No Look Scoober is now joining Skydnet, the community of blogs on Skydmagazine.com. I appreciate everyone who has followed me on here for the past 3 months. I’m excited to be joining Skyd, and hope to bring better coverage than I gave here.
From now on you can find me here…
I’m going to wait to comment on the outcome of the final rankings until everything else gets sorted out. There are several teams appealing to some of their games being invalidated. We should have the final bid allocation by tomorrow. I know some teams and conferences have to be kicking themselves. Gotta get that roster validated people!
If you’re a Division III team, you have quite the choice to make this year for Regionals. Most of you will probably qualify at least for the DIII regionals, but many of you will have the option of accepting a bid to face D1 competition. This is going to create quite the stir for the DI crowd, as they will be waiting on your decision to see if they can qualify.
First, here’s how the process works, and I’ll use the Atlantic Coast Conference as an example. Below is the ranking from the previous week, which will be updated today.
| 12 (0) | Virginia | 1805 ( 47) |
AC | VA | 8 – 7 |
| 33 (1) |
Virginia Tech | 1544 (45) |
AC | VA | 19 – 5 |
41 ( 1) |
North Carolina-Wilmington | 1476 (34) |
AC | CAR | 10 – 15 |
| 49 (2) |
Delaware | 1412 (58) |
AC | COL | 11 – 8 |
| 56 (3) |
James Madison | 1378 (53) |
AC | VA | 8 – 5 |
| 67 (6) |
North Carolina | 1315 (46) |
AC | CAR | 13 – 11 |
| 75 (5) |
East Carolina | 1276 (68) |
AC | CAR | 11 – 6 |
| 78 (7) |
Towson | 1259 (64) |
AC | COL | 13 – 9 |
| 97 (1) |
Georgetown | 1195 (79) |
AC | COL | 10 – 9 |
| 101 (n/a) | George Washington | 1183 (n/a) | AC | COL | 4 – 4 |
| 108 (15) |
Clemson | 1173 (41) |
AC | CAR | 12 – 10 |
| 114 (9) |
North Carolina State | 1163 (62) |
AC | CAR | 5 – 15 |
| 120 (13) |
Maryland | 1139 (42) |
AC | COL | 15 – 17 |
| 126 (22) |
South Carolina | 1116 (14) |
AC | CAR | 17 – 11 |
| 131 (23) |
William & Mary | 1105 (14) |
AC | VA | 12 – 7 |
| 147 (6) |
Duke | 1054 (105) |
AC | CAR | 10 – 9 |
| 150 (16) |
Wake Forest | 1043 (48) |
AC | CAR-III | 8 – 13 |
There are 5 open division conferences with automatic bids. CAR, CAR-III, VA, NAC-III, COL. Thus, the top ranked teams from each of those conferences are taken off the list.
CAR- UNCW
CAR-III-Wake Forest
VA-Virginia
COL-Delaware
NAC_III-Richmond
Now, we calculate the conference strength bids, which is the average ranking of the top four teams in each conference. There will be three conference strength bids since there are at least four conferences. We can easily tell here that the 3 D1 Conferences will be getting the bids. Thus, we represent those bids with the highest ranked teams left.
CAR-UNC
VA-Virginia Tech
COL-Towson
Now we have 8 team strength bids to consider. Taking everyone else already accounted for off the list we get…
| 56 (3) |
James Madison | 1378 (53) |
AC | VA | 8 – 5 |
| 75 (5) |
East Carolina | 1276 (68) |
AC | CAR | 11 – 6 |
| 97 (1) |
Georgetown | 1195 (79) |
AC | COL | 10 – 9 |
| 101 (n/a) | George Washington | 1183 (n/a) | AC | COL | 4 – 4 |
| 108 (15) |
Clemson | 1173 (41) |
AC | CAR | 12 – 10 |
| 114 (9) |
North Carolina State | 1163 (62) |
AC | CAR | 5 – 15 |
| 120 (13) |
Maryland | 1139 (42) |
AC | COL | 15 – 17 |
| 126 (22) |
South Carolina | 1116 (14) |
AC | CAR | 17 – 11 |
| 131 (23) |
William & Mary | 1105 (14) |
AC | VA | 12 – 7 |
| 147 (6) |
Duke | 1054 (105) |
AC | CAR | 10 – 9 |
We simply then take the next 9 teams on the ranking list and apply those bids to their respective conferences…
This gives us the bid allocation below, with the 16 available bids represented by the team who got them.
| VA-3 | CAR-6 | COL-5 | NAC-III-1 | CAR-III-1 |
| UVA | UNCW | Delaware | Richmond | Wake Forest |
| VT | UNC | Towson | ||
| JMU | ECU | Georgetown | ||
| Clemson | George Washington | |||
| NCSU | ||||
| USC |
This leaves W&M as the odd D-I team out, with automatic bids going to Richmond and Wake Forest. However, with W&M being the next team in line to receive a strength bid, should Richmond or Wake Forest decline their D-I bid, we get the conference wait-list to be like this.
