This coming weekend celebrates the game’s greatest stage, the NCAA Final Four. Record crowds, tailgates, and the sport’s best talent will highlight the weekend. Here is a look at the two Division I match-ups. #3 Syracuse vs. Virginia Syracuse Leading Scorers- Mike Leveille (43 goals, 30 assists), Kenny Nims (31 g, 24 a), Steven Brooks (27 g, 11 a), and Dan Hardy (22 g, 13 a). Goalie- John Galloway- 54% Save Percentage. Top Defenseman- Sid Smith Top Freshman- Joel White (Long-stick Midfielder) Behind The Scenes MVP- Matt Abbott (Team Leader in ground balls, 10 g, 8 a). Advantage for SU-Overall midfield is deeper and more talented. SU also has a distinct advantage at the faceoff X with fifth-year senior Danny Brennan (tops in the nation). Keys To The Game- Transition goals off of the saves John Galloway makes. SU needs to limit penalties, as UVa has a deadly extra-man unit. Limit UVa’s attack to fewer than seven goals total. Virginia Leading Scorers- Danny Glading (27 goals, 34 assists), Garrett Billings (34 g, 25 a), Ben Rubeor (38 g, 13 a), and Brian Carroll (27 g, 8 a). Goalie- Bud Petit 54% Save Percentage Top Defenseman- Ken Clausen Top Freshman- Shamel Bratton Behind The Scenes MVP- Will Barrow (Top-3 short-stick defensive midfielder in DI, 5 g, 3 a). Advantage for UVa- UVa’s attack unit has the edge against the SU close defense. In the last meeting, Ben Rubeor was injured and saw limited action. UVa has the mental edge, beating SU the last five times the two teams have met. Keys To The Game- UVa needs to play strong off-ball defense (Orange are crafty offensive off-ball players) and force Mike Leveille not to be the initiator of the Orange offense. The Clausen vs. Leveille match-up will prove to be critical. If UVa can go at least 45% on faceoffs, that would be considered a win in that department. Prediction: Syracuse wins 15-13. The Orange have lethal inside and outside shooters, which makes them a nightmare for UVa to defend. Goaltending in this match-up is a wash, however, Brennan’s ability to win faceoffs gives the Orange a serious advantage. This is one of the smarter SU teams; therefore, they can use the extra possessions to put pressure on Bud Petit. #5 Hopkins vs. #1 Duke Hopkins Leading Scorers- Paul Rabil (29 goals, 12 assists), Kevin Huntley (28 g, 8 a), Steven Boyle (16 g, 14 a), and Stephen Peyser (19 g, 8 a). Goalie- Michael Gvozden 59 % Save Percentage. Top Defenseman- Matt Bocklet (broke Hopkins’ record for groundballs in a season by a defenseman). Top Freshman- Kyle Wharton (extra man specialist, left-handed cannon) Behind The Scenes MVP- Kevin Huntley (when the lefty senior scores in bunches, the Hopkins offense is clicking). Advantage for Hopkins- Stephen Peyser adds another dimension to the faceoff, as he is instant offense after the draw. 1-2 punch of Rabil and Peyser at the midfield gives match-up problems for Duke (Duke will send two poles up top). Hopkins will develop a defensive game plan that gives Danowski, Greer, and Quinzani a different look from the past meeting. Coach Peitramala and Dwan are the best defensive game planning coaches in DI. Keys To The Game- Do not fall behind early. If Hopkins stays in this game into the second half they can pull off the upset. If Duke goes on a roll early and plays with confidence, they will think less about prior Final Four losses to the Blue Jays. The Blue Jay attack needs to score when Duke slides early to Rabil and Peyser. Gvozden needs to make more than 16 saves for Hopkins to win. Duke Leading Scorers- Matt Danowski (39 goals, 55 assists), Zack Greer (64 g, 27 a), Max Quinzani (59 g, 8 a), and Ned Crotty (17 g, 17 a). Goalie- Dan Loftus 63% Save Percentage. Top Defenseman-Nick O’Hara Top Freshman- Mike Manley (Defense) Behind The Scenes MVP- Ned Crotty. Crotty is an incredible offensive talent, attracting long-pole attention most games from the midfield. Outside of Danowski, he is the best ball carrier on the team. He is outstanding at inverting from the midfield and is equally effective as a scorer and set-up man. Advantage for Duke- Not rocket science here…..Duke has the most explosive offense maybe since the Syracuse team of 1990. In past NCAA match-ups, Hopkins was able to game plan against the dynamic duo of Danowski and Greer. The 2008 version is a nightmare to defend when you throw 59-goal scorer Max Quinzani in the mix. In ’07 he was filling a role, in ’08 he became the second-leading goal scorer in the country. Not bad for option #3 at the attack. The one position that Hopkins has the advantage is at the midfield. The first line advantage goes to the Blue Jays, however, Duke has developed depth at that position towards the later stages of the season with the emergence of Steve Schoeffel (19 goals). Keys To The Game- Big play early by Quinzani. If the sophomore is a factor early, that will force Hopkins to play the attack unit of Duke straight up. Goalie Dan Loftus did not play well in the NCAA final last season against JHU. He will need to save more than 50% of the shots on goal. Duke should try to keep Rabil and Peyser on the field as much as possible to wear them down. Prediction: If any team in the tournament field has the ability to shutdown Duke, it is Hopkins. As experienced as Duke is, the Hopkins senior class has two rings and plays in front of the biggest crowds week in and week out. The last meeting between these squads was a blowout, with the Blue Devils winning 17-6. Expect a game that goes into the second half, with Duke eventually pulling away with a four-goal victory. Final score, Duke 13-9.