If You're Watching

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP
Virginia vs. Duke
Klockner Stadium, Charlottesville.
Today, 3:30 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet, approx. 4 p.m. (after Wizards post-game show)
Records: Cavaliers 12-2, Blue Devils 14-1.
Tickets: $13 reserved, $10 general admission, $8 youth.
What to Watch If You're a Casual Fan
Duke attacks from all angles and all situations. They remind me of the Nebraska football teams in the mid-1990s that could score on offense, defense and special teams.

As Virginia Insider Dave Curry wrote before the regular-season meeting, Duke has a number of ball-hawking defensemen. To wit: freshman D Parker McKee (#35) made a crucial play when he forced a loose ball with North Carolina holding possession on an extra-man situation at the end of the first quarter. (The play forced a faceoff, won by Duke, to start the second quarter; had UNC held possession there would not have been a faceoff and it would have started with the ball.) McKee finished with nine groundballs against UNC.

What to watch: Young Player
See above. McKee (53 groundballs) fits right in with fifth-year seniors Tony McDevitt (#44, 40 GBs) and Nick O'Hara (#77, 69 GBs) in terms of forcing, and controlling, loose balls. Duke's pressure defense keys its up-tempo style. See how many times the longsticks are involved in Duke's fast-break goals. One other thing to watch: ACC Freshman of the year Mike Manley (#37) did not play against UNC Virginia in the semifinals. (UPDATE: He did play in the title game. We didn't why Manley didn't play on Friday, only that it was not an injury.)

What to Watch: Ardent Fan
See how many players Duke uses on offense. Senior MF Bo Carrington (5 goals) is likely out for the year with an injury. Against UNC, the second midfield was Michael Young (5 goals, 3 assists), Zach Howell (9, 4) and Mike Catalino (9, 4). Catalino is the best in transition; Howell, a converted attackman, is the best shooter.

But we didn't see a third midfield from Duke until the very, very late stages of its 17-6 win over the Tar Heels. If the second midfield is not producing, it puts a really high premium on the starting midfield (Brad Ross, Ned Crotty and Steve Schoeffel).

For Virginia, Curry believes it has more players who can run past defenders than does Duke. See if UVa attacks Duke's shortsticks, though fifth-year senior Michael Ward (#9) is one of the best SSDMs in the nation. UVa's offense has been banged up; in particular, Ben Rubeor (#6), Brian Carroll (#36) and Danny Glading (#9) have missed practice time. See how they react to Duke's pressure defense. Do they look uncomfortable when facing numerous checks and pressure far from the goal?

Glading played an important role against Maryland. He occupied Maryland's Joe Cinosky, meaning he took Cinosky behind the goal and away from slide opportunities. Will they try the same thing today?

Also, watch what tempo UVa plays. I think Virginia is much deeper than Duke, but playing an open game is usually not smart against Duke. fwiw the forecast is not calling for warm weather.

By Christian Swezey |  April 27, 2008; 9:10 AM ET  | Category:  CSI: Lax
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