IL is reporting that Denver is playing at Duke on 2/5, but there is no confirmation on the Pios’ website.
In a season whose promise is matched only by its uncertainty, we finally have our first piece of schedule intel.
Air Force’s schedule, released yesterday, includes a game at Duke on Saturday 2/27 at noon eastern.
Edited too add Native's great summary of the rules:
https://forums.dukebasketballreport...81#post1363681
Last edited by -jk; 04-17-2021 at 12:31 PM. Reason: add native's most excellent lax summary
IL is reporting that Denver is playing at Duke on 2/5, but there is no confirmation on the Pios’ website.
Towson’s schedule, released today, shows a home game against Duke on Saturday 2/20.
Per IL, Robert Morris is coming to town on Sunday 2/7.
In addition to the four known non-conference games, we know that Duke will play Carolina and Virginia home and away, and Syracuse and Notre Dame once.
Hard to imagine that we wouldn’t play High Point and Richmond, because the logistics are so manageable. Loyola and Penn have been annual events for a while.
Thanks for the helpful updates.
I thought the Ivies were still in a holding pattern with their earliest start date being March 1? That obviously leaves plenty of time to play Penn after March 1 but who knows whether we want to give them a spot on the schedule with some uncertainty about whether it will even happen (as there will be uncertainty around all of the other games as well).
Last edited by CrazyNotCrazie; 01-22-2021 at 12:19 PM.
Cross Marquette off the usual opponents list for 2021. It does not surprise me, particularly since we were supposed to play up there.
Mercer confirmed for 2/13.
https://mercerbears.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule
@Jacksonville confirmed for 3/14.
https://judolphins.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule
About a week ago, the Ivy League announced that spring athletics are being held in suspense indefinitely. Shortly after the announcement, Yale's T.D. Ierlan entered the transfer portal.
https://www.insidelacrosse.com/artic...for-2021/57173
I'm going to confess that I'm much more concerned about the lax season proceeding without a hitch than I am about this hoop season...we may not see this level of talent on a Duke team ever again...
A number of other teams also have strengthened their rosters as a result of the chaos over the last 10 months. Inside Lacrosse reported this week that, after enrolling at Villanova to play football, Dox Aitken will return to UVA for the 2021 lacrosse season. For those who may have forgotten:
"Aitken was a first-team All-American in 2018 and 2019, combining for 83 goals and 20 assists in those two seasons while becoming the first Virginia midfielder to reach 100 career goals and one of the most dangerous players in college lacrosse."
He was a key part of the 2019 national championship team.
https://www.insidelacrosse.com/artic...football/57168
My goal is to see Duke play in person at least one time this season. Absent a heat wave, the February 20 game at Towson does not appear to be a great option. Charlottesville is a manageable day trip from D.C., however, and I also am waiting to see whether Loyola is on the schedule, although this year's Loyola game would be scheduled in Durham in normal circumstances. And then, there is the question of whether spectators are allowed.
Living in the D.C. area, I miss the days when Navy frequently hosted the NCAA quarterfinals and, before then in the 1990's, when the final four was a fixture in College Park. If there is an NCAA championship this year, the quarterfinal sites are at Notre Dame and Hempstead, NY and the final four is in East Hartford, Connecticut.
yes, there will be a lot of strong teams, but adding O'Neill and Sowers is something few if any can match...I guess we'll see. Finals in East Hartford? Ooh, that's an easy drive from here..
I agree that the depth on Duke's roster is off the charts. Before the 2020 season was cancelled and the extra year of eligibililty was granted, I thought that Duke might have gaps in the midfield entering the 2021 season. Now, Duke's midfield has Lowrie, Quigley, Smyth and Lindsay all back as graduate students, along with Leadmon, Montgomery, Badour and Owen Caputo. Reilly Walsh (who also is back for a graduate year) is listed on the roster at GoDuke as an attack, but my recollection is that he generally played as a midfielder throughout his career.
Even before Sowers transferred, the attack was deep, with Williams, Joe Robertson, Manown, and Mule. When you add in Phil Robertson, it occurred to me that we might see something along the lines of a first and second attack, similar to traditional midfield rotation.
In my mind, the only question is whether all the pieces will fit together, but I am confident that, if there is any coach who will be able to assemble the best lineups and keep all the egos in check, it is John Danowski. When I saw this roster emerge over 2020, I thought it was a testament to Coach Danowski that so many talented players wanted to be a part of the 2021 team. No doubt, a number of them could have been guaranteed more playing time at a number of other schools.
^ yes, it's hard to imagine there's won't be two formidable attack groups...
This is the thing for me—we can easily field two tournament-quality, and some would say Final Four-caliber—attack groups.
Every day. In practice.
I seem to recall a quote from one of the 1992 hoopers—might have been Hurley or Hill—who basically said that no game they had that season was harder than practice. We might see a similar effect here with the talent we can roll out on the practice field.
Schedule is out.
https://goduke.com/news/2021/1/25/me...-schedule.aspx