The NCAA season is a week away, so here are my 10 predictions for the season.
Notre Dame, Syracuse, Cornell and Princeton. Forgive me for my conservative take, but I truly believe these teams will separate themselves from the pack and will all end up at Memorial Day weekend. For a more in-depth analysis on each team, check out the full team previews below:
Is it possible that a Duke offense can get more consistent in an era without Brennan O’Neill?
In 2024, Duke’s assisted goal rate was 52.7%, compared to the 2024 final four teams below.
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These numbers make sense, meaning sometimes Duke would live and die on the unassisted goal, which ties to a lot of the conversation around O’Neill. If the offense was doing well, it’s because O’Neill was playing well, beating his matchup, and hitting his shots. If the offense was bad, O'Neill's lack of involvement dominated storylines.
So for the first time in four years, it feels like Duke doesn’t have a certified superstar on their roster. And perhaps this is a good thing for Duke.
I think in 2025 we could see a more consistent (and efficient) offense that focuses on drawing slides and moving the ball quickly rather than thinking O'Neill or someone else needs to be superman and take the game over. Read Duke's full 2025 preview below:
#3: ben wayer will be a tewaaraton finalist
The last pole to be a Tewaaraton finalist was Matt Landis in 2016. Ben Wayer could snap that drought.
A difference maker on both sides of the field, the Tewaaraton race will still feature a lot of attackmen, but Wayer could make a case to be a finalist with another strong season.
Johnston has the highest potential of any midfielder I've seen in a long time. He just looks different out there. The way he shoots the ball both with his feet set and on the move is just different. And this was as a freshman in 2024. I've already mentioned I think Duke's offense will be more efficient in 2025, and Johnston will be a massive reason why.
One of my spicier takes, I'm just not seeing it this year with the Cavaliers. I know it's probably silly to count out a Lars Tiffany led squad, but on paper, the offense isn't going to be near where it was in years past. McCabe Millon will likely be a star, but there seems to be too little secondary support beyond that. The defense and middle of the field will be solid, but in a tough ACC, there's a legitimate chance UVA misses out on a tournament bid. Read UVA's full season preview below:
Last year, only one Ivy League team made the NCAA tournament, and that was conference winner Princeton. I think the Ivy League will have Cornell, Princeton and Yale make the tournament this year, as well as Harvard as one of my dark horse teams to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Read the full previews below
Army is the consensus favorite to win the Patriot League in 2025, but I'm very high on the Raiders this season. They return practically everyone, and boast a pair of All-American candidates on offense in Rory Conner and Hunter Drouin while LSM Max Yates is a Preseason Third Team All-American.
Colgate lost 18-17 to Boston University in the Patriot League quarterfinals last season, and I think this is the season they put it all together.
While they lost to Notre Dame in the first round in 2024, I came away super impressed with Albany. In fact, there's an argument that they gave the Fighting Irish their toughest matchup in the whole tournament.
Attackman Silas Richmond is one of the best attackers in the nation, and plenty of young guys got experience last year like attackman Ryan Doherty, midfielders Daniel Kesselring and Jackson Palumb, and goalie Landon Whitney.
Now, instead of giving a top team a scare in the first round, they have the talent and depth to win their first round matchup.
CJ Kirst or Chris Kavanagh are the top two candidates to win the Tewaaraton, I'm going to take a contrarian approach and say King walks away with the award.
Posting a balanced 38 goals and 35 assists in 2024, King could elevate those numbers in an improved Crimson offense. The undersized righty always seems to get to his right hand and cashes in on his opportunities, shooting 32.9% for his career. He's most dangerous when attacking from X, where he can curl topside and finish up the hash or use a question mark move on the left side, and is just so fun to watch.
My other finalists include Kirst, Kavanagh, Wayer and UNC sophomore Owen Duffy.
I'm hedging. I tweeted on October 15, 2024 that Cornell would win it all, but I'm still very bullish on Princeton.
Cornell has one of the best attack lines in the nation. This is the reason I've so high on the Big Red.
But Princeton's isn't too shabby itself with Coulter Mackesy, Nate Kabiri and Colin Burns.
The midfielder returns Chad Palumbo, Sean Cameron and Tucker Wade, and with the addition of top freshman Peter Buonanno, this Tiger offense is scary good.
Is 2025 the Year of the Ivy? It just might be.
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Adam Lamberti : Nov 30, 2024 3:19:28 PM
After graduating significant talent and facing questions about their identity on both sides of the ball, Duke is in what many consider a "down year".
Adam Lamberti : Nov 7, 2024 8:04:06 AM
The NCAA season is starting up in less than three months! I’m hoping to publish one college team preview per week leading up to the start of the...
Adam Lamberti : Dec 6, 2024 9:43:28 AM
This feels like the year the Syracuse faithful have been waiting for. After a disappointing loss in the NCAA quarterfinals to Denver last season,...
