The Daily Snitch--Pool 12
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of the IQA.
Today's Daily Snitch will look at Pool 12. Any questions about how teams will fare, email editorial@internationalquidditch.org.
Photo by Deanna Edmunds
Teams
No. 11 University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)
No. 26 Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)
No. 28 Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA)
No. 51 Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
No. 66 University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, MA)
How They Got Here
No. 11 University of Miami reached the World Cup by taking home the Southern Regional Championship. Miami posted a perfect 5-0 record in pool play, with a dominant showing. Every one one of Miami's victories was by more than 100 points; the squad posted 810 points in their five games, and they allowed just 70 points in total. In the quarterfinals, Miami took out the College of Charleston (Charleston, SC) 180*-20. The semifinals produced a 120-40* victory over the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS), setting up a finals showdown against Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville, TN). The finals yielded another transcendent performance from Miami, as they won 120*-0.
No. 26 Arizona State University earned a trip to the World Cup with their performance at Western Cup IV. A 2-1 record in pool play produced the sixth seed and a quarterfinal matchup with San Jose State University (San Jose, CA). A 130-40* victory sent Arizona State to the semifinals, where they were upended by the Lost Boys (Lomita, CA) 60*-50.
No. 28 Louisiana State University reached the World Cup based on their play at the Southwestern Regional Championship. LSU earned the fifth seed in the bracket with a 2-1 record in pool play. In the Round of 16, LSU qualified for the World Cup with a 140*-30 victory over Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, LA). In the quarterfinals, LSU ran into a strong Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) squad who knocked them out, 140-90*.
No. 51 Purdue University qualified for the World Cup with their performance at the Midwestern Regional Championship. Purdue received the seventh seed in the bracket with a 2-1 showing in pool play. Purdue beat Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, MI) in the first round of the bracket to qualify for the World Cup, and then beat University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) 80*-50 to reach the quarterfinals. The defending Division II champion's run was cut short in the quarterfinals with a 120*-20 loss to state rivals Ball State University (Muncie, IN).
No. 66 University of Massachusetts booked their World Cup trip to Kissimmee at the Northeastern Regional Championship. UMass finished 2-2 in pool play, receiving the 14th seed in the bracket. A 70*-30 win over the University of Vermont (Burlington, VT) placed UMass in the Round of 16, where they squared off with Boston University (Boston, MA). UMass could not get by BU, falling into the loser's bracket with a 70-30* loss. In the quarterfinals of that bracket, UMass took out Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY) 80*-40. They still had not yet earned their berth, as they fell to Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY) 40*-20 with a spot on the line. With one more shot to qualify, UMass beat Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY) 120*-40 to earn the spot in their third attempt.
Outlook
This pool was initially pronounced the Pool of Death, and three weeks later, I see no reason to change that assessment. The University of Miami is the favorite to top this group after spending all of 2013 beating up on southern squads. In 2013, Miami is 11-0 with no matches being decided by snitch catches. The fall saw an equally strong Miami performance as they posted a 10-2 record. The only two losses happened on the team's trip to California in October, both to the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), who was a stronger squad then than they are now. On that same trip, Miami picked up their best win of the season over the University of California Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA). With superb seeking from David Moyer, Miami is one of the most well-rounded squads, and they have the ability to pull out of tight games. They also have the intangible benefits of a short journey without a flight, and of being accustomed to the warm weather.Arizona State is a bit of an unknown, having not competed outside of Western Cup IV this spring. ASU looked strong at that tournament, but went 0-2 against the top level competition they faced, falling narrowly to USC and the Lost Boys. I think ASU is safe to advance out of pool play behind the extremely physical keeper Willie Jackson, who competed for Team USA, but I don't see them as a threat to unseat Miami at the top of the group.
LSU rounds out the tremendous trio in pool 12, despite having a down year. Although highly regarded historically, LSU has seemingly fallen out of the upper echelon of the Southwest. Still, they are a solid squad with a 14-1 record against teams ranked outside of the top-10. If you include LSU's games against the University of Texas-Austin (Austin, TX), Texas A&M, and Baylor University (Waco, TX), LSU still possesses a 14-6 record. In addition, LSU should be well-prepared for the physical battles they'll get from ASU and Miami, having previously faced these top-ranked Southwestern squads. The LSU-ASU game should be physical and could end up being one of the best games of the World Cup. I see them as two very evenly matched teams, and I am excited to see the titanic clash that ensues.
Purdue may be one of the unluckiest teams in the World Cup with their pool placement. They've beaten some strong teams this year, including Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) and Kansas (twice), and have held others to close games. Still, I don't think they can hope to upset any of the three previously mentioned schools, meaning that the only team to go undefeated at World Cup V will probably be ousted in pool play.
UMass is looking at an 0-4 pool play record. They haven't played an official match since the Northeast Regional Championship, and they didn't look particularly sharp at that tournament, earning the very last slot. I can't see them upending any of the four teams in Pool 12.Prediction
Miami 4-0 (Eliminated in Final Four)
LSU 3-1 (Eliminated in Round of 32)
ASU 2-2 (Eliminated in Round of 32)
Purdue 1-3 (Eliminated in Group)
UMass 0-4 (Eliminated in Group)
Best Games
Miami def. LSU 100*-50
LSU def. ASU 90*-70
Miami def. ASU 110*-40
