -- was outstanding. I suspect we shall have an opportunity to avenge this season's earlier loss to UNC, next weekend in Princeton. Hopkins' selection for this year's NCAA field has been questioned by many, and their performance today indicates why.

GO DUKE!

[merry]

The game just concluded, with Duke winning our first-round Tournament match with Hopkins, 18 to 5. This was a GREAT Blue Devil victory -- the Blue Jays were simply embarrassed, on both sides of the ball -- although at times our defense seemed somewhat anemic. On the other hand, Duke's offense -- critically, including long stick midfielders -- was outstanding. I suspect we shall have an opportunity to avenge this season's earlier loss to UNC, next weekend in Princeton. Hopkins' selection for this year's NCAA field has been questioned by many, and their performance today indicates why.

GO DUKE!

I only saw the second half due to a half day meeting this morning, and I have to say that was pretty amazing. I have never seen anything like that 3rd quarter.

Now we await the outcome of UNC-Delaware.

[BlueTeuf]

A great tourney win! Many will point to the fact that JHU should not have been in the tourney but, for Duke, this win delivers momentum while exorcising demons.

Sustained offensive pressure/excellence can relieve the pressure on the Duke defense/goalie. We can get this done - bring on Delaware;)

[burnspbesq]

Murlund didn't exactly impress, but beat Hofstra, 11-8.

Cornell beat Loyola, 11-10, in three overtimes, so we'll have to listen to Graybeard for another week.

Denver and Stony Brook just underway.

Hoos and the Mount at 7:30 Eastern.

All games on ESPNU.

Duke plays the winner of Carolina - Delaware in Princeton next Saturday. How is it that if they win their first-round games, Princeton and Stony Brook get to play at home in the quarters?

[4decadedukie]

Cornell beat Loyola, 11-10, in three overtimes, so we'll have to listen to Graybeard for another week

An absolutely terrific game, in which Loyola scored within the last seconds of regulation to drive three OTs; in fact, the Greyhounds dominated both offense and defense in the second half. We all should be very proud of another excellent game by a true "forever Dukie," Collin Finnerty; sadly, this was his final collegiate game.

[chrishoke]

Awesome win. Great job Duke.

[loran16]

Heels win 14-13 over the Blue Hens.

Onwards through Carolina we go!

[-bdbd]

Heels win 14-13 over the Blue Hens.

Onwards through Carolina we go!

'watched much of the NC@CH game - it was on ESPN while I ate dinner at a spoorts restaurant - and I hafta say that thier play was less than inpiring. A 4-seed plays a 13-seed at home on a very pleasant Sun. afternoon/evening and barely survives? Not great. Also, it coulda been the TV broadcast, but the crowd didn't seem very enthused through most of the game either. Almost bored. That said, it was close throughout, with neither team, as much as I can recall, ever leading by more than two.

We have a good shot on a neutral field up in NJ next week......

Go Duke!

[roywhite]

Go, Army!

Great win for the Cadets over Syracuse in the Dome in double O/T. Syracuse had something like a 22-1 record in NCAA games in their building prior to this game, and was seeded 2nd.

[greybeard]

Cornell beat Loyola, 11-10, in three overtimes, so we'll have to listen to Graybeard for another week.

Missed the game. I hope Tamboni finally started playing into his bench. Playing an extremely short bench cost him the national championship last year, and the Ivy league championship this year.

Some might say that, playing only your best players is a good strategy, even if your guys are gassed, to them I say, When Harvard Beat Yale. See the movie/docudrama.

But, the short of it, Harvard's coach put in a new quarterback for the starter in the final game of the 69 season when Harvard was down to Yale at Halftime by 22 points. Yale had Grant's Dad and another potential pro and was wildly favored even though both teams were undefeated. Anyway, this guy who had not PLAYED a meaningful down all season brought Harvard back, throwing for 2 TDs and 2 2-point conversions in the final 2 minutes. NOT A FREAKIN meaningful down all season and he does that.