| 131 (23) |
William & Mary | 1105 (14) |
AC | VA | 12 – 7 |
| 147 (6) |
Duke | 1054 (105) |
AC | CAR | 10 – 9 |
| 178 (24) |
Davidson | 936 (36) |
AC | CAR-III | 8 – 5 |
| 184 (22) |
Elon | 920 (55) |
AC | CAR-III | 9 – 10 |
| 194 (4) |
American | 884 (125) |
AC | COL | 5 – 4 |
| 219 (38) |
Charleston | 807 (20) |
AC | CAR | 6 – 10 |
| 230 (n/a) | Johns Hopkins | 781 (n/a) | AC | COL | 3 – 2 |
| 233 (n/a) | Appalachian State | 763 (n/a) | AC | CAR | 7 – 1 |
| 244 (48) |
Salisbury | 728 (3) |
AC | COL | 4 – 3 |
I’m going to assume that a DI team would never turn down a bid to DI regionals. So if Richmond or Wake Forest turn down their DI Bids, it goes to the conference next in line for a strength bid.
Thus if all the DIII teams turn down their bids, you’d see the VA and CAR conferences get a 4th and 7th team into regionals.
Now becomes the question, what regionals competition does a DIII team choose? There are definitely DIII teams across the country who have a great shot at making it to DI nationals. If I think I have a good chance at making it to DI nationals, I’m going to take that chance. Lets be honest here for the DIII teams in the AC region, they aren’t highly ranked, and aren’t going to beat the top D-1 ranked teams to get in.
However, they do have a chance to make DIII nationals in Buffalo, NY. This would extend the season, and give them a chance on the national stage. Wake Forest, Elon, Davidson, Richmond would all be competitive against each other, and I’m sure it’d be pretty exciting to say that they went to Nationals.
Now I want your take, if you’re a D-III team, tell me what you guys are planning on doing should you have that opportunity. I’d love to hear feedback on this, and any questions on how bids would work out. I’ve been studying those USAU rules on this for about a year now, so hopefully I’m right.
This weekend, Terminus will be taking place in Atlanta, GA. It’s the last big tournament of the year with multiple nationals contenders looking to get some last minute wins to affect bid allocation for their respective regions. Not only will I be looking at just outcome of pool play, but region implications.
http://scores.usaultimate.org/scores/#college-open/tournament/8501
Pool A:
Tufts-A1-North East
Tufts is in dire need of another team strength bid. With Harvard competing with the best of the best, Tufts is the clear number two in the Northeast. They have the best resume out of any of these teams at Terminus, with some strong scores at Prez day and convincing wins at College Southerns. An undefeated showing here would probably secure another bid for the Northeast.
Washington-A2-South Central
Contra had a solid showing at Queen City Tune Up, and a great Midwest Throwdown. A solid young team who seems to be coming out of the woodwork. Also watch for those sweet Jerseys. I expect them to give Tufts a tough game, but I don’t think it will be enough.
Middlebury-A3-North East
The Pranksters had a strong showing early in the season, with their only loss coming to Florida at T-Town Throwdown. I would bet on them to finish second in the pool over Washington U. I don’t think you can discount their previous years national experience this late into a spring season. The Middlebury Tufts game would be the one to watch on Saturday, too bad I won’t be there till Sunday.
Alabama-A4-South East
Alabama has several very talented players in Tim Brady and Zack Moore. They’re biggest disadvantage is their depth, so I wonder how they are going to handle a tough schedule such as this. None the less, expect them to give one of the three top seeds a tough game.
Pool B:
Ohio-B1-Ohio Valley
The Cinderella of the 2011 season so far, made it to College Easterns, and didn’t do half bad. They’re one of the last teams with strength bids, and they’re going to need to hold on to it to make it to nationals. Danny Olson and Mitch Cihon lead the surprising Bearcats this season, who will show if they were able to grow from their Easterns experience. I think they’ll face tough challenges from Stanford and UNCW on Saturday. This day may be more about survival than domination, and I’m not sure they can afford that.
UNCW-B2-Atlantic Coast
The surprising thing is, I’m not sure that UNCW is in need of another bid to nationals for the Atlantic Coast. They dropped the ball early in the season by being inconsistent. They are well coached and take advantage of 1 dimensional teams. With an Atlantic Coast region that isn’t deep, UNCW should end up in semifinals or finals. In a one game situation against UVA, they will have a solid chance of getting to the big show in Boulder.
