[Editor's Note: John Morgan, aka L'Carpetron Dookmarriot, has been putting together front-page quality previews over Michigan Lacrosse's incredible run and posting them in the diaries. If you're new to the sport, this primer is still mostly relevant. –Seth]

THE ESSENTIALS

WHAT	#9 Michigan (10-6) vs #1 Duke (14-2)
WHERE	Casey Stadium Albany, New York
WHEN	Saturday, 2:30 PM
THE LINE	BetMGM: Duke-3.5
TELEVISION	ESPNU

OVERVIEW

In my preview of the Cornell game, full of references to historic battles, Homeric epics and West Coast hip-hop, I wrote that Michigan’s lacrosse odyssey had finally and fittingly brought them to Ithaca (get it?!? English major over here!). And then in their first NCAA tournament appearance, Michigan played the greatest game in program history and capped it off with a classic sudden death winner. However, The Odyssey doesn’t end with Odysseus simply debarking in Ithaca. No. There’s more work to be done.  And now for Michigan it’s back to the Empire State to Albany where they get the #1 seed.

And the wild ride is about to get wilder.

Michigan is riding a five-game winning streak right now, three in a row over top-10 opponents and is probably the hottest team in the country. Going into the season finale against Ohio State, a team that was ranked ahead of them at the time, Michigan’s fate was very unsettled. The Wolverines were a bubble team that needed more wins to keep their NCAA hopes alive. Then they crushed their rival Buckeyes and did it again the following week in the B1G tournament to firmly end their season. In the B1G semis, Michigan played a tight first half against Penn State and then turned it on and dominated the second half. They kept that momentum going by blowing the doors off of national champs Maryland in the conference final. Then they upset Cornell in an all-time tournament thriller.

When underdogs go on a run like Michigan’s, people often ask “When is their luck going to run out?”. But if you’ve watched this team play the last month, you know that luck has had little to do with it.

[Hit THE JUMP for more of the preview]

THE THEM

Here Comes Duke. Bring ‘Em On. Ah, Duke, the darlings of the college lacrosse world! #1 in the polls and #1 in ESPN’s and the tournament committee’s hearts!  If you think ESPN has a ridiculously sycophantic relationship with Duke basketball, you haven’t watched them cover their lacrosse team. Listening to ESPN announcers gush over the Duke Blue Devils year in, year out is one of the least enjoyable pastimes of following modern-day college lacrosse (they get equally horny for Virginia and ND’s Kavanaugh brothers).

Duke is now a certified blue blood, but that wasn’t always the case. Despite fitting the profile of an elite east coast school full of rich kid fancyboys, Duke has only become a lacrosse power recently (rival UNC has a richer history as do old foes UVA and Maryland). They never made a Final Four until the late 90s and didn’t win a national title until 2010. But they are certainly a power now and are a favorite to win the national championship.

The Blue Devils have won 14 games in 2023, including a bevy of two and three-goal victories. And they were on the right side of four one-goal games including their first-round matchup with Delaware which they won 12-11. In that game, a contest the Blue Hens controlled most of the way, Duke needed a hearty comeback that included three goals off rebounds and pipes to avoid an unprecedented first round #1-seed loss. The committee probably should not have stuck Delaware in the play-in game, giving Duke a much more difficult opening round opponent. But, I’m also not so sure Duke should have been awarded the #1 overall seed considering their close wins, early loss to Jacksonville and the fact that Notre Dame wiped them out. I’m wondering if their confidence isn’t just the slightest bit shaken.

All ESPN hype aside, Duke’s star attackman Brennan O’Neill is a legitimately phenomenal player. O’Neill is freakishly strong for a lacrosse player, especially an attackman. He is a load for opposing defenses and was third in the nation in points this season (5.25/game) and could win the Tewaaraton, lacrosse’s Heisman trophy. Duke is helmed by John Danowski, one of the great all-time HC’s and a gruff Long Island man with an even better accent than Coach Conry. The Blue Devils didn’t particularly sharp in the first-round but they’re well-coached and have enough talent to flip the switch at any time.

So, there is of course, no sweeter team to knock off than Duke. And if you’re Michigan and on a Cinderella streak, you might as well just go ahead and take out the #1 team. It just makes sense, right?