If Tamboni don't play guys because he does not think they are good enough even when his teammates need them he should be fired, I don't care how deep in the tournament he goes, even if Cornell were to catch lightening and win the whole thing, which oh so ain't happening. I can't stand a coach in a sport like lacrosse making such judgments particularly at an Ivy League school where sports have long been much more connected to the paridigm of student/athlete in the sense that people who are more nearly regular students get to play than at schools with big-time sports programs.

I enjoy big-time sports programs; think they definitely have their place. So, do the other kind of sports programs. The other kind is what I look for from the Ivies, especially Cornell (I could care less about the other Ivy programs and enjoy watching Cornell play well whether they win or not, although certainly like it when they win.)

We just caught a huge break; Army dumped Syracuse, which actually gives us a shot at the final four, which means, if they win, I get to see one of the best day in sports that there is, the semi-finals in men's lax.

I'l definitely be at the women's semis or finals in Towson Md., which I have caught the last two years. I really like the women's game, which I think actually requires much more skill in terms of passing and catching then the men's game and shows wonderful athleticism but not of the dangerous variety. In transition play, you see wonderfully athletic women in full stride; they make only graceful and mutted moves because it is remarkably difficult to keep the ball in the basket of the stick and challenges on the ball carrier are constrained by sensible rules that protect players, now there's a freakin novel practice, rules that are adopted to make debilitating and serious injuries less probable.

Go Red and, at least for now, Blue, too!

I told you that even Pietramala could and would not help Hopkins make a serious challenge on Duke this year. The Carolina game, the key is deliberate misses from distance out front, and thus preventing runout opportunities by Carolina during key parts of the game. Of course, Duke's half court passing game will have to produce in-close shots and Duke needs to make a good percentage. That is the key to the game. Grey.

[MCFinARL]

Duke plays the winner of Carolina - Delaware in Princeton next Saturday. How is it that if they win their first-round games, Princeton and Stony Brook get to play at home in the quarters?

It's because the quarterfinal sites are determined in advance, and because the tournament field is so small and they work to keep travel expenses down (and attendance up), it doesn't make sense to send someone from their home site to another quarterfinal site.

Unfortunately, though, the result is often that lower-seeded teams get home-field advantage in the quarters. A couple of years ago Duke had to play Cornell at Cornell in the quarters though Duke was a higher seed.

[bluepenguin]

I don't think the tragedy has anything to do with their team and I do not expect to effect their play.
I do not expect it to affect their play, or have an effect on their play either.

Sorry, your analysis is always dead on, and this was the only thing with which I could find fault.;)

[sagegrouse]

I do not expect it to affect their play, or have an effect on their play either.

Sorry, your analysis is always dead on, and this was the only thing with which I could find fault.;)

Greybeard meant to say, "I do not expect [it] to EFFECT [a change in] their play." Surely, a Cornell grad would not make a simple mistake in common English usage. :) :rolleyes:

sagegrouse

[Indoor66]

Greybeard meant to say, "I do not expect [it] to EFFECT [a change in] their play." Surely, a Cornell grad would not make a simple mistake in common English usage. :) :rolleyes:

sagegrouse

Actually, I think he was in his folksy mode rather than his Cornell educated mode. :eek: :D

[gotham devil]

Go, Army!

Great win for the Cadets over Syracuse in the Dome in double O/T. Syracuse had something like a 22-1 record in NCAA games in their building prior to this game, and was seeded 2nd.

I'm hoping longtime Duke assistant Alberici will be at the top of the list, whenever Coach Danowski decides to retire.

[greybeard]

Actually, I think he was in his folksy mode rather than his Cornell educated mode. :eek: :D

You guys give me too much credit. Say, you're not one of my superiors at work, whose always correcting my uses of "affect" and "effect"--just one of those things about which I have a mental block (watch it now Sage, you've been being nice) even though I must have checked the dictionary a gazzilion times regarding which means what. I end up going with feel, which don't work so good, you think? :o

[77devil]

You guys give me too much credit. Say, you're not one of my superiors at work, whose always correcting my uses of "affect" and "effect"--just one of those things about which I have a mental block (watch it now Sage, you've been being nice) even though I must have checked the dictionary a gazzilion times regarding which means what. I end up going with feel, which don't work so good, you think? :o

Keep trying. I guess Cornell didn't require freshman English.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

Greybeard meant to say, "I do not expect [it] to EFFECT [a change in] their play." Surely, a Cornell grad would not make a simple mistake in common English usage. :) :rolleyes:

sagegrouse

Well, there is the Ivy League part of Cornell and then there is the the Cornell Ag School, which is still part of Cornell University, but is also part of SUNY. New York actually has a (very good) agricultural school which has a separate admissions and is not Ivy League

[greybeard]

Keep trying. I guess Cornell didn't require freshman English.