Stanford-B3-South West
Stanford hasn’t quite seen the success they had in 2009. It looks like they’re going to have a difficult time getting out of one the toughest regions. I would imagine that facing good competition is only going to help them prepare for the series.
Williams-B4-North East
Williams finds themselves in the middle of the pack at this tournament. I don’t think they’ll be able to take down UNCW or Ohio, but could give Stanford a game.
Emory – B5 – South East
Unfortunately I think Emory is relegated to the bottom of the barrel at this tournament. Sweet Jerseys though.
Pool C:
Ohio State-C1-Ohio Valley
Phil Cherosky is the motor that keeps Leadbelly running. His play style reminds me of Stephen Presley from 2009 nationals, with a constant handler cuts. They, like Ohio, are in need of preserving the second bid to nationals. If things hold seed, they’ll be meeting their regional rival in the semis. This isn’t good for either team, as they want wins out of region. Central Florida hasn’t really been tested too much, so I’m curious how this pool is going to work out. Either way, they’re going to be in contention on Sunday.
Central Florida – C2- South East
This team has to come out and dominate if they have hope at reaching Nationals. Florida is going to take the first bid, and without a second bid there’s little hope. I don’t think they’re capable of winning big, but they could upset Ohio State for first in the pool. I hope to get a chance to watch them on Sunday because I haven’t been able to see them all season.
Georgia Tech-C3-South East
Nick Lance is the player that gives Georgia Tech a chance in each game. Andrew Fish, Ben Hogan, and Sean Balla are the Tribe’s supporting cast. They haven’t been at full strength since ACC’s early in the season. Georgia Tech has further to go in the rankings, so it’s going to be even tougher for them to gain that big for the South East. They would definitely be in the hunt for the second bid if it appears.
George Washington – C4-Atlantic Coast
An unknown, but a team that has been at the top of the former Metro East region. Be interesting to see what they have in them for this weekend.
MIT – C5 – North East
I played this team once and I asked the dude who was guarding me if he was an astro physicist. He said yes.
Pool D or Pool of Death:
Illinois – D1 – Great Lakes
Illinois has been hyped as a good team all season, but hasn’t gone out to play the top tiered teams. Without a second bid, they may miss out with Michigan playing like a top 5 team. A team I’ll have my eye on during bracket play.
Dartmouth-D2- North East
With the amount of North East teams here, if they were all to do well, you could feasibly see them stealing a team strength bid. While I don’t think that’s going to happen, it’s going to be difficult for Dartmouth to grab a team strength bid. The Georgia-Dartmouth game should be another interesting Saturday game. They could easily finish fourth in this pool if they aren’t ready for the tough schedule.
Georgia-D3-South East
Georgia still has talent to compete, but I haven’t seen them put it together this season. They’re in the same boat as the other south eastern teams, and most likely will be fighting for the game to go.
North Carolina -D4-Atlantic Coast
This is a team that has young talent. If Noah Saul is back, this team should have a chance to do some damage this tournament. Christian Johnson could be the FOTY in the AC region, and Tristan Green looks like a young Alex Hill. Thomas SayreMccord is the big deep threat. The thing that is holding them back is valuing the disc. Drops have killed them in previous tournaments, and will be the reason for any losses this time around.
Oberlin – D5 – Ohio Valley
Atlanta has nice weather, check out Jim and Nix BBQ.
Predictions:
Pool Winners: Tufts, Ohio, UCF, Illinois
See you on Sunday.
Terminus Preview to come tonight. Got some Easterns Sunday coverage for you. Just got the invite for DIII nationals, am very pumped.
I wasn’t taking notes this weekend, but focusing on tweeting scores and taking video when I got the chance. As a result, this coverage is going to be a lot more opinionated than factual. If you’re looking for more of a game review, head on over to Easterns.org.
Quarterfinals:
Here is some quarterfinals footage for your pleasure.
Pitt-Colorado:
Pitt came out firing in this game and went up 2-0 quickly. They also broke out of half to make the game 9-7 and essentially trade from that point on. Their offensive defense was quite impressive towards the end of the game, essentially securing the win late, 15-13.
Colorado is impressive with their tenacity on defense. It’s hard to say what else separates them from the other teams, but they do seem to have a bunch of go-to guys. Jimmy Mickle has monster backhand hucks that were seen throughout the weekend. Timmy Beatty has good moves from the handler spot. It was an underachieving Saturday for this squad, but they have nothing to hang their heads on in losing to Pitt.
Pitt grinded this game out very well. They looked like they were in control, and one step ahead of Colorado. This is the type of thing you expect from the upper echelon of teams. Playing with composure, taking care of business, a workmen like effort. More to come on them.
