The Daily Snitch--Pool 4
Today's Daily Snitch will look at Pool 4. Any questions about how teams will fare, email editorial@internationalquidditch.org.
Photo by Deanna Edmunds
Teams
No. 7 Emerson College (Boston, MA)
No. 18 University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
No. 31 University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)
No. 42 University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
No. 69 Roadrunner Quidditch (San Antonio, TX)
How They Got Here
No. 7 Emerson qualified for the World Cup when they finished as the runner-up at the North Eastern Regional Championships. After topping their historic pool, which featured Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY), Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY), and Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT), Emerson entered bracket play as the fourth seed. A 190*-0 shutout of Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT) earned Emerson a trip to the World Cup, but they weren't done for that tournament. Victories over their own B-Team, Boston Riot (Boston, MA), 160-60*, and Hofstra University 50*-20 sent Emerson to the finals. Ultimately though, it was crosstown rivals Boston University (Boston, MA) that took home the title, winning 150*-80.
No. 18 USC reached the World Cup by making the semifinals of Western Cup IV. A 3-0 performance in pool play gave USC the fourth seed, and a spot in the quarterfinals. A 140-90* victory over Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ) booked USC's trip to the World Cup. While the Trojans might have been wishing for a regional championship, their hopes were dashed by rivals University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
No. 31 South Florida advanced to the World Cup with a consolation quarterfinal rout of College of Charleston (Charleston, SC), 160*-20. USF finished second in their pool and earned the number three seed, but were upset by the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS) 60*-30 in the quarterfinals. They still earned one of the six World Cup spots allocated to the Southern Region with their win over Charleston.
No. 42 Minnesota went 2-2 in pool play at the Midwestern Regional Championship, and defeated the Crimson Warhawks (Lawrence, KS) in a qualifying match 90*-10 to reach the World Cup. Minnesota, a team that reached the semifinals at World Cup V, could do no more damage at the tournament as they fell to The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) 80*-50 with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
No. 69 Roadrunner Quidditch successfully qualified for the World Cup despite an 0-3 record in pool play that saw them earn the 13-seed entering bracket play at the Southwestern Regional Championship. Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) easily disposed of Roadrunner 170*-30 in the first round of the bracket, but Roadrunner assembled a three-game winning streak to run through the consolation bracket and earn one of 10 Southwestern World Cup slots. A 150*-70 win over Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, LA) avenged a pool-play loss and sent Roadrunner through to the consolation semifinals, where a World Cup berth would be on the line. In that contest, Roadrunner defeated Northern Colorado Golden Griffins (Greeley, CO) 180*-110 before conquering Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK) 200*-140 in the consolation finals.
Outlook
If all of these teams are at full strength, this would be quite the pool to watch. However, USC has been devastated by injuries recently, and are really just a shell of the team they were at the beginning of the season. Keeper August Lührs should return to lead USC after missing Western Cup IV, but the team will still likely be without star chaser Remy Contaser and beater Spencer Gold. With USC, a top-10 team earlier this year, so hampered by injuries, Emerson is the clear favorite in this pool. Emerson may be hampered by their location. Based in Boston, where winter weather is much more of an obstacle than in Los Angeles or Tampa, Emerson has yet to play an official game in 2013. While they were sharp at their last tournament of 2012, the North Eastern Regional Championship--which they made the finals of--they may need to shake off some rust at the World Cup while adapting to a very different climate. South Florida will have no such difficulties. Whereas none of their pool competitors will travel fewer than 1000 miles, USF has the luxury of a measly 75-mile commute. This lack of travel combined with familiarity with the weather could provide a major advantage. As far as gameplay is concerned, South Florida has been a difficult team to read this year. They've played well against the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL), clearly the region's top team, but have also lost to the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL), which carries no shame; and University of Southern Mississippi, a game they simply should not lose. The Southern Region is one of the most isolated regions, with teams rarely traveling to other areas, so it's tough to predict how they will fare in relation to teams from other regions, but my hunch is USF may be overrated. On paper, Minnesota seems like a formidable squad, but that's only if one looks at the name written on the top of the page and nothing else. Yes, Minnesota made the Final Four last year, but this year they've shown no ability to repeat that achievement. They underwhelmed at the Midwestern Regional Championship in November, and rebounded decently at the Spring Breakout before falling to Kansas 90*-40 in the finals. Of course, nobody saw their run last year coming, and a lot of the talent is still there, even though they did not advance very far at the Midwestern Regional Championship. Still, there's something to be said for having the experience of a World Cup run; their leadership will know what needs to be done. Roadrunner Quidditch falls into two categories: they are lucky to be here, but have a very tough pool. Having cut their teeth against the best of the Southwest, Roadrunner is a team that is capable of pulling an upset. Unfortunately for them, they got drawn into a pool where that simply won't be possible. I think that Emerson and USC are both safe to make it through, but I'm really on the fence between USF and Minnesota. In the end, I'm picking Minnesota.I think they have the better experience given their run at the World Cup and the tough squads they've faced in the Midwest, and that should be enough to help them beat an inconsistent team from the Southern Region, despite the local advantages USF possesses.Prediction
Emerson 4-0 (Eliminated in Round of 16)
USC 3-1 (Eliminated in Round of 32)
Minnesota 2-2 (Eliminated in Round of 32)
USF 1-3 (Eliminated in Group)
Roadrunner 0-4 (Eliminated in Group)
Best Games
Emerson def. USC 170*-100
Minnesota def. USF 140*-90
USC def. Minnesota 160*-70
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly mentioned USF losing to Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN) 60*-30. USF won this game 60*-30. This has been corrected. The IQA regrets this error.
