2015 NCAA Lacrosse: Defending champ Duke earns No. 5 Seed, will host Ohio State

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

DURHAM, N.C. – The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils begin play as the No. 5 seed in the upcoming 2015 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament, and will host the 14th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Koskinen Stadium on Saturday.

The reigning two-time champion Blue Devils are making their 19th appearance in the Tournament, holding a 32-15 all-time record in NCAA postseason play.

Duke hasn’t lost a game in the month of May since May 26, 2012 when it fell to Maryland, 16-10, in the NCAA semifinals.

Duke is 8-3 as the No. 5 seed and captured the 2010 NCAA title, it’s first ever, as the fifth seed.

Duke will face off against Ohio State for the second time in NCAA postseason play, and for the first time since a 2008 NCAA quarterfinal matchup in Ithaca, N.Y.

The Blue Devils defeated the Buckeyes 21-10 back then and lead the overall series between the two teams by a 7-2 margin.

Duke finished its regular season with a 12-5 overall record and advanced to the ACC Championship game before losing to top-ranked and the NCAA Tournament’s No. 2 seed Syracuse, 15-14.

Ohio State enters postseason play with an 11-6 resume, coming off a recent 13-6 loss to Johns Hopkins in the inaugural Big 10 Championship game played on Sunday.

The winner will move on to the second round of play that will take place at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Co. on Sat., May 16 to face the winner of third-ranked and No. 4 seed Denver and ninth-ranked Brown.

Notes: Duke stayed in game shape to prepare for the postseason by playing Boston University on Sunday. Powered by Justin Guterding’s four-goal performance, the Blue Devils beat the Terriers 13-7…Sunday’s upcoming NCAA Tournament matchup will not be the first time this season that the two teams have played on the same field this season. Ohio State traveled to Durham back in early February to scrimmage with the Blue Devils – the first time the two teams had ever done so.