Michigan-Oregon:
Unfortunately, Oregon has not been able to put together an entire tournament this year. Starting with Prez Day, where they dropped out late due to travel, and Stanford, where they let Harvard come back huge, they could not protect an 8-5 lead. Oregon last year ran like clockwork when they were on, but made a ton of unnecessary mistakes when they were the least bit out of sync. I just wonder if they have a gunslinging attitude. The pieces seem to be there, but I wonder if they have the consistency to go deeper than quarters at nationals.
I found people not expecting Michigan to do well, while I had predicted them at least making quarters (Yes, tooting my own horn, I also had Minnesota so I was very wrong on that account). I was fortunate to see how they reacted at Queen City Tune Up. I didn’t think they would do well because of how amazing their offense or defense was, but that they just are just the essence of what any team should be. They trust each other, they don’t blow up when things go bad, and they keep chugging along. I think because they lack flash, that people don’t end up rooting for them. I think they’re going to make quarters at Nationals, and depending on their match-up have a great chance to make semis. How can you bet against a team that was a point away from facing Florida in the semis last year, and brings that tradition and experience.
CUT-Harvard:
Harvard played up and down to opponents all weekend. I think their lack of depth won’t hurt them at nationals, because of the timing of games. George Stubbs should be the Callahan award winner this year. I think he has everything anyone is looking for. Class, Skill, and seems to be a great teammate. I was more impressed of how he played with his teammates, rather than being a risk taker who just hucks it from anywhere. Harvard has guys that can hang with anyone, and if Andrew Vogt can get back in time for Regionals, the ceiling is going to be a little higher for this crew. Can’t wait to see what they look like in Boulder.
CUT is a machine. An offensive machine that will roll you if you can’t keep up with their 7th man. It’s that saying, you’re only as good as the worst guy on the field. Well, CUT is that, they will beat you with anyone available. Their depth is incredible, and I love watching the flow they generate on offense. Defensively, they haven’t seemed to force turns as much as the other teams. One of favorites to win it all for sure.
Florida Wisconsin:
Florida is quite the case study. I enjoy watching this team because everyone plays a distinct role so well. It’s as if they’re running a basketball model for frisbee. One person is the point guard, one is the power forward, etc. Cole Sullivan delivers hucks and breaks from anywhere on the field, Alex Hill has an incredible flick huck, and the list goes on.
I remember hearing about Florida back when my frisbee world involved just Buffalo. The stories about how they were a bunch of ogres just all going deep. That isn’t the case. They maximize the deep game because it’s so hard to go 70 yards in ultimate. They train specifically to play with shorter rotations, people that have high retention rates, and to be incredibly skilled with the disc. I think it’s frustrating for other teams, because they beat you with a “simpler” style. The fact of the matter is, they train to be able to hang with anyone on D, catch, and throw better than the other guys. I think the way you stay with these guys is respect their breaks, their throws, and make them go 70 as much as possible. Colorado seems to have had success by just sticking with them man on man, beat them to the disc., but we’ll have to wait for Nationals to see if people can beat this formula.
Wisconsin can beat any team at any time. However, I question their ability to dominate a tournament. They have a good assortment of players, Ben Feldman, Dayu Liu, and many others. I just don’t see much variation out of them in terms of strategy. If they execute well, they’re going to win. This is one of the teams that benefits from a strong region. For them, Sunday at Regionals should be like a preview of nationals. They’ll have the chance to polish their game, and come out strong. I still put them in the 5-10 crowd, with a lesser chance to go deeper in the tournament.
Semi Finals:
Pitt Michigan:
Michigan unfortunately took themselves out of this game early. With Pitt leading 8-3 at half, there was a very small chance of a come back. Michigan wasn’t connecting early on, and dropped a pull right before half. The final score might have been closer due to Pitt cruising on offense, but I focused on the CUT Florida game.
Florida CUT:
A very offensive game, with Florida getting the lead early in the second half. Cole Sullivan received his second PMF after a dangerous layout and was ejected. With Florida up by 2, CUT was able to get back into the game. However, a scoring controversy had the official score being 12-10 at the end, rather than 11-11. CUT had a chance, if they were to score quickly enough to beat hard cap, but Florida scored the last point.
Florida definitely has CUT’s number right now. They take CUT out of their game and find ways to get breaks. With these two teams likely getting the number 1 and 2 seeds, it’s possible that we’ll see a national final like this again. I think that CUT just has to play their game, play hard man D, and fluid offense. With the way they have dominated the rest of the college landscape, they really have to game plan for one team. I don’t think they’re going to look past anyone, but no one has been able to challenge them this year besides rival Wisconsin and Florida.
