1Can Johns Hopkins repeat? With many programs fielding stronger and faster squads, capturing back-to-back national championships is becoming as rare as a quality singer on American Idol. It has been almost 10 years since Princeton ruled the lacrosse world, winning its third straight NCAA crown in 1998. But don't sleep on the Blue Jays, who return five of last year's top six scorers, including senior midfielder Paul Rabil. Junior Michael Evans anchors a defense that limited opponents to 7.8 goals a game. It'll be tough, but Johns Hopkins just might be there May 26.
2. Syracuse on the mend -- Off-field incidents and on-field injuries sapped the Orange of the kind of depth the team had come to rely on en route to nine national titles. Last year's 5-8 record was the program's first losing season since 1975 - a mark that the players and coaches will use as motivation. Junior midfielder Pat Perritt is back after leaving midway through last season after his arrest for an off-field incident. Junior defender Sid Smith paced Onondaga Community College to its first junior-college national crown two years ago. The road will be arduous, but no one is overlooking Syracuse.
3. Can Princeton return to the final four? -- The Tigers haven't reached championship weekend since 2004, but coach Bill Tierney isn't lowering his expectations of a national title, which would be the program's first since 2001. A tenacious defense, Tierney's hallmark, is in place to jump-start a hit-or-miss attack. Princeton went 2-3 when the offense scored six goals or fewer last season.
4. Can six teams from Maryland qualify for the tournament again? -- With talented programs dotting the entire country, the competition for the 16 spots in the NCAA tournament will be even greater. That means tougher schedules and a greater statistical chance of losses outweighing wins. We might have to wait a while before we see a repeat of 2007.
5. The ACC reigns -- The Eastern College Athletic Conference is deep, and the Ivy League has the kind of tradition other leagues envy. But only the Atlantic Coast Conference sent all of its teams to the NCAA tournament, and all four earned a seed. (Duke was seeded No. 1, Virginia No. 2, Maryland No. 7 and North Carolina No. 8.) Each conference game has a championship feel to it because of the hostility evoked by each team.
6. No love for Baltimore? -- The NCAA's decision to award the 2009 championships to Boston might have seemed like an insult to the area, which prides itself on its roots in lacrosse. But the move was not unusual. When the NCAA chose to move championship weekend to Philadelphia for 2005 and 2006, the intent was to generate enthusiasm in that area. Not returning to Baltimore might seem unpopular now, but the effects - greater exposure, more appeal to children and adults - could be beneficial for years.
7. Is there a dark-horse candidate? -- Last season, Albany went 14-2 before losing in the NCAA quarterfinals, while Delaware parlayed an 11-5 record into a semifinal appearance. Drexel, which upended 2006 national champion Virginia in last year's season opener, appears to be the early favorite as a sleeper. Colgate earned 11 victories but missed out on a tournament bid. Hofstra could skate past Delaware and Towson for the Colonial Athletic Association title, and Denver could surprise Notre Dame for the Great Western Lacrosse League championship.
8. Lacrosse in January? -- Don't laugh. Every year, opening day gets pushed up earlier and earlier. The first weekend of March used to be the traditional beginning, but then teams started playing the last weekend of February. Navy hosts Virginia Military Institute tomorrow - just six days after the Super Bowl. At this rate, we might be ringing in the New Year with bowl games and lacrosse rivalries.
9. Who will go undefeated? -- In 2005, Johns Hopkins ran the table with a 16-0 record. A year later, Virginia went 17-0. Last season, Cornell was two wins away from matching the Cavaliers' NCAA-record run, as the Big Red lost to Duke, 12-11, in the NCAA tournament semifinals. Considering the wealth of talent busting at the seams at programs such as Hopkins, Virginia and Duke, who's to say another team won't flirt with perfection?
10. Will Matt Danowski win a second Tewaaraton Trophy? -- Only Syracuse's Michael Powell has captured lacrosse's Player of the Year honor twice (in 2002 and 2004), but assuming that Danowski can fully recover from offseason foot surgery, the Duke attackman has the inside track. Other challengers include Johns Hopkins' Rabil, Virginia's Ben Rubeor and Cornell's Max Seibald - all of whom were Tewaaraton finalists. The fifth challenger? Princeton's Alex Hewit, whose sparkling play in the cage should bring goalies more attention than they normally get.