NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships: Div. 1 at a glance

On one hand, the four teams taking the field tomorrow at Gillette Stadium perhaps are further proof that parity finally has arrived in Division 1 men?s lacrosse. For the first time since 1975 ? coincidentally, when Maryland last won it all ? the semifinals will not include Syracuse, Johns Hopkins or Virginia, and the remaining field has only one championship in that same time span (Duke in 2010). However, Duke has made it to Championship Weekend for the sixth straight season, Maryland was in the title game a year ago, and Notre Dame lost to Duke in that 2010 overtime thriller. Only Loyola, which last made the Final Four in 1998, can be considered a true ?party crasher.? Nonetheless, Loyola and Notre Dame will try to become only the ninth different school all-time to win an NCAA title.

Here is a look and the key pieces and storylines for each team, and what they will need to do to avoid being home for the Memorial Day barbecues:

No. 1 LOYOLA vs. No. 4 NOTRE DAME

TIME: Tomorrow, 2:30 p.m.

CHANNEL: ESPN2

THE ROAD TO FOXBORO: Unranked to start the season, the Greyhounds rose to No. 1 in the country in the polls before suffering their lone loss to Johns Hopkins. Still, they earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament and parlayed that into an eventual opening-round rout of Canisius in a game they led only 4-3 at the half. Then came the third meeting this season with Denver, and sparked by senior Eric Lusby?s five goals and two assists, the Greyhounds held off a furious comeback by the Pioneers to end their 14-year semifinal drought.

STUD: Mike Sawyer ? One of two Tewaaraton Award finalists who will be playing this weekend, the junior attackman (51-8-59) is second in the nation in goals and set the single-season school record with his one tally in the quarterfinal win against Denver. Sawyer is a two-time all-ECAC selection and spearheads a Greyhounds offense that ranks fourth in the nation in scoring (12.48 goals per game).

PLAYER YOU WILL KNOW BY MONDAY: Scott Ratliff ? The junior does things you would expect from a long-stick midfielder, leading the team in ground balls (79) and caused turnovers (34). But he also is a key part of a diverse Greyhounds offense with 12 goals (fifth on the team) and seven assists. A Tewaaraton nominee, Ratliff scored the winning goal in overtime to beat Denver in the ECAC semifinals and was named tournament MVP in the process. He is second in the nation in scoring among long-pole players.

WELCOME HOME: All-ECAC junior Davis Butts, a 2009 All-Scholastic at Walpole, starts in the midfield and is fourth in scoring (19-13-32) and tied for fifth in ground balls (38); sophomore D Pete Bowes also hails from Walpole, while junior Josh Hawkins (5-2-7) of Amherst is a solid short-stick defensive midfielder who missed the first four games with a back injury.

COACH?S CORNER: Charley Toomey ? In his seventh season at the helm of the Greyhounds, Toomey has a 61-37 career record and this season was named ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time. Toomey was the goalkeeper in 1990 when the Greyhounds made one of their two previous appearances in the national semifinals.

CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST: In a classic battle of top offense vs. top defense, the Greyhounds will rely on Ratliff, Hawkins and sophomore Pat Laconi to get the transition game going and prevent Notre Dame?s defense from setting up. Once settled, the left-handed Lusby (45-16-61) will team with Sawyer, Butts and sophomore Justin Ward (team-high 30 assists) as they look to move the ball quickly against the Irish?s close defense and test Notre Dame?s outstanding goalie John Kemp. The Greyhounds could use another monster game from senior J.P. Dalton, who won 17-of-22 faceoffs in the quarterfinals.

THE ROAD TO FOXBORO: The Fighting Irish were poised to be the No. 1 seed in the NCAAs before being stunned by St. John?s in the semifinals of the inaugural Big East tournament. But they shook that off with one of their most decisive wins of the season against Yale in the opening round, getting 12 saves from John Kemp as well as three goals and two assists from sophomore Jim Marlatt. The Irish then broke open an 8-8 game with four straight goals in the fourth quarter to oust defending champion Virginia, as Kemp made 14 saves and Max Pfeifer scored three goals.

STUD: John Kemp ? A starter each of the last two seasons, Kemp has consistently established himself among the nation?s top goalkeepers. Now a junior and a Tewaaraton nominee, Kemp?s 6.22 GAA and .636 save percentage are the best in the nation. Only once this season has Kemp allowed double-digits in goals, with Virginia cracking the mark on a pair of desperation tallies in the final two minutes last Sunday. He is the third straight All-America goalie for the Irish, earning honorable mention in 2011.

PLAYER YOU WILL KNOW BY MONDAY: Kevin Randall ? Kemp?s job is made easier by having great defensive play in front of him, and Randall is the best of that bunch. The senior was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and has teamed with junior Matt Miller and sophomore Stephen O?Hara to help hold five opponents to five or fewer goals so far in 2012. Look for him to be matched against either Sawyer or Lusby.

WELCOME HOME: Junior Quinn Cully, a 2009 All-Scholastic who helped Duxbury to four straight state titles, plays in the defensive midfield and scored his lone career goal against Penn State; assistant coach Gerry Byrne played at UMass (1986) and coordinates the nation?s stingiest defense (6.27 GAA).

COACH?S CORNER: Kevin Corrigan ? In his 24th season in South Bend, the second-longest active tenure in Division 1, Corrigan has a 230-108 career record with ND (240-123 in 26 seasons overall) and has led the Irish to seven straight NCAA appearances (17 overall). He is a six-time league coach of the year honoree, including his first in the Big East in 2012.

CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST: With four of the top 16 defensive teams in the nation here, there is no team better at 6-on-6 play than the Fighting Irish. Having Kemp as the last line of defense is a big advantage, and ND also has the midfield depth to wear teams down. While the balanced offense has clicked in the last two games, Marlatt is the top scorer with only 30 points, so ND probably doesn?t want to get into a shootout with the potent Greyhounds. One thing to watch: The Irish draw few penalties and have the nation?s best man-down defense (30-of-34), but need to be wary of a Loyola extra-man unit that is fifth in the nation (24-of-50, .480).

No. 3 DUKE vs. MARYLAND

TIME: Tomorrow, 5 p.m.

CHANNEL: ESPN2

THE ROAD TO FOXBORO: The Blue Devils stumbled a bit to a 3-3 start that included road losses to each of the other Final Four teams, then became one of the hottest teams in the nation in winning 12 of their last 13. Seniors Justin Turri, Robert Rotanz and sophomore Christian Walsh each scored three times in the opening-round win against Syracuse, and the Blue Devils used a 13-goal burst to overcome a 4-2 first-quarter deficit in an eventual blowout of Colgate in last Sunday?s quarterfinal.

STUD: C.J. Costabile ? The lasting memory is of the long-stick midfielder cleanly winning a faceoff and dashing in for the quick overtime goal that gave Duke its national championship win against Notre Dame two years ago. But the senior from New Fairfield, Conn., and Tewaaraton finalist does much more for Duke. He is one of the best in the nation in ground balls (136), winning 15 against Colgate, and his move to the faceoff ?X? (winning 14-of-20) completely turned the momentum in Duke?s favor. Costabile also is a regular member of the Devils defense and a trigger of the transition offense.

PLAYER YOU WILL KNOW BY MONDAY: Robert Rotanz ? The midfielder from Westport, Conn., has broken out during his senior season, and particularly during the tournament. Following up his three-goal effort against Syracuse, Rotanz had a career-best five goals and an assist against Colgate, giving him 38-8-46 totals this season. Rotanz teams with Turri and junior Jake Tripucka to give the Blue Devils one of the best midfield lines in the country.

WELCOME HOME: Junior David Lawson (Westford Middlesex School) leads the second midfield unit and has 14-6-20 totals, with a career-high four goals vs. Virginia; junior M Henry Meyer (Newton/Belmont Hill) has played in four games; senior G Christopher Shannon (Andover/Phillips), a former football long snapper, played in two games (3 saves, 2 GA); assistant coach Chris Gabrielli played at UMass (2001).

COACH?S CORNER: John Danowski ? Since taking over the program in the wake of the 2006 scandal, Danowski has led the Blue Devils to the Final Four in each of his six seasons, matching the record set by Syracuse?s John Desko for the start of a tenure. A veteran of 30 seasons overall with previous stops at C.W. Post and Hofstra, Danowski?s 314-162 career mark puts him third among active Div. 1 coaches all time in wins and one of just six ever to reach 300.

CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST: The Devils have the depth and balance on offense to overwhelm teams from all parts of the field, with sophomore attackmen Walsh, Josh Dionne and Jordan Wolf all cracking the 30-goal barrier. Wolf (team-high 30 assists) and Rotanz are the keys to the high-low game, and they were held goal-less (with five combined assists) in the two previous meetings with Maryland. Not surprisingly, Duke will look for a big game out of Costabile and control tempo, and also not get frustrated by Maryland?s slow-down tactics ? the Devils are one of the worst teams in the nation in man-down defense (41-of-74, .554).

THE ROAD TO FOXBORO: After graduating large pieces of last year?s NCAA finalist, Maryland had an up-and-down regular season, never winning more than three in a row. The Terps rose off the mat by scoring the final three goals in the NCAA opening-round win at Lehigh, the last by senior Joe Cummings with six seconds left as they held possession for the final 4:46 of the game. Maryland then dominated possession again (more than 40 minutes) to overwhelm Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals behind three goals from senior Drew Snider.

STUD: Jesse Bernhardt ? The junior long-stick midfielder and captain was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, leading the Terps with 56 ground balls and 32 caused turnovers. Bernhardt, along with an improving close defense of sophomores Michael Ehrhardt and Brian Cooper with freshman Goran Murray, will be a key part of the Terps? game plan against a potentially lethal and deep Duke midfield. Bernhardt also plays the wing on faceoffs.

PLAYER YOU WILL KNOW BY MONDAY: Niko Amato ? His overall numbers were a bit down during his sophomore season (7.35 GAA, .543 save pct.), but the Terps are hoping Amato will continue to be a prime-time player in the NCAAs. Amato was at his best last May, particularly in a 13-save effort against Duke in last year?s semifinal round. He also had 14 saves in the home win against Duke in March.

WELCOME HOME: John Tillman coached at Harvard from 2008-10 before taking over the Terps last season, while assistant Kevin Warne also was on the Crimson staff; senior Michael Shakespeare (Walpole Governor?s Academy) runs with the second midfield unit and is fourth on the team in goals (18-2-20)

COACH?S CORNER: John Tillman ? In just his second season with the program, the 42-year-old Tillman has led the Terps to the Final Four both times as an unseeded team. He is 24-10 at Maryland, and 44-29 overall in five seasons. Tillman is 4-4 in his career against Duke.

CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST: The Terps are at their best when they are controlling possession, winning ground balls and limiting the opposing team?s chances ? Hopkins? 16 shots were the second-fewest ever in an NCAA tournament game. They also were called for 12 stall warnings against Hopkins, but their offense is patient and efficient. A lot of pressure will be on junior Curtis Holmes (50 percent on faceoffs) to hold his own at the ?X? against Duke?s Costabile, and Maryland will want to get out to a decent lead, as it did in the home win against Duke on March 3 (5-1 after one quarter), in order to get the game on its terms.

south dakota state long beach state beasley trailblazers michael beasley jermaine jones hbo luck