Title Game: Florida Pitt
I said on Breaker’s Delight that I think Pittsburgh is the most talented team in the nation. They have so many play makers on offense in Alex Thorne, Eddie Peters, Chris Brenenborg, Tyler Degirolamo and they’re defense is right up there, if not number one. That being said, they don’t seem to get up for games until it’s clear that it is crunch time. Maybe they relaxed a bit with Cole Sullivan being out for the first half. I’m not sure, but for whatever the reason, I didn’t see them play as hard as they could until it was 13-10 Florida.
After Florida took the lead 13-10, I commented to a friend that it might be game over. They were up two breaks, and were a few hucks away from ending it quickly. Pitt scored to make it 13-11, and then it was as if a beast was awoken. They seemed incredibly hungry, denying resets to Florida, and getting far more D opportunities. The game went from average paced, to very exciting within a few minutes. Pitt would tie up at 13’s.
Florida would catch a break when Lenberger would come seemingly out of no where to lay out for an over thrown huck. Pittsburgh would tie it up to set up one of the most dramatic endings I’ve ever been witness to.
Alex Hill hucks it around the light pole, disc tipped by Cole Sullivan into Nathan Sage’s hands. One more pass for the win, and Florida is on top of the College Ultimate scene.
What this means for the nationals landscape
I wanted to do a piece on the “four horsemen”, but I really see 5 title contenders at the moment with their respective strengths
The crowd that could play the underdog role well, and get deep into the tournament is…
Unfortunately with no chance to see UBC play, I can’t give you much on them. Florida and Pitt seem to have the most pure talent at the top, while CUT has the most depth by far. Colorado has some great defense, and just needs to find ways to be more consistent.
I like making predictions, even though I know I’m going to be wrong. This is how I have nationals playing out.
Pre Quarters Mentions: Virginia, Oregon (there will be more, but too tough to tell)
Quarters: Florida, CUT, Pittsburgh, Colorado, UBC, Harvard, Michigan, Wisconsin
Semi-Finals: Florida vs. Colorado, Pittsburgh vs. CUT
Finals: Pittsburgh vs. Colorado
2011 Champion: Pittsburgh
I don’t think that Colorado is the second best team, but I think they benefit from the match-ups within the tournament. UBC is the other team to watch, and could easily replace one of those four. I picked Pittsburgh way back in early Fall/Summer, and I’m going to stick with that.
I know I’m late to the game on coverage, but that’s just how this works for me. I’ve got 6 weeks left at working 60 hours a week, once I go down to 40 I’ll be able to update things faster. Would love for comments or questions from anyone!
I have to say that I had a blast at Easterns working with Greg Vassar and Jonathan Neeley. Check out the videos and coverage over at Easterns.org.
Pool Play Saturday:
Pool A:
Not much to see here, everything went according to plan except for Cornell and California. Cornell showed that while they aren’t in the league of contenders, that they should be able to take some lower level teams at Nationals this year. You cannot discount the experience that their younger players will gain, setting them up to be better next year.
Pool B:
I had Minnesota making the quarters, thinking that they may have just had a bad start to the season. They did take Harvard to Universe, and unfortunately was on the receiving end of a tough call. The video below shows that after a tipped disc, a Harvard player does not reestablish himself in bounds before catching the disc ( to come later tonight). Eventually George Stubbs would go up the line to take the game, that video is currently below. Minnesota would lose big to UNCW and be ousted from the championship round.
Harvard has a shorter roster, and likes to play a lot of close games. When it comes down to it, George Stubbs can usually be found with the disc. I like their experience, and they also have good coaching that keeps them level headed. They were within 1 late in the game against Pitt, but couldn’t convert on the goal line. This was the only challenge Pitt had in pool play.
Pool C:
Georgia would be the odd man out in the pool where the top 3 seeds all beat each other. Michigan started the day with a HUGE upset, 13-7 over Colorado. Colorado gave away the game with crucial fundamental errors, throwaways, and dropped passes. Michigan is an incredibly solid team, where players play in their roles very well. Michigan would go on to lose to Wisconsin in a closely contested 14-12 loss. Colorado would start to regain momentum towards the end of the day, grinding out a 14-13 victory over Wisconsin. Jimmy Mickle had an odd play to tie it up at 13’s late in the game. After a D, the disc ended up rolling on the ground towards the Wisconsin end zone. Mickle picked it up, and was able to put himself in power position to send a huck down field. Colorado converted, which led to the final point. Watch Footage Below
Pool D:
The main story here is the match-up of Florida Oregon. The game was very close early on, with Florida taking an 8-6 halftime lead. I left the sideline to watch other games, figuring I could come back for it. By the time I made it back it was 12-7 Florida. Every other game played out to seed. Ohio looked like they are in need of a bit more experience. It was certainly a challenge for them to play consistently against top level teams. They will definitely benefit from the experience, but just need to focus on getting to nationals.
