The Essential NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Final Four Preview

HOW YA LIKE ME NOW?

The NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse semifinals include three teams that didn’t even make the tournament last year. Duke and Notre Dame notably sat out the dance despite demonstrating down the stretch that they were championship weekend-caliber outfits. Penn State’s season was sandbagged by April.

What a difference a year makes.

​Here’s a look at the matchups, how they got here, what to watch for, the latest lines and more at the climax of the 2023 college lacrosse season.

(5) PENN STATE VS. (1) DUKE

Date: Saturday, May 27
Time: 12 p.m. EDT
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
City: Philadelphia
Tickets: Buy Here

TV: ESPN2
Stream: Watch ESPN

HOW THEY GOT HERE

(5) Penn State (11-4, 4-1 Big Ten)

The Nittany Lions were better than their abysmal 3-11 record in 2022. Six of their losses were by two goals or fewer. TJ Malone missed the entire season while rehabbing from hip and sports hernia surgeries. Jack Traynor played in just six games. Now they’re the top two scorers for Penn State, the Big Ten regular season co-champion. Malone (33 goals, 32 assists) and Traynor (31 goals, 16 assists) lead a deep Nittany Lions offense with nine players producing double figures. Penn State advanced to championship weekend for the second time in four years (it was the top seed in 2019) by erasing a six-goal deficit to beat Princeton 13-12 in the first round and holding off Army in a 10-9 quarterfinal win last week in Annapolis, Md.

(1) Duke (15-2, 5-1 ACC)

That first-round scare against Delaware prepared the Blue Devils well for their quarterfinal defeat of Michigan in Albany, N.Y. They were excellent on both ends of the field. Brennan O’Neill put on a Tewaaraton-worthy performance with six goals in the 15-8 victory. Kenny Brower anchored a defense that snuffed out the red-hot Wolverines, causing four turnovers. Duke caused 12 of Michigan’s 18 turnovers overall. And when the Wolverines were able to muster an attack, St. Lawrence transfer William Helm proved a reliable safety valve. The 6-foot-3 graduate goalie William Helm made 14 saves.

SERIES HISTORY

This is the first game between Penn State and Duke since 2010. The Blue Devils are 8-0 all-time in the series.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

How much zone defense Penn State plays. The Nittany Lions have had success toggling between man-to-man and zone sets, but the Blue Devils are so multi-dimensional on offense that they’ll capitalize quickly on matchup uncertainty. Penn State’s defensive game plan also hinges on the health of honorable mention All-American defenseman Jack Posey, who exited last week’s game against Army with a leg injury.

THE LATEST LINES

Duke is a four-goal favorite on DraftKings and a 4.5-goal favorite on FanDuel, with the total set at 25.5 on both sites.

COACH SPEAK

Jeff Tambroni, Penn State: “In 2019, there was definitely a lot of pressure on that team coming in as the No. 1 seed. There was a lot of notoriety, a lot of publicity. Our first time ever winning a playoff game. First time ever being in the final four. The pressure to win was greater than the privilege and pleasure to be there. With this group, there were not a lot of expectations. Maybe that is a good thing.”

John Danowski, Duke: “Besides the team meeting we had the day after the season ended, we haven’t really talked about [not making the 2022 tournament] much. That was last year. I’m not living in the past.”

(3) NOTRE DAME VS. (2) VIRGINIA

Date: Saturday, May 27
Time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
City: Philadelphia
Tickets: Buy Here

TV: ESPN2
Stream: Watch ESPN

HOW THEY GOT HERE

(3) Notre Dame (12-2, 4-2 ACC)

Contrary to Duke, Notre Dame has openly and repeatedly talked about the snub. It comes up in just about every interview coach Kevin Corrigan and the players do. They’ve mobilized around the concept of a revenge tour — the kind of narrative that just might serve them well against the only team that has gotten the better of them this season. The Fighting Irish sidestepped a Johns Hopkins shutoff of Pat Kavanagh and smothered the Blue Jays on defense in a 12-9 NCAA quarterfinal win to advance to championship weekend for the first time since 2015.

(2) Virginia (13-3, 4-2 ACC)

By having the best offense in the country by every standard. The Cavaliers score more goals (17.56 per game), generate more assists (11.69 per game) and shoot for higher accuracy (38.4 percent) than any other team in Division I men’s lacrosse. And for good measure, they feed that prolific offense additional opportunities by coming up with more ground balls (40.25 per game) than anyone. Connor Shellenberger has returned to peak form with a combined 16 points in NCAA tournament wins over Richmond and Georgetown.

SERIES HISTORY

Virginia has won six straight games in the series, dealing Notre Dame its only two defeats this season. The Cavaliers won 15-10 at Arlotta Stadium on March 25 and 12-8 in the regular-season finale on April 30 at Klöckner Stadium. The last time they met in the NCAA tournament was in the 2012 quarterfinals, a Fighting Irish victory.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

How Virginia uses its length on defense to mitigate Notre Dame’s top threats. The Cavaliers have had better success than most teams doing damage control with the Kavanagh brothers, limiting them to a combined five goals in two games.

THE LATEST LINES

Virginia is a 1.5-goal favorite on DraftKings and FanDuel, with an expected total of 27.5 on both sites.

COACH SPEAK

Kevin Corrigan, Notre Dame: “I haven’t noticed [Shellenberger] being hurt. That must be in games not against Notre Dame. He’s a terrific player. He elevates any offense he’s a part of.”

Lars Tiffany, Virginia: “When people are asking me about Duke, they’ll say, ‘It’s really hard to beat a team a third time.’ Really? I don’t know that. Show me the data. Show me the statistical assessments of professional and college and high school sports over the last 100 years that proves it. Playing a talented team like Notre Dame a third time, I hope my team ignores the first two [games] and just uses that as information in terms of slide packages and matchups. Hopefully you guys are asking me the same question Sunday, as we’re getting ready to play a Duke team that we obviously don’t have a great history playing against. And I’m going to say the same thing. We’re going to ignore the history.”