US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 8. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com throughout January and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition that mails to US Lacrosse members Feb. 1 — opening day of the 2018 college lacrosse season.

No. 1 Duke

2017 Record: 13-5 (3-1 ACC)
Coach: John Danowski (12th season at Duke)

All-Time Record: 544-406-1
NCAA Appearances: 21
Final Fours: 10
Championships: 3 (2010, 2013, 2014)

Hard as it is to believe, Duke’s senior class has never played on Memorial Day weekend.

No group of Blue Devil seniors has departed Durham without a trip to the NCAA tournament semifinals since 2004. And last year marked the first time that class escaped the first round, only to absorb a 16-11 drubbing against Ohio State in the quarterfinals.

After eight consecutive trips to championship weekend, John Danowski’s team is 1-3 in the postseason since 2015. It’s not something the veteran coach is going to bring up. He also knows he doesn’t need to.

“It is the elephant in the room,” Danowski said. “It’s a group that hasn’t made it to the final four. For them, they’re very much aware of that. But on the other hand, they’ve learned. Other groups had to learn to play on the last weekend and how difficult it is. I think that’s one of the things this group understands for sure.”

The biggest name in that senior class is also the Blue Devils’ most explosive offensive player for the second year in a row. Attackman Justin Guterding quietly constructed a 97-point season, taking charge of an offense that had lost star midfielders Deemer Class and Myles Jones the previous year.

While the Blue Devils must replace Jack Bruckner, Guterding will have plenty of help from junior midfielder Brad Smith, three sophomores who started last year (attackman Joey Manown and midfielders Kevin Quigley and Reilly Walsh) and a plethora of options who are much more tested than a year ago — including Georgetown transfer Peter Conley.

Duke begins the season in a better situation on defense as well, with goalie Danny Fowler owning 45 career starts entering his fifth season in the program and starting close defensemen JT Giles-Harris and Cade Van Raaphorst back as well.

“We were more athletic last year, and that was obvious,” Danowski said. “But on the last day we still gave up 16 goals, which is concerning to say the least.”

One thing’s a given: Even Danowski’s best teams usually trip up once or twice early before hitting their stride by late March. An early stumble won’t determine whether the Blue Devils’ modest semifinal drought reaches four, and on paper this team has the ingredients to play on the season’s final day.

“It’s hard to appreciate what you have until you’re competing against outside competition,” Danowski said. “Scrimmages are one thing, but until you play in games, you really don’t know what you have. I think we’re all curious and excited to see if there’s some of that growth.”

The Case For Duke

Much like Denver and (to an extent) Maryland, the Blue Devils have options. Depth doesn’t always win out in May, but it’s a substantial asset. The payoff of Duke thrusting underclassmen into major roles last year, particularly in the midfield, is a much more tested team this spring.

“I’m not saying we have the greatest players, but we have similar players everywhere,” Danowski said. “Maybe we could play a little faster. Maybe we could play more people and play at just a little bit of a higher tempo because we have more people that we trust. That goes from the goalie out.”

The Case Against Duke

Put simply, what’s the Blue Devils’ faceoff situation going to look like? For the last five years, Duke has leaned on Brendan Fowler (2013-14) and Kyle Rowe (2015-17) to handle the bulk of the work at the X.

Sophomore Brian Smyth was 17 of 33 in limited action last year. Freshman Joe Stein offers a contrasting style to Smyth and will be in the rotation, and long pole Peter Welch (3 of 10 in 2017) could see time as well.

“Brian is the best lacrosse player of those three,” Danowski said. “He’s got the best skills, the best sense of the game. We could do some more things if we were to win some faceoffs.”

Path to the Playoffs

Duke benefits from a rigorous ACC schedule, but will also face the likes of Denver, Loyola, Marquette and Towson outside of league play. The Blue Devils can take an early loss or two, as they often do, and still have plenty of time to figure things out and earn their 12th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. But after years as a championship weekend mainstay, the question facing these Blue Devils is whether they can get back there after going 1-3 in the postseason over the last three years. Given the experience across the roster, bank on Duke playing well into May.

Players To Watch

Danny Fowler, G, R-Sr.
8.81 GAA, .519 SV%

The Blue Devils enjoyed their strongest defensive season since they were rattling off national championships, and Fowler played a huge role in providing stability at that end of the field. He’ll anchor a unit that also includes a pair of returning starters on close defense.

Justin Guterding, A, Sr.
51 G, 46 A

Guterding’s stellar junior season got overlooked for much of last spring, but he uncorked a 10-point game in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Johns Hopkins. He should be on any short list of early candidates for the Tewaarton, and he’ll play a major role in Duke’s success this year.

Brad Smith, M, Jr.
20 G, 19 A

Smith was the most experienced player in Duke’s offensive midfield last year, which wasn’t saying much considering he ran with two freshmen. The whole group is much more tested, and Smith should benefit from the unit’s all-around improvement if he can play a little more aggressively as a junior.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Faceoff
⭐⭐⭐

237

Career points for senior attackman Justin Guterding, sixth in school history. Guterding turned in only the second 50 goal/40 assist season ever by a Blue Devil last spring (joining Matt Danowski’s 2005 season) and sits 116 points behind Danowski for Duke’s all-time points lead. He needs 68 points to pass Jordan Wolf for second.

5-Year Trend
Scoring Defense

Coach Confidential
John Danowski

“The faceoff thing is uncharted territory. As you know, people like to hold the ball and be deliberate. Are we mature enough to defend for long periods of time if we don’t win a faceoff and still play the way we want?”

Enemy Lines
Rival Coaches

"Name a coach who does less to distract himself from his contractual obligations. Maybe Mike Pressler – must be something in the Durham water system.  Rarely seen outside of the city limits, Danowski spends most of his energy making fundamentally sound lacrosse players and building strong interpersonal relationships.  It is working, due to the recruiting efforts of Ron Caputo (we need to get him a head coaching position somewhere – start the rumors now!).  Younger talent that was supposed to need some time to mature grew like weeds and made Duke relevant in 2017.  Guterding is simply fantastic.  Manown is poised to break out this year. Fowler is back and he has helped break the streak of mundane in the Blue Devil goal.  Too much depth at midfield to compare them to anyone else.  Defense is stalwart with Van Raaphorst, Giles-Harris and crew.  Give ‘em the crown right now. The only question will be the play at the FO X.  Can the freshman Stein make a splash right away? ... Loaded in just about every spot. On paper may have more talent than anyone. ... Young and experienced at the same time. ... This team is talented and will have something to prove. They have to figure out the faceoff game and they will. ... This team is talented and will have something to prove. They have to figure out the faceoff game and they will. ... I feel like Fowler’s been around forever and he’s a kid who knows how to win. You have a kid like Guterding and add the transfer Conley who’s a big-time player and you get some of those midfielders who have been through the ropes. John will always have them there in the end. ... I thought Duke had an extremely young team that really got better and better as the year went on and was extremely good at the end of the year. I don’t know why that progress would stop. They were so young. They won’t start off where they left off, but they have a lot of young guys growing into their roles and they will be one of the better teams."