Cross Overs:
With the exception of two cross overs, the games went pretty much as expected. Harvard Iowa was incredibly close, with Harvard pulling out a 16-15 win. George Stubbs had a layout grab to preserve possession which you can see below.
Colorado pulled out a win against UVA 11-9 to survive their roller coaster Saturday. UVA was down 7-4, and roared back to take half 8-7. They had chances to score, but Matty Zimmel made the defensive play of the weekend. From there Colorado would break, and score downwind on the ensuing possession to get the win.
Sunday Coverage to be up soon!
This weekend, the biggest tournament remaining on the regular season schedule takes place in Wilmington, NC. 14 of the participating teams attended nationals last year, with the only 2 that did not qualify being Virginia and Ohio. I will be teaming up with Jonathan Neeley from Inside Breaks to provide tweets of scores, player interviews, game summaries, and maybe even some live coverage.
Neeley has been providing some great history pieces over at Easterns.org. I suggest you check it out, as there are several pieces about the unknown aspects of teams.
Check out the pools.
http://scores.usaultimate.org/scores/#college-open/tournament/8265
I have to say that this seems like an extremely well seeded tournament. With the stiff competition, it’s going to be important for the top seeds to win quickly and easily or I think we’re going to start seeing some upsets.
Showcase Games:
Iowa vs. Harvard:
We’ll get to see George Stubbs and Red Line battle it out against Iowa’s Gleasons Army. Stubbs has to be the front runner for Callahan, and gives a Harvard a shot in any game. I haven’t seen either team this year, but I think my attention is going to be devoted to the Colorado vs.Carleton
Carleton vs. Colorado:
This is the game to pay attention to Friday night. It might be possible that Colorado and Carelton see each other 3 times this weekend, showcase, cross over, and championship bracket. I have been excited about Colorado after seeing their sophomore laden team at nationals last year. Colorado was my pick way back in the summer, along with Pitt to make it the finals of the college championship. Mamabird should have ample opportunities to beat CUT. I will be recording play off of stopped disc, and uploading it as close as I can get to real time. I will be testing out some QIK capability on my phone to see if I can get some live action.
Pool Play:
Pool A:
Carleton:
I don’t think CUT is going to have a difficult time going through Pool A. Virginia certainly has the talent to hang with them for spurts, but I don’t think they’ll have the metal to go the distance.
Virginia:
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for Virginia. These guys play very well as a team, and it’s a treat to watch their offense when it’s flowing. They space their cutters very well, and seem to have a plethora of options. 5th year left Matt King will be leading the charge at a tournament I think Virginia has the opportunity to do very well at. They will have to survive the game against a strong California team, playing against Andrew “Less no Hagen, More” Hagen. I think they’ll take second in the pool and will probably have to settle for a tough cross over game at the end of the day.
California:
Don’t know much about these guys except that Hagen is a beast and another player to watch at this tournament. If Sam Kanner is in fact able to play, then you can’t count UGMO out of any game. Another team fighting for their lives at the end of Saturday.
Cornell:
The Seattle Seahawks of the Metro East, Cornell is looking to prove some of the doubters wrong. These guys still have talent left on this team with Neil Butler, Alex Kadesh and many others. I don’t think they’re going to have much luck on Saturday, but I think they can at least give UVA and California a game.
Pool B:
Pittsburgh:
These guys had their backs against the wall at the Stanford Invite in the quarters against UBC and in the semis against Colorado, both times rallying to victory. They didn’t have enough in them to pull out the Trifecta, losing 15-7 to Carleton in the finals. If these guys didn’t have to go through the #3 and #4 teams in the country before facing the #1, I think you would have seen a different game. If they can take care of business Saturday, I think we could see some monster games on Sunday.
Harvard:
I already mentioned that George Stubbs is the man who makes the Red Line run, but it’s going to be a big deal with Andrew Vogt (who is questionable with a wrist injury) can’t go for Harvard. Vogt is an excellent handler who allows Stubbs to be dominant as a cutter. Depending on conditions, I could see Harvard getting upset by Minnesota requiring them to go through a two seed in the cross over game.
Minnesota:
Grey Duck has a strong juniors presence on their team, with Josh Klane being their big pickup. I’ll be interested to see how the youth gels with the experience in this last big tournament before Regionals. Grey Duck had some impressive wins in the fall, but failed to continue that streak in their early spring tournaments. They have a big win over Iowa in the finals of Mardi Gras, and should be giving it their all to try and nab a 4th bid for the North Central.
UNCW:
Wilmington had a slow start to the spring season with lackluster results at Warm Up and Easterns Qualifier, but were able to put up some good wins in a round robin involving UVA, Michigan, and Georgia that is not on score reporter. Unless UNCW plans on just gunning for the top spot in the ACC, now is their time to get a second bid for that region. Based on previous results, it’s going to be a struggle to make it to quarters, let alone the cross over.