THE OFFENSE

Scoring goals is fun, everyone had fun [D. Wilcomes]

Chemical Brothers. In preseason calls with the alumni, Coach Conry said his staff tends to eschew the transfer portal; they’ll take a player or two if they’re the right fit such as Peter Thompson. But generally, they prefer to grow the team as a tight-knit unit rather than build a system that plugs in talent at different spots. That was a bit of a gamble for a program that had a lot of roster questions coming into the season. Team chemistry is something you can’t teach but you can create the right conditions for it. That’s what this staff has done and it’s been paying off.

Eventhough they were missing attackman Ryan Cohen (27 G, 29A) against Cornell the midfield and attack worked very well off each other and the chemistry was great once again. It was another party on Michigan’s offensive end and everyone was invited. Seven different players scored and six different players recorded an assist (compare that to 11 unassisted for Cornell). Even second line midfielders Aidan Mulholland and Isaac Aaronson had two G’s apiece. Justin Brown didn’t score but fired a few blazing shots (Ierlan made great saves on them). But his speed on his long sweeping dodges created headaches for Cornell’s defense, forcing them to rotate. Brown also initiated Jake Bonomi’s huge goal that helped them seize momentum going into the half. Speaking of which: How about that?!? Behind-the-back goal!! BONOMI!!

Michigan vs Cornell Lacrosse Highlights NCAA First Round | 2023 College Lacrosse

Too Smooth, Never See Me Comin’. In my Cornell preview, I wrote that Michigan fans have to feel great for grad transfer Bryce Clay for staying and being a champion. By the same token, how do you feel about fellow Michigan native and grad student Peter Thompson? He’s an Ann Arbor kid who played four years at Georgetown but only put up 2 points in his senior season. He comes to U of M to play for his beloved Wolverines who he has rooted for since he was a kid and becomes a reliable presence in the midfield. Then he absolutely explodes for a career high 4 goals in the program’s first tournament game, including 2 in the 4th AND the OT game winner. On that play, he made a great backdoor cut, had the presence of mind to patiently throw a low shot fake…and then finished high to bury the Big Red on their own field. Veteran move. And who assisted on the play? Your boy Bryce Clay. Thompson was straight up bawling in the post-game huddle.

William Helm, D-III transfer from St. Lawrence and an extremely boring post-game interview has put up good numbers in the cage for Duke- 10.73 goals against avg. and a .516 save percentage. Smart, precise shooting will be essential again on Saturday.

Protect those sticks. Duke is a stout defensive outfit and is ranked #14 in scoring defense, giving up 10.69/game. They have active sticks and in the 2^nd half against Delaware, they generated several turnovers which catalyzed the Devils’ comeback. They have athletes at every position so even their d-middies are good. Protect the ball, and don’t give them anything in transition the other way.

However, Delaware was able to move the ball on them and Michigan’s offense has been moving with even more pace and alacrity. The keys are just like last week: move your feet, share the rock and bomb the cage with authority.

THE DEFENSE

D ‘em up. Jack Whitney and Michigan’s defense threw the rug over Cornell [D. Wilcomes]

No Air. That was an absolutely outstanding performance against Cornell, the most suffocating defense I’ve seen by a Michigan team since CJ Stroud was on the field (Ay-OOO!). The defense, spearheaded by Andrew Darby’s superb on-ball coverage of CJ Kirst, only let up 14 goals to one of the best offenses in the country. Kirst, the nation’s leading scorer only put up 2 goals, didn’t score until the 4th quarter and even got one from a rebound off the pipe. I was wrong when I said Michigan didn’t have any lockdown defenders.

Michigan’s defense is predicated on all footwork and positioning and they barely use their stick at all. So, for Darby to defend Kirst the way he did and give him almost no space to work with, was extraordinary. I imagine he’ll get the call against Brennan O’Neill. And for all his hard work, he got this....

Hunter Taylor got the start in goal and was red hot, stopping 16 shots and coolly stuffing a would-be game winner on a fast break in OT. Starting d-men Darby, Jack Whitney and Kees Van Wees created one turnover each while long stick middie Ryan Schriber caused two TOs of his own and scooped up 5 ground balls. The defensive midfielders- Michael Cosgrove especially- were also smothering for the second game in a row. If they bring that total team effort against Duke, they’ll have a great chance.

