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Jon Brand

  (1:59 PM)

What's up, everyone? We've got Quint Kessenich in the house today - he's been multi-tasking for us here at Inside Lacrosse and it doesn't get any easier for him this weekend. Quint will be at the Navy-Maryland game tonight at 8pm and then head off to NC for the Hopkins-Duke battle tomorrow at 6pm (ESPNU). Be sure to catch those games. Without further ado, here are this week's questions...

Andrew (Roanoke, Va)

i thought AG should have been pulled in the second half against maryland, do you think its too late for Bud Petit to get another shot?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:01 PM)

If you listened to our show I said the same thing. AG needs to take a step back and re-find his fundamentals. Don't be surprised if Bud Petit gets the start this weekend at UNC, espnu 4pm.

Jack in NY

You seeing any Dmen out there this year who are as good as John Glatzel, Ryan Curtis or a John Gagliardi when they played in college? There seem to be some freshman who are making immediate impact on D, White up at Cuse and Manley at Duke. The game seems to have changed even in the last 5 years on how D is played. What are your thoughts

Quint Kessenich

  (2:02 PM)

Defenses are so slide happy these days that schemes can hide very average cover guys. Please don't mention Joel White or Manley in the same sentence with Glatzel, Curtis or Gagliardi yet. The best close defensemen I've seen this year are Jerry Lambe of GT, Joe Cinosfsky of MD, Ken Clausen of VA, Sid Smith of SU and Michael Evans of JHU (but he gets taken out on clears and has less than 10 gbs). I'm am finding fewer and fewer well balanced defenders it seems - guys can do one thing very well but don't have multiple layers to their game.

Dave, Philly

Hey Quint,What do you think of the Drexel Dragons?I feel like they have the 3 essential ingredients to winning a championship- Strong Defense, Amazing Play between the Pipes, and a Strength at the Face-off X. Bickford is one of the top goalies in D1 and thought their offense has struggled a bit this season, they still have CAA play to sort out the kinks. Plus they have played well when they've controlled possession and faced off well.

Quint Kessenich

  (2:04 PM)

You forgot to mention their coach Chris Bates - a rising star in the industry. Drexel is 8-2 with some key CAA games left. Their 2OT win over Hofstra last week was big. Still alot of lacrosse to be played but with their schedule it's safe to say they will need the CAA AQ to make the NCAA tournament.

Bethesda, MD

Help me understand how Notre Dame gets a #8 ranking when they play only one Top Ten team (UNC) and lose and play only one top 20 (Loyola currently at 20) and only win that by one goal. Their SOS is 33!!

Quint Kessenich

  (2:06 PM)

When it's all said and done ND may be 12-1 but with no wins over NCAA tournament teams. The committee will not look at their tourney resume and be impressed. The schedule issue is why Kevin Corrigan has been pushing for a Big East conference in lacrosse which would include Syracuse, GT, ND, Villanova, Providence, St John's and Marquette. Just kidding.

Matt (Worcester, MA)

How do you feel the championship weekend will be received in Foxboro considering Boston is a good distance away from the stadium, and not much else to do around the venue?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:06 PM)

They've already sold 26,000 tickets. I'm staying in Boston and am not excited about sitting in an hour of traffic each day going back-and-forth to the venue. Maybe I'll get an RV and camp out for the weekend. I think year one will be a feeling out process - fans will try to figure out the best way to attack and have fun.

Chris (Upstate NY)

What do you think about Army's chances to make the NCAA tournament and win a first round game?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:07 PM)

Army is 7-2 and play at Bucknell today. They have been a positive surprise, but they have 5 very challenging games ahead - today, next week v. Duke, Navy and Penn - plus the Patriot League tournament. Army is the type of team that has to look at one game at a time. I think they have the talent to snap the 13 game losing streak to Navy this yr.

TheJman (Austin, TX)

Q,You've been the face and voice of lacrosse for a number of years now. First on WBAL and now onto ESPN and the big show. What's sparked the new fashion turnaround? By the way, Barry Melrose wants to know who your tailor is?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:08 PM)

Hockey guys have no sense of style - look at his mullet for proof of that. All of my clothes sense comes from Joe Beninati, the Italian Stallion and my sister Kyle. I'm going to keep it simple this weekend, rather plain, but April 12 at UVA look out. I have a special outfit planned.