Pool C:
Colorado:
Colorado could get a few tests in pool play, but I doubt there will be any upsets. Wisconsin is young an athletic and will definitely put up a fight. I don’t think Michigan or Georgia will be able to get too close to them. Thus I think we’ll set our sights for the likely 2nd match-up of the weekend against Carleton in the cross over.
Wisconsin:
Wisconsin is one of the two seeds at this tournament along with Florida that has the capability to upset any team. They are very passionate and athletic, and play a high risk, high reward game. They use physical man defense to produce turnovers, and try to capitalize by sending deep hucks on any opportunity. Hector Valdivia helps control the stream of emotions at the coaching position, ensuring that the high energy doesn’t act as a detriment. The Hodags use their conditioning to their advantage, attempting to the run the other teams in the ground.
Michigan:
Michigan had an impressive showing at Queen City Tune Up in the high winds, avoiding some upsets with timely veteran play. Yoni Rafael is the man to watch when the offense needs a guaranteed cut. They have a plethora of solid playmakers, and often times some of the young guys like Jesse Brauner end up coming through in the clutch. Ollie Honderd provides stable handler play, and brings some experience from junior worlds. At times, it can be easy to overlook Michigan in this mess, but I like the experience they bring into big games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them upset a couple of teams to make it into quarters on Sunday morning.
Georgia:
Jojah is one of the most confusing teams so far in this college season. They often play down to the lower teams, but raise their game when playing the big dogs. Matt Bailey is a player to watch, along with Michael Slade, and Elliot Erickson who had junior worlds experience. I don’t expect too much of Georgia, but they were impressive at the round robin in Charlotte. It’s going to be hard to get a second bid for the South East region, and this one of the last chances to get it.
Pool D:
Oregon:
Oregon lost several players last year, but have successfully retooled their roster. Dylan Freechild, Cody Bjorkland, and Josh Wardle lead the way for EGO this season. They had a disappointing loss against Harvard after being up big, late in the game. They are definitely right back in the national title hunt, and have a great chance to go deep in this tournament. The Florida game will be the most hyped pool play match-up, and could decide who is fighting for their lives on Saturday.
Florida:
Florida is another team that was expected to drop off after losing Brodie Smith last year. The system is still the same, and most of the time it works. They won’t be unstoppable at this tournament, but I’m not going to count them out of any game they play. They are one of the teams that has the power to be a bracket buster, especially if they run into Carleton. Carleton hasn’t had trouble beating all of the other teams, but Florida seems to have their number.
Iowa:
This is a huge tournament for Iowa, as they would love a 4th bid to nationals. So far the other three teams have the leg up on Iowa, which means they could be the odd man out in May.
Ohio:
Ohio is the new kid on the block at this tournament, and the only team besides Virginia that didn’t attend nationals last year. I would love to say that they’ll be some upsets on Saturday by them, but each game is going to be tough. They have club experience from top to bottom, and won’t be intimidated by anyone. Besides, Pitt, they are number two in their region at the moment. I’m sure they would still like to maintain a bid cushion, and any big losses would hurt their region.
Predictions:
Pool A:
Both me and Zack Smith have this pool going to seed. Kanner is out with an achilles for this tournament, making it less likely for an upset.
Pool B:
With Harvard not at full Strength, Pitt is going to take first.
Zack Smith: I have a gut feeling that Minnesota is going to be the odd man out, and UNCW is going to take third.
Bryan Jones: I think Minnesota can upset a Harvard squad without Vogt, and can take second in the pool. Harvard will survive taking third.
Pool C:
Zack Smith: This tournament is seeded well, I don’t want to call many upsets. This pool will also go to seed.
Bryan Jones: I’m going to be a little more bold, and I like Michigan’s chances against Wisconsin. I think it won’t matter except for cross over match-ups because I have Georgia getting 4th.
Pool D:
Bryan Jones: I have Iowa as the odd man out here, with Ohio pulling out the upset. Otherwise, Oregon will most likely take the pool. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised with Florida winning the pool.
Zack Smith: Oregon, Florida, and Ohio are going to advance.
Cross Overs:
We have the same one seeds, so we’re going to ignore those games as they’re inconsequential except for bracket placement.
Bryan Jones: I have Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, and Minnesota into the quarters.
Zack Smith: Virginia, Wisconsin, Harvard and Florida are going to advance to the quarters.
Look for tweets from no_look_scoober, and video coverage posted on easterns.org!
I will be at Easterns this weekend, and have am doing some preparation with Neeley over at Easterns.org. I will be doing my own separate preview and predictions either tonight or tomorrow. I’m especially excited to team up with Neeley, and provide some in depth highlights of the show case game. Look for me to be uploading videos during the game and maybe even broadcasting the last few points live.
