Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
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Final
Men's Lacrosse
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vs Georgetown
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Photo by: Duke Athletics
A Battle Between No. 1 and No. 2 Awaits Thursday
3/29/2021 9:26:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
What You Need to Know
Duke – UNC by the Numbers
22 – Assists needed for Michael Sowers to break Pat Spencer's NCAA career assists mark of 231
.402 – Duke's shot percentage in 2021, the best in the nation
6 – Points Nakeie Montgomery needs to join the 100-point club at Duke
18.38 – North Carolina's scoring average, the best in the country
17.00 – Duke's scoring average, second behind UNC
8.67 – Duke's goals allowed per game average, second in the ACC and 10th nationally
6.62 – Points per game for UNC attackman Chris Gray, second highest in the country
5.56 – Points per game average for Michael Sowers, 11th nationally
What Gives?
Naso Stellar at the X
- Duke is 9-0, its best start through eight games since the 2005 squad started 11-0. The Blue Devils jumped back to No. 1 in the polls following a thrilling 15-14 win over No. 4 Syracuse last Thursday. Duke and North Carolina have been trading off the top ranking all year as both head into Thursday night's game undefeated.
- Duke once again had a balanced offensive effort against Syracuse with nine different players scoring. Michael Sowers had three goals and three assists, while Brennan O'Neill had three tallies. Duke held the Orange without a goal in the final 7:10, including with a man down in the final minute to secure the victory.
- Thursday's matchup will be the first time in the history of the Duke - UNC rivalry where the teams will be ranked Nos. 1 and 2. The Blue Devils were No. 1 in 2008 and the Tar Heels were No. 3. North Carolina has been the top ranked team five times in the game with the most recent being in the 2013 ACC Semifinal contest.
- After Duke won 13 of 15 games from 2007-13, the rivalry is an even 3-3 since 2014. North Carolina last won in Durham in 2016, a 17-16 overtime shootout.
- The matchup between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels pits the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 scoring offenses against each other. North Carolina is No. 1 at 18.38 goals per game, while Duke is second at 17.00. Chris Gray for UNC is second in the nation in scoring average (6.62/gm), while Michael Sowers for Duke is 11th (5.56/gm).
- When Duke and North Carolina meet Thursday, it will be the 111th time the Blue Devils have played a top 10 opponent since 2007. Duke is 69-41 in the games and Duke is 42-17 when ranked higher.
- Duke and North Carolina are playing for the 21st time with both programs ranked in the top 10 and for the first time since 2015. Duke is 7-2 when ranked higher. This is the fourth time the Blue Devils and Tar Heels will play as top five opponents and the first time as No. 1 and No. 2.
- Thursday's game will mark just the sixth time in ACC men's lacrosse history that two ACC programs will play when ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the USILA poll since the polls began in 1973. The most recent was in 2015 with No. 1 Notre Dame edging No. 2 North Carolina, 15-14.
| 4/18/2015 | At No. 1 Notre Dame 15, No. 2 North Carolina 14 |
| 3/28/2015 | At No. 2 Notre Dame 13, No. 1 Syracuse 12 (2OT) |
| 4/10/2010 | No. 1 Virginia 7, No. 2 North Carolina 5 (East Rutherford, N.Y.) |
| 3/28/1987 | At No. 2 Maryland 16, No. 1 North Carolina 6 |
| 4/13/1974 | At No. 1 Maryland 25, No. 2 Virginia 13 |
Duke – UNC by the Numbers
22 – Assists needed for Michael Sowers to break Pat Spencer's NCAA career assists mark of 231
.402 – Duke's shot percentage in 2021, the best in the nation
6 – Points Nakeie Montgomery needs to join the 100-point club at Duke
18.38 – North Carolina's scoring average, the best in the country
17.00 – Duke's scoring average, second behind UNC
8.67 – Duke's goals allowed per game average, second in the ACC and 10th nationally
6.62 – Points per game for UNC attackman Chris Gray, second highest in the country
5.56 – Points per game average for Michael Sowers, 11th nationally
What Gives?
- Thursday's game will feature not only two of the nation's scoring offenses, but also top defenses. North Carolina features the country's top offense, averaging 18.38 goals per game, while Duke is allowing just 8.67. The Blue Devils held Syracuse to 14 goals, two below its average coming into the game. The Tar Heels have scored at least 14 goals in every game and twice have eclipsed the 20-goal mark.
- Offensively, Duke is averaging 17.00 goals per game to rank second nationally and has registered at least 15 in all but two contests. On the flip side, North Carolina is allowing only 10.25 goals per game and holding teams to .271 shooting. Duke leads the country with a .402 shooting percentage.
Naso Stellar at the X
- Starting with the Robert Morris game, rookie Jake Naso has been Duke's top draw man. The St. Anthony's product has taken 76 percent (179-of-237) of the team's faceoffs in the past eight games and has won 121 of them for a .672 win percentage. Naso got a break against High Point as Dan O'Connell took the bulk of the draws.
- Naso is the lone freshman to rank in the top 15 in faceoff percentage nationally, while his 121 wins already are among the most by a rookie in Duke lacrosse history. Brendan Fowler won 86 draws (86-of-155) his freshman year, while CJ Costabile went 49-of-91. Other top draw men at Duke - Sam Payton, Kevin Cassese and Scott Bross - earned their stripes later in their careers, making Naso's success at the X all that much more impressive.
- In addition to winning 67 percent of the faceoffs, Naso has 73 ground balls and two goals and two assists. He leads the ACC in ground balls per game (8.11) and is eighth nationally.
Players Mentioned
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