May 20, 2008 — The Final Four: Inside Duke

From now until Friday, we take a look at the four teams making up the NCAA Division I championship field, which will pare down to a national titleist this weekend at Towson University.

Duke Blue Devils

How they got here: Was an at-large entry from the ACC, having lost in the semifinal round of the conference tournament. Had an RPI of 11, though it has been as high as 2 about three weeks ago

Road to Towson: Defeated Georgetown 10-8 in the Round of 16, then bested Maryland 9-7 in the quarterfinals

“Statement” win: Defeated Maryland 14-13 on March 1

Against the Final Four field: Lost 15-11 to Northwestern.

One of these things is not like the others: Duke is the only remaining ACC team in the tournament. It is also the only remaining team to not have won its conference tournament.

When Duke Has The Ball: Carolyn Davis (55 goals) and Megan Del Monte (39) carried the midfield this year. Emma Hamm (30 goals, 20 assists) is the ACC Rookie of the Year.

When Duke Doesn’t Have The Ball: Kim Imbesi has come into her own on the defensive end of the field as goalkeeper. She will be a big key in terms of communication as well as leadership.

The Skinny: Don’t be surprised if there is a chalkboard or a whiteboard somewhere in the Blue Devils’ locker room with this on it:

13-4

That’s the lead that Duke failed to hold in last year’s national semifinal against Virginia. As a competitor, you don’t need much more motivation than that.

The Judgment: Duke has lost three consecutive national semifinal matches. Don’t be surprised to see the Blue Devils turn all that around and win the national championship.

Tags: Lacrosse