It was only nine months ago that the Duke men’s lacrosse team was celebrating at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, its 2010 national championship trophy being passed from player to player as they soaked in the ecstasy of a first-ever NCAA title.

A lot has changed since that 6-5 victory over Notre Dame.

After starting the season with the nation’s No. 5 ranking in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and a 20-6 blowout of a lowly Siena team, the Blue Devils have fallen on hard times. Their consecutive losses to Notre Dame, 12-7, and Penn, 7-3, have dropped them to No. 19 nationally as they head into tomorrow’s matchup against the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team.

But in spite of Duke’s recent struggles, the No. 3 Terps (2-0) said little has changed in the way they prepare for their ACC rival. The Blue Devils, after all, are the defending national champions.

“They’re still the ones with the rings on their fingers, so you can’t really look at it that way,” long pole Brian Farrell said. “We’ve got to look at it as the next competitor on our schedule.”

Still, these Blue Devils (1-2) have not lived up to the gold standard the team set just a year ago.

Duke lost 17 seniors to graduation, a byproduct of having both fourth-year and fifth-year seniors on the team after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to players affected by the program’s cancellation of the 2006 season amid rape allegations that were later proven false.

Having to replace all that talent — the 17 departed players combined for 268 points last season — has left the Blue Devils in the midst of a rebuilding stage.

“Maybe some of the parts haven’t settled quite in because of the transition from last year to this year,” Terp coach John Tillman said. “They’ve lost guys, but I think other guys have been waiting for their opportunity. Like anybody else — and we’re going to be in a similar position next year — there will be some guys with talent; they just don’t have as much experience. All [coaches] groom players to be ready to step in after the departure of seniors, so they certainly have some guys that are capable.”

While the Blue Devils still have a solid lineup on the defensive side of the ball — they return two starting defenders and goalkeeper Dan Wigrizer — they’re without three attackmen and four midfielders who garnered significant playing time last year.

Replacing attackmen Ned Crotty and Max Quinzani, the first and third overall selections, respectively, in last year’s Major League Lacrosse collegiate draft, has proven especially difficult. The All-American duo was one of the most prolific pairings in college lacrosse history, combining to score 91 goals and dish out 77 assists during their senior years.

Their departures have left Duke struggling on offense this season. Except for their 20-goal outburst against Siena, the Blue Devils have averaged just five goals per game.

“Duke is a team right now searching for an offensive identity. They don’t have the dodgers and playmakers that can really create and give some of their shooters an opportunity,” ESPN lacrosse analyst Paul Carcaterra told The Baltimore Sun. “Putting up three goals against Penn, a team … towards the bottom of the Ivy [League] last year, in a loss, that was pretty shocking to me.”

But heading into tomorrow’s game, the Terps aren’t focusing on what Duke has done so far this year. They’re focusing on what they need to do when they take the field in Durham, N.C., in the two squads’ first league game of the season.

With only three conference games on their schedule, players realize that every ACC win is crucial for seeding in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, adding only more motivation for tomorrow’s matchup against the defending national champion.

“When you talk about any ACC team, that kind of hypes up the game no matter what,” attackman Grant Catalino said. “Every loss counts and every win counts, especially when you talk about making the tournament. So they’re going to be ready to play, and we have to be ready to match their intensity.”

jengelke@umdbk.com