DURHAM, N.C. -- The top-ranked and top-seeded Duke men's lacrosse team will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to play Ohio State on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Face-off is set for 12 noon and the game will be televised by ESPNU. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children and may be purchased online at www.GoDuke.com.

The Blue Devils, who stand at 17-1 and have won nine straight games, defeated Loyola in the opening round this past Saturday in Durham by a 12-7 count. The Buckeyes are 11-5 on the year and upended Cornell in the first round, 15-7.

Duke and Ohio State rank first and third, respectfully, in the nation in scoring offense. The two teams have met seven times, with the Blue Devils holding a 5-2 series advantage.

Senior attackmen Matt Danowski and Zack Greer lead the Duke offense by ranking one-two nationally in scoring. Danowski, who became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer last weekend, paces the country in both total points (91) and assists (53) while Greer leads the nation in goals scored (58) while ranking second in points (80). Duke's defense, a unit that allows 7.00 goals per game, is spearheaded by goalkeeper Dan Loftus, who has 40 career wins to his credit.

The Buckeyes are paced offensively by Kevin Buchanan (70 points) and Joel Dalgarno (69 points). Ohio State averages 13.4 goals per outing and three of its five losses this season came in overtime.

Saturday's pair of quarterfinal games will take place in Annapolis, Md., with second-seeded Virginia taking on seventh-seeded Maryland at 12 noon and fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins meeting Navy at 3:00 p.m. Following the Duke-Ohio State tilt on Sunday in Ithaca, third-seeded Syracuse will face sixth-seeded Notre Dame. This weekend's winners will advance to the national semifinals set for Saturday, May 24 in Foxborough, Mass.

The top seed in the NCAA Tournament, Duke owns an overall record of 17-1 and ranks first in the USILA coaches poll by a unanimous vote ... The Blue Devils are coming off a 12-7 win over Loyola in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

• For the second straight year, Duke ended the regular season with the number one RPI (Rating Percentage Index) and earned the top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• On the strength a two-goal, five-assist effort in Duke's NCAA Tournament first round win over Loyola, Matt Danowski became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer on an assist to Max Quinzani with 15 seconds remaining in the second period ... Danowski now has 347 career points, surpassing the previous national standard of 340 career points held by Air Force's Joe Vasta ... In the victory, Danowski also joined Syracuse's Tim Nelson (1983-84-85), Towson's Bobby Griebe (1974-75) and Cornell's Eamon McEneaney (1975-76) as the only players in NCAA history to have two seasons with 50 or more assists as he now has 53 helpers on the season.

• Matt Danowski needs two goals to become the first player in NCAA history to register three 40-goal, 40- assist campaigns in a career.

• In Duke's 16-9 win over St. John's on May 4, Zack Greer broke former N.C. State standout Stan Cockerton's 28-year old record of 193 goals with his 194th career tally at the 8:44 mark of the third period ... Greer, who now has 199 career goals, joins former Cornell great Mike French as the only two players in NCAA history to register three seasons with 55 or more goals.

• Duke leads the nation in scoring by averaging 15.2 goals per outing, followed by Syracuse (13.9), Ohio State (13.4), Virginia (13.2) and Notre Dame (12.3).

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2008-05-15