A beefy Irish boy from Long Island, Duke’s O’Neill is a great all-around athlete and uses his strong frame to great effect…

But his offensive acumen is what sets him apart. Whereas Kirst was looking to put on a move and shoot, O’Neill is more balanced and can feed as well as score. He is a T1000 model of an attackman and if he gets any space, he’ll make a play. He has 45 goals and 39 dimes so far in 2023. 

Dyson Williams is the Blue Devils’ other deadly weapon. He’s a slick Canadian sharpshooter who is shooting .491, fifth in the nation and he’s putting a terrifying .781(!) of his shots on the cage. Michigan can’t give him any air either. Andrew McAdorey, a shifty 5’8” imp put up 33 goals and 23 assists this year and is also a creative finisher. Six-foot-four midfielder Garrett Leadmon scored 22 times this season and is also an ESPN goldenboy.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Ain’t nuthin but a gangsta party [ D. Wilcomes]

Two of Amerikaz Most Wanted In The Same Place, At The Same Time. Honestly, Cornell’s Jack Cascadden played heroically against Michigan’s two-headed faceoff monster of Nick “Cage” Rowlett and Justin “Travolta” Wietfeldt. Michigan only won the battle 18-15; Rowlett went 11 for 19 and Wietfeldt won 7 of 14 (although Wietfeldt did get one back immediately off a great strip, mark it 8 Dude). Cascadden more than held his own, winning 12 of 25 draws and even scoring a hugely clutch goal through all kinds of contact in the 4th. Tough task and he did well but Michigan still had the edge.

Michigan gets another tough test in Duke’s Jake Naso. He’s fifth in the country at .636 which is very good. Naso is coming off a strong outing vs. Delaware in which he won 15 of 25. One thing is certain: it will be a straight up battle at the faceoff X all game. Just win more than you lose.

They’re going to take Naso’s face…off. Michigan has two great faceoff guys, one of whom is named Nick, and if you thought I wasn’t going to reference the 1997 John Wu action classic “Face/Off”, I’m sorry to disappoint you.

No flags again. Michigan was flagged for exactly zero penalties against Cornell which was great because their man-down stinks and Cornell’s man-up was great. Duke’s is pretty good (.435) too, so just don’t get any penalties.

Duke’s penalty-killing unit is #19 in the country so if Michigan’s extra man offense can get anything there that would be huge. It also looked like Cornell got away with two shots to the head so I’m hoping they get a friendlier flag this week.

INTANGIBLES

Unflappable. I have to hand it to Coach Conry again. He stays cool under pressure. Or he is just brilliant at hiding how much he’s freaking out. ESPN captured this great shot coming out of Michigan’s timeout to start their final possession, Conry looking like he’s waiting for a bus, offensive coordinate Scott Bieda like he’s losing his mind.:

Conry: Where is this bus, already? I have to get home in time for Wheel of Fortune.

Bieda: My head is going to explode.

Cinderellas don’t really exist in college lacrosse. You’ll see upsets from time to time: but for the most part, long dark horse tournament runs don’t happen. And when they do, the clock strikes midnight before Memorial Day Final Four weekend. There are no ‘85 Villanovas. The only team to ever come out of nowhere to win it all was Princeton in ‘92 and even they had Ivy League titles and national championships way back in their past. I don’t think anyone has ever crashed the Final Four in their first tournament.

Ask yourself, loyal Michigan partisan, how often do you get to root for Michigan as a genuine underdog in something? And how often do you get to do that against a #1 Duke team and they’re the ones who should be scared and experiencing imposter syndrome? This Michigan program is still supposed to be bumbling, silly, little Michigan who foolishly thought they could run with the big boys. But here they are, slaying giants and standing on the precipice of a Final Four.

The simple fact is: This means so much more to Michigan than it does to Duke. Subsequent tournament runs won’t be as momentous or meaningful. In the future, Michigan will be expected to be here.

And if you remember your classics, you’ll know that after arriving in Ithaca, the Odyssey ends with Odysseus laying waste to a hall full of snobbish nobles. You know – blue bloods.

GO BLUE.