Q&A, Predictions from ESPN Analyst Kessenich
from press release
An audio version of this interview is available on the MediaZone.
Who are the players to watch in this year's
championships?
"Well for Virginia, I think there are two guys on offense...Danny
Glading and Shamel Bratton. Both have the ability to take games
over. For Syracuse, they have tons of offensive talent. Kenny Nims,
Dan Hardy or Matt Abbott would be their key guys. Duke is all about
Ned Crotty. He [Ned] leads the nation in assists. Princeton has a
couple good offensive players as well with Mark Kovler and Jack
McBride."
Teams to watch in this year's tournament...
"About eight or nine teams have shown at one time or another this
year, that they can jump up and play a sensational and superb
lacrosse game. From that standpoint, it appears to be wide open.
Lacrosse has been dominated by a few teams for the last 20 years:
Syracuse, Princeton, Virginia and Johns Hopkins. But this year
during the regular season, you saw some other teams really play
sensational games and show that maybe they should be considered for
a national championship."
Sleeper teams to be aware of...
"Cornell is a team two years ago that made it to the national
semifinals and they have a great senior class. Princeton
certainly has the tradition of excellence in the tournament and a
coach who's won the tournament six times. UMBC has a terrific first
midfield and if UMBC can win some faceoffs, their going to give the
[North Carolina] Tar Heels everything they can handle. "
Key first round matchups...
"I think the best first round matchup may be Navy at Duke. Both
teams are playing really well right now. Navy is 5-1 in their last
six games. They [Navy] made a goalie change after losing a bunch of
one-goal games earlier in the year. They [Navy] seem to be playing
their best lacrosse this year and the same. Duke have won 11
of their last 12 games and is the most improved team in the
country. So that will be a great first round battle."
Final Four predictions...
"I went with Virginia, Princeton, Duke and Syracuse. Virginia
could be the best offensive team in the nation. They [Virginia]
have really struggled on the defensive end in their last three
games. In Princeton, they have a veteran senior class and the
nation's best freshman class with a coach that has won a handful of
titles in Bill Tierney. Duke is playing the best right now. And
then Syracuse, the defending champs, have only lost two games all
year. "
