Monday Snitch: World Cup Recap Part III
Welcome back. In case you missed it, or if you need a refresher, check out part 1 here, or part 2 here. We continue where we left off.
Photo by Tim Adkins
The Lost Boys (Lomita, CA): Overachieved. I don't think another team has elicited such a wide range of narratives and opinions over the course of a single year. At the start of the year, these guys were an unknown. A nice idea in theory: a community team that came together with a more results-oriented philosophy than others. When they struggled initially, they were somewhat written off as a good idea in essence, but ultimately a casualty of the community team model, where players are not as close together and practices cannot occur as frequently. A surprising second-place finish at Western Cup IV thrust the Lost Boys back into the spotlight as a team that could be a serious contender at the World Cup. However, the collective opinion about them then swung the other way (in large part encouraged by the team),where many stated that they were overreacting to one strong tournament. By the time of World Cup VI, the Lost Boys were recognized as a strong team, but their performance was still surprising. I think few expected them to top the University of Maryland (College Park, MD) to win Pool 11, although a close game was expected. In the end, the Lost Boys beat Maryland 90*-40 and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight. While outside of their victory over Maryland, all of the Lost Boys' wins could have been predicted: they beat New York University (New York, NY) and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA). The margins of those contests were somewhat surprising: 160*-70 over NYU, and 130*-20 over USC. Furthermore, the team nearly advanced to the Final Four, but they fell to Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) in the Elite Eight 230*-210.
Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA): Achieved. LSU went 3-1 in pool play before being eliminated by the University of Texas Austin (Austin, TX) in the Sweet Sixteen. LSU's lone loss of pool play was closer than the score indicates, a 150*-60 defeat to the University of Miami. Outside of that, they looked strong in Pool 12, with two dominant wins and a solid 100*-40 victory over Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ). LSU also turned in a strong win over Ball State University (Muncie, IN) in the Round of 32. There certainly is no shame in being knocked out by Texas, but outside of that loss, LSU handled themselves nicely over the weekend.
Loyola University (Chicago, IL): Achieved. Loyola falls into the “lucky to be here” category. They finished 0-4 against one of the toughest pools, but managed to keep Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY), who advanced in the bracket, within snitch range 90*-70. Outside of that one match though, Loyola found it tough to do much. Still, for a team that a month prior to the Cup would not have made it, they did fine. Nothing shocking for Loyola.
Macaulay Honors College (New York, NY): Achieved. There isn't much to say about Macaulay's performance. They were beaten thrice by three better teams: the University of Maryland (College Park, MD), the Lost Boys (Lomita, CA), and the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR), and they earned their lone win over a team they should have beaten: Illinois State University (Normal, IL) 110-30*. The loss to Maryland though was perhaps closer than expected: 140*-50.
Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI): Underachieved. When the pools were released, many, myself included, told Marquette they should start sending thank you notes. Instead of going 4-0 in dominant fashion as predicted, this squad limped to a 2-2 pool-play record with losses to Florida State (Tallahassee, FL) (110*-80) and University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON) (110*-50). A narrow 70*-60 victory over Boston Riot (Boston, MA) saved Marquette from total humiliation, allowing them to advance to the bracket as the 25th seed, narrowly missing the play-in games. On the second day, Marquette fared better, but could not overcome their low seed, falling in the Round of 32 to regional rival University of Kansas 120*-70. Marquette's seeker play, which they relied upon earlier in the year, including in their Midwestern Regional Championship, failed them in this tournament, as they managed just one grab in five games.
Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI): Achieved. Michigan State took care of its business. Nominally they were the Pot 2 team in Pool 7, but it's not surprising to see them go 4-0 and top their group. Texas State University (San Marcos, TX) was a bit of a wildcard as the other contender; nonetheless, a 110*-60 victory for Michigan State is a strong win. Likewise, MSU's 100*-50 win over Q.C. Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) was impressive. In bracket play, Michigan State handled University of Rochester (Rochester, NY) 100*-50 before being knocked out by a University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) squad that was roughly equal in ability. That match was close, with Kansas ultimately winning 120*-60. Michigan State certainly accomplished everything that could have been expected of them, and in reality, this weekend they fulfilled the highest possible expectations they had. Still, I can't say they overachieved since they really didn't pull off anything unexpected of them.
New York University (New York, NY): Achieved. NYU only had one of their contests decided within snitch range, a 120*-110 loss to the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI). Many predicted that one of the most exciting games of Saturday would be NYU's showdown with Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD), which would likely determine the final bracket slot in Pool 3. That was exactly what happened, and NYU won 200*-130. I would have liked to see them be more competitive within bracket play, but losing to the Lost Boys (Lomita, CA) 160*-70 is nothing to be ashamed of. NYU was certainly on the higher-end of their achievement scale, but ultimately the only notable match they played was their win over Hopkins, and that was only minimally surprising, and even then, the surprise was the margin.
Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ): Overachieved. Northern Arizona surprised many by advancing to the Elite Eight, led by outstanding seeking from Porter Marsh, who went 8-8 in the tournament. NAU's Saturday was relatively strong as they went 3-1, with all three victories coming at the hand of Marsh. Ultimately, NAU topped Pool 6 and earned the 12th seed, facing off against Western Regional rival Silicon Valley Skrewts (Mountain View, CA). Two snitch catches later, and NAU had an overtime win and was onto the Sweet Sixteen against the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR). NAU captured that match 70*-50 before falling 150-50* to Baylor University (Waco, TX). Although NAU came out of nowhere to reach the Elite Eight, none of their victories were particularly shocking. Behind Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI), who NAU lost to 110-70*, Pool 6 was largely thought to be up for grabs. While nobody predicted Marquette's shaky 2-2 pool performance, NAU can't take credit for one of the two victories, even though they were the primary benefactor of all of the chaos. NAU's win over the Skrewts may not have been initially predicted, but certainly an overtime victory isn't shocking. Similarly, a win over Arkansas would not have been unpredicted. No single outcome makes NAU's run unbelievable, but collectively the thought that a team which earned the fifth seed at Western Cup IV and lost in the semifinals could advance to the Elite Eight at the World Cup is remarkable.