Chris, Huntington Woods, MI

What are your final four predictions for D1 and D2 this year?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:11 PM)

Right now - DI Duke, UVA, SU and GT with MD, JHU, Cornell and ND being qtrfinalists.

Stuart (Massapequa, NY)

Do you think this will be a classic JHU Vs. Duke game this weekend or do you think Duke will run away with it as many are predicting. How Long into the game do you think Gvozden will be pulled?Also, who can eat more All American Cheeseburgers, you or Petro?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:17 PM)

The series has been super - but this is the first time JHU has to travel to Durham. The Duke students are planning a 'black-out', they'll be wearing all black shirts. I expect a low scoring game because I think JHU may try to hold the ball some - to prevent Duke from running transition, and to portect their goalie and defense. I can't remember such an 'off' outing by a JHU goaltender - I had practices like that every once in a while. As an ex-wrestler I take pride in my eating abilities but my yogi frowns on over consumption of red meats and fats.

Grant Cat

Whats your take on today's game Quint? I don't think Navy is that talented at all but they play tough.

Quint Kessenich

  (2:19 PM)

Navy is a difficult matchup for MD for a couple of reasons - 1) Not an ACC style team - MD used to freewheeling UVA, Duke and UNC styles. 2) Navy always faces off well. 3) Navy goalie plays on a ridiculously high arc. 4) Navy game falls in between UVA and Hopkins. Can you say sandwich?

Brad (Ridgewood, NJ)

Top 5 goalies in the NCAA today?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:20 PM)

Jordan Burke (Brown), Joey Kemp (ND), Grant Zimmerman (UNC), Drew Adams (PSU) and Alex Hewit (Princeton).

Greg Becker Salamanca Reservation, NY

Quint if there were a ground ball on the field with 15 seconds left and your team was protecting a lead...who would you want to see chargin at it? Great job by the way!

Quint Kessenich

  (2:21 PM)

Jim Veltman

Dave (Ridgewood, NJ)

Prediction time Quint. Do you think Hopkins scrapes together enough of a season to make the NCAAs or do Duke, The Terps and Navy send them packing?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:23 PM)

I think Hopkins makes the NCAA's. I think they have played themselves into a corner and will have a very difficult first round game.

Scoot (Syracuse)

Quint, with the way Galloway is playing, not in your top 5 goalies? Come on, he's the reason were #1.

Quint Kessenich

  (2:29 PM)

Hardly. SU shouldn't be ranked #1 - they won't be the #1 seed when the NCAA tournament is picked on May 4th that's for sure - they may have only played 4 NCAA tournament teams this year (VA, GT, JHU and Cornell) (Meanwhile MD may play 8). SU's improvement is because of Lelan Rogers and the job he has done as defensive coordinator, Sid Smith's addition, conditioning, Danny Brennan winning faceoffs and head, heart and hustle. I like Galloway, he's talented especially in the clearing game, but he's not THE reason for the turnaround.

Lee (Severn, MD)

I really like the Quint-Dixon pieces. Are they friends?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:33 PM)

If you look closely at Dixon this week you will see a cut on his bald head, they went after each other debating whether Brian Farrell or Barney Ehrmann had a better handle. They usually have to be kept in separate areas of the IL office. And Dixon has to be kept away from the food.

Mark (Dobbs Ferry)

What's your prediction for JHU Vs. Duke this weekend?

Quint Kessenich

  (2:35 PM)

I don't like predictions. My job is to announce the game. I think Duke's middies will have to perform if the Blue Devils expect to score 10+ goals. Hopkins needs to get production from Kimmel, Walker, Bryan and Christopher - complimentary players who have been quiet in 2008.

Jon Brand

  (2:37 PM)

Alright guys, Quint's got to run to College Park for the Maryland-Navy game. It's going to be a good one. And look for him tomorrow at the Hop-Duke game. It's a must-win for the Blue Jays. See you all next week and thanks to those who wrote in.