The Daily Snitch--Pool 6
Today's Daily Snitch will look at Pool 6. Any questions about how teams will fare, email editorial@internationalquidditch.org.
Photo by Deanna Edmunds
Teams
No. 16 Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI)
No. 29 University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)
No. 36 Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ)
No. 55 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL)
No. 74 Boston Riot (Boston, MA)
How They Got Here
No. 16 Marquette earned its World Cup spot at the Midwestern Regional Championship, where they took home the tournament title. Marquette finished a perfect 6-0 on the tournament, going 3-0 in pool play to earn a spot in the quarterfinals, and then winning the next three matches. In the quarterfinals, a dominant performance gave Marquette a 120-50* win over Illinois State University (Normal, IL). A 120*-70 semifinal victory over Ball State University (Muncie, IN) sent Marquette to the finals where they beat Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) 170*-90.
No. 29 University of Ottawa earned one of the three Eastern Canadian slots at that region's championship tournament. Of the squads that qualified, Ottawa will be the only one attending the World Cup. A 3-0 record in pool play sent Ottawa straight to the semifinals as the top seed. A 70*-10 win over Queens University (Kingston, ON) was enough for the university from the capital to reach the championship round. In the finals, Ottawa could not overcome McGill University (Montreal, QC), falling 90*-10.
No. 36 Northern Arizona University reached the World Cup by way of the consolation bracket at Western Cup IV. After a 2-1 performance in their pool, NAU entered bracket play as the fifth seed. NAU advanced to the quarterfinals with a 130*-40 win over the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), but were knocked into the consolation bracket by the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA). Two wins in the consolation bracket put NAU through to the World Cup. In their first contest of the consolation bracket, Northern Arizona prevailed over the Utah Crimson Fliers (Salt Lake City, UT) 140*-40, while they defeated the University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA) 80*-40 in the consolation semifinals.
No. 55 Florida State also made the World Cup via the consolation bracket when they competed at the Southern Regional Championship. Florida State finished second in its pool and thus faced the third seed from the other pool in the first round. In this quarterfinal match, Florida State was defeated 110*-30 by a Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN) squad they had beaten 50*-10 the previous month. FSU rebounded to beat Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL) 170*-30 to qualify for the World Cup being hosted in their home state.
No. 74 Boston Riot advanced to the World Cup at the North Eastern Regional Championship. Seeded 12th after pool play, a 50*-40 upset of the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY) in the round of 16 sent Boston Riot to the World Cup. Emerson's “B” team then lost to their “A” team, Emerson College (Boston, MA), 160*-60 in the quarterfinals, ending any hope of a Cinderella run.Outlook
Marquette should be looking for someone to thank for this pool. I think they are one of the weaker Pot 1 teams, but there is absolutely no one in this pool that can challenge them. Marquette has yet to play this spring, but they did face an impressive fall schedule including their Midwest Regional Championship and a 140^*-120 victory over Southwest Regional Champions Baylor University (Waco, TX) at the Collegiate Cup. Outside of those wins, Marquette was beaten twice handily by Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), and they lost to Ball State University (Muncie, IN) 140*-80. Marquette does have the ability to win close games: they beat Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, MI) in the spring 80*-40 and the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) 60*-40. In a three-game series against the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN), they caught just two of six snitches--all three games went to overtime--and none of the regulation snatches. Marquette tends to rely on their seeker, which could serve them in close games against tough teams. If the rest of their lineup can keep the matches close within their pool though, Marquette should have no difficulties.
Ottawa will likewise benefit from a weak pool. They're 3-1 in just four matches this spring, including a 50-point win over Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY) who failed to qualify for Division I, and a narrow 50*-20 loss to SUNY Geneseo (Geneseo, NY). Ottawa also owns a 100*-30 win over Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY) from the fall. While they are the second seed in this pool, Ottawa's performance has not been indicative of such a lofty position. Based almost exclusively on the weak pool though, I see Ottawa advancing.
Northern Arizona University has only competed at regionals this spring, and at that tournament none of their performances were overly impressive. They beat a relatively weak Cal squad 80*-40, and they do have two wins over Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) and a win over Austin Quidditch (Austin, TX) from the fall, but I don't find any of those wins to be particularly impressive: although Arizona State is a good team, October was a long time ago. At Western Cup IV, NAU was decimated by the University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA) 170*-10, and lost to a depleted USC squad 140-90*. NAU also may be competing without their seeker, Porter Marsh, who broke his leg at Western Cup IV.
All three of these teams suffer from their climate. Being based in cold-weather locales limits the amount and productivity of practice, constraints that more southern and western teams can avoid. This could result in these teams being rusty compared to their competition, and also just not as practiced and coordinated overall.Florida State will try to benefit from their competitors' lack of activity this spring. Florida State has already played in three tournaments this year, notably winning the Rocky Top Rumble hosted by Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN). While they have had the benefit of competing, Florida State has not been overly impressive. They beat a field that included a number of relatively weak Southern Region squads at the Rocky Top Rumble, and came within one game of missing a World Cup spot at the regional championship. At the Florida Quidditch Conference meet in February, Florida State finished with a 2-2 record, losing to the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) and the University of South Florida (Tampa, FL). Florida State has been very average all year, and has not beaten a single team of the caliber of any of the three previously mentioned teams.
The Boston Riot have the same problems that plague their cohorts in Pool 6. They are a cold weather team that has yet to play in the spring, and they have not beaten a single team on the level of their opponents at the World Cup. They have cut their teeth against some of the best the Northeast has to offer, playing Emerson twice and Boston University (Boston, MA) three times. Those that believe in Northeastern superiority may like them to pull an upset or two, but ultimately they have little hope of advancing out of the pool.
Prediction
Marquette 4-0 (Eliminated in Round of 16)
Northern Arizona 3-1 (Eliminated in Round of 32)
Ottawa 2-2 (Eliminated in Round of 32)
Boston Riot 1-3 (Eliminated in Group)
Florida State 0-4 (Eliminated in Group)
Best Games
NAU def. Florida State 110*-60
NAU def. Ottawa 130*-50
Boston Riot def. FSU 130^*-90
Ottawa def. FSU 120*-70
Ottawa def. Boston Riot 80*-70