Amazingly, I did terrifically well in freshman English.

The school of industrial labor relations ruined me. Filled with social science courses with a focus on the ILR sector. Tremendous amount of reading, with each social scientist in each discipline writing books that had their own language inventions to encapsulate a slightly different focus on a dynamic at play in human relations/development, interactions, motivation, etc. Even within a particular discipline, psychology, socialogy, social-psych, economics, there was a serious attempt at dialogue among the creators of varous theories, paradigms. Maddening when it occurred to you that Author A was saying mostly the same thing as Author B only using a different language set. At some point, learning to improve spelling seemed pointless unless one wanted to become a language major, which seemed a prereguisite to being a serious student in the ILR school, even thought it had no foreign language requirement.

I hate social science precisely for the reason that the lack of dialogue left one adrift in a world of essentially parallel play among so-called great intellects. Actually, this was borrowed from my favorite professor, Allan Bloom, who had wildly fabulous debates about the place, or lack of it, for social science in the educational process. Glory Days!

[greybeard]

Amazingly, I did terrifically well in freshman English.

The school of industrial labor relations ruined me. Filled with social science courses with a focus on the ILR sector. Tremendous amount of reading, with each social scientist in each discipline writing books that had their own language inventions to encapsulate a slightly different focus on a dynamic at play in human relations/development, interactions, motivation, etc. Even within a particular discipline, psychology, socialogy, social-psych, economics, there was a serious attempt at dialogue among the creators of varous theories, paradigms. Maddening when it occurred to you that Author A was saying mostly the same thing as Author B only using a different language set. At some point, learning to improve spelling seemed pointless unless one wanted to become a language major, which seemed a prereguisite to being a serious student in the ILR school, even thought it had no foreign language requirement.

I hate social science precisely for the reason that the lack of dialogue left one adrift in a world of essentially parallel play among so-called great intellects. Actually, this was borrowed from my favorite professor, Allan Bloom, who had wildly fabulous debates about the place, or lack of it, for social science in the educational process. Glory Days!

So I took a course in something called social-psychology from a professor whom I found both interesting and informative and signed up for a small seminar course that he offered which focused on a mini-school of thought that extrapolated out from Pavlov's work. The school of thought, known then as the Exchange Theory, explained human organization based upon a reward-theory of behavioral choice. We read one book on some experiements, another studying the interactions of people who lived in homes in a court configuration, and a third that grandly attempted to extrapolate this exchange theory to explain societal organization.

Now, at the time, I was taking the second of two courses in Political Thought offered by Alan Bloom, and was driving my friends nuts trying to recreate that which I head heard about political thought, or at least thought that I had heard, from Bloom. I should add that in this second course we focused most particularly on Aristotle's Ethics, or was it the Politics. Anyway, the work started from the proposition that Bloom spent weeks on establishing as da truth--namely, that all actions are undertaken by people to advance "the Good," to establish I seem to recollect the importance of trying to get a grasp on exactly what the "good was."

Anyway, as we read the book, I kept on telling my colleagues in the seminar that the construct of this book based upon Pavlov's work to explain human society sounded an awful lot like Aristole's Ethics (I am now sure that that was the title we were studying). My observations, often followed by my recreations of things that I had heard Bloom say, brought hoots and hollars from some of my closer friends who were also taking the course and were the source of great mirth.

Well, I liked the seminar and liked the book so I kept it. Years later I picked it up and opened it from the back, where all the footnotes were collected. Footnotes in college? Not in my day. At any rate, well over half the first 50 footnotes in the book referenced, you got it, Aristotle's Ethics. I'd have written the professor but what would have been the point. ;)