The days were beautiful, and for the first time in years, Buffalo has gotten a break when traveling south. Most of the time we’ve run into cold spells and rain, but the weather in Leland, NC was beautiful.
The first day was tough for my Green Eggs and Ham. We weren’t able to execute properly for the majority of points, and our throws were extremely rusty. In the first game against Elon, who we had beaten twice at Spring Ultimax, we went down early. They were much better prepared for our dynamic duo at defensive handler, and our offense wasn’t running smoothly. Without 5th year player David Ferraro, our younger cutters were forced to step up. The defense rallied, giving us several breaks to put us back in control and take half.
Unfortunately, the consistent effort wasn’t there like it had been in the previous tournament at ECU. We ended up falling to Elon 14-12, and then American in a pretty lack luster game, 12-7. We were certainly not in the right state of mind, nor confident, going into the game against UMass.
UMass had a tall and fast lineup that we couldn’t compete with. Frankly, we were able to to stay in games earlier in the day due to mistakes by the opposing teams. UMass just didn’t make those mistakes, and we were quickly sent packing 15-5. It was a frustrating day for all of us, and we were left wondering how we could rebound from such a poor performance.
Thankfully, we had Sunday. It was time to forget about the previous days events, and find a way to grind out some victories. Grind we did. After being down early in a game against Swarthmore, we rallied to tie it up at 11’s. Unfortunately, we were broken immediately after wards and soft cap horn blew. With the game to 14, our team showed incredible poise. The offense converted, giving the disc back to our strength. The D-Line was heavily relied on all weekend, including an incredible effort by John Bain and Zack Smith to play the majority of points. We never looked back, winning the game 14-13 on Universe, to give us our first win of the weekend.
The Kenyon game was the most memorable of the weekend, but not for necessarily good reasons. They are a very solid team, similar to UMass, with good depth and height. They also keep their spirits up with lots of cheers. Even when we scored, they immediately retorted with a cheer of their own. Our players were able to use that as motivation, and continued to fight throughout the whole game.
The Serfs took the lead early, and didn’t look bad for much of the game. It didn’t stop us from contesting cuts, and fighting for the disc. We battled pretty hard, and the game was starting to become chippy. Emotions ran hot with physical play, with the observer stepping in for a moment, although cooler minds prevailed. While we ended up losing 15-9, we fought hard and didn’t give up.
The last pool play game against Salisbury was a barn burner and another grind. Early on, nothing seemed like it was going right for us. Throws were off, dropped passes, bad defense, led to a huge 12-5 lead for the Buzz. Just when it looked like we were going to be heading to spring break a game early, players started to step up. After chipping away at the lead to get the game to 14-12, Buffalo would take control. Mitch Steiner took over the game on the defensive side, snagging opposing deep passes out of the air. He would go deep on the next possession to bring the game within one.
A Salisbury receiver had an opportunity to bring down a huck that would have been for the win, but it was just out of reach. After tying the game at 14’s, we had a unexpected performance by Mitch Wheeler. Mitch can usually be found launching forehand hucks or hammers as our main offensive handler, but he found a new element to his game. The element of surprise may have been the reason for success, but none the less Wheeler was able to take his man deep twice and bring down Zack Smith’s deep shots for the win, 16-14.
We would go on to win the final game 11-9, to go 3-1 on Sunday. There were large amount of turnovers by both teams, which led to the game finishing after the championship. We were certainly enthused to win the final game, to go into spring break on a high note. I recommend trying out Casey’s BBQ if you’re ever in Wilmington, its worth the wait.
If there’s one thing our team has to work on, it’s mental focus. When we are confident that we can beat a team, there is a tendency to want to save our effort for later games. This is something that came back to bite us on Saturday, and nearly lost 2 games for us on Sunday. Each game is an entirely new challenge, where we have to prove to ourselves and everyone else that we can beat our opponent.
In terms of the running of the tournament and UOA’s rules, things went pretty smoothly. The silent stall count was as good as the reviews from the previous UOA tournament. It’s still ultimate, and the silence doesn’t change much about the game. Some team’s sidelines chose to count out loud when the stall would get high, and it created a pretty cool atmosphere. The defense would actually begin to clamp down, hearing the countdown like a shot clock. I think the opposing team counting led to a defensive advantage, and allowed us to get several stall calls. Recognizing the pick call as a thrower is a little awkward at times, but players got used to it pretty quickly. Players seemed like they were The whistles added a degree of professionalism to the game as well as speeding up play. The only unfortunate thing is dealing with the training of new observers at times, but that will come up occasionally. I’ve played, coached, and observed at UOA tournaments, and have enjoyed every one.
No Look Scoober 