The Hoyas were already warming up on Duke’s Koskinen field.

There had been reports that several Blue Devils were implicated in a scandal, that a team party had spiraled out of control. But preliminary reports were sketchy and local TV news is often wrong.

Georgetown Head Coach Dave Urick heard about it on the Friday evening news, but didn’t think too much of it.

“The night before the game, I was in my hotel room and there was a lot on the TV news about them and what was going on,” Urick said. “I thought to myself that we might not play this game. It was kind of a passing thought.”

The Hoyas nevertheless arrived at the field the next morning and began going through the usual pregame routine. At first, it was just another afternoon, another chance to square off against a top 10 team.

“We arrived at the field, and guys went into the locker room and started to change and other guys went out onto the field and started to shoot the ball around a little bit without pads on and stuff,” Urick said. “And then I saw [former Duke Head Coach] Mike [Pressler] come over with his athletic director.”

That’s when Georgetown found out. Because of what had allegedly taken place at the already infamous party almost two weeks prior, the university was canceling that day’s game and the following Tuesday’s contest against Mount St. ary’s.

As anyone who turned on the news or clicked on to the Internet would soon find out, the charges against three Duke lacrosse players were far more serious than anyone could have imagined. Sexual assault. Rape.

The rest of the season was cancelled. Less than a year removed from the NCAA title game, there would be no postseason for the Blue Devils.

Saturday will mark the 365th day that has passed since last year’s cancellation. Rape charges have been dropped, but sexual assault counts stand – at least for now. One of the accused, David Evans, has graduated, and two others, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, have left the university. Pressler is now the coach at Bryant University in Rhode Island. And most importantly, the team is back on the field.

“The lacrosse world is better because Duke people have decided to allow this program to continue,” Urick said.

In just a short amount of time, the Blue Devils have gone a long way to restoring an image that may never be fully repaired.

“Obviously those young men are being tightly scrutinized at this point,” Urick said. “They’ve responded in a very positive way. Their grade point average has reached an all-time high level there; they’ve done a lot of community service; they’ve done all the right things to put the program in the most positive light it could possibly be in.”

Duke has been equally impressive on the field. The Blue Devils began the season ranked sixth in the nation, and after defeating Dartmouth and Denver to kick off the season, climbed to No. 2. A blowout of St. Joseph’s then propelled Duke to the top spot in the polls. In just four weeks, the Blue Devils had gone from the nation’s biggest question mark to its best team.

A close loss to Loyola dropped Duke to No. 4, and a defeat against Cornell on Tuesday gave the Blue Devils their second loss. But entering Saturday, Duke is still recognized as one of the country’s strongest squads. That’s hardly a surprise to Urick.

“They arguably have the best player in the country in Matt Danowski, [the son of Head Coach John Danowski], and Zach Greer is not that far behind him,” Urick said. “And they’ve got defensive people, like Nick O’Hara and Casey Carroll. They’ve got some really talented players.”

A year later, and the Duke lacrosse case is still pending. A dark cloud, however much it has slowly drifted away, still casts a shadow on the Durham community. The Georgetown students that turn out for tomorrow’s game are more likely to know the names of three players that will not suit up than of anyone who will.

For Urick, the past year has been a chance to teach his team a lesson – to instill in the Hoyas a sense of urgency.

“I think [the Duke players] come to the field every day now with an increased appreciation of what the game means, what it means to them collectively and individually,” Urick said. “I think that’s something that everybody can learn from. I tell our guys a lot `Don’t take things for granted. Don’t assume too much.'”

Still, as much as it is discussed on TV and written about in newspapers, when the whistle blows tomorrow and the opening face-off is taken, the whole back story will stop for a moment. Last year’s events will have no bearing on what takes place between the lines.

For the players, for both Duke and Georgetown, it will be a lacrosse game, and just a lacrosse game.

“This Duke game has always been a measuring stick,” Urick said. “It’s a rivalry – there’s no doubt about it,” Urick said. “It’s a game that our guys look forward to, and I’m sure they do too.”

– Staff Writer Doug Hance contributed to this report.