The Daily Snitch--Pool 8
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 8. Any questions about how teams will fare, email editorial@internationalquidditch.org.
Photo by Deanna Edmunds
Teams
No. 5 Boston University (Boston, MA)
No. 22 Villanova University (Villanova, PA)
No. 39 Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, MI)
No. 45 Austin Quidditch (Austin, TX)
Tec Quidditch (Monterrey, NL, MX)
How They Got Here
No. 5 Boston University qualified for the World Cup when they won the Northeastern Regional Championship. With a roster featuring Team USA reserve keeper Brendan Stack, BU posted a 4-0 record in pool play that gave them the third seed entering bracket play, and from there they cruised into the finals. In the Round of 16, it was University of Massachusetts that fell victim, 70-30*. The quarterfinals yielded a 160-40* win over Macaulay Honors College (New York, NY), while the semifinals resulted in a 160*-40 victory over Tufts University (Medford, MA). The finals saw a rivalry renewed as Emerson College and BU squared off, but it was the group from Boston University that proved victorious: 150*-80.
No. 22 Villanova was also champion of their region, taking the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship, and earning a World Cup spot in the process. A 5-0 record with a +610 point differential earned Villanova the top seed in the bracket, and from there they didn't look back. A 130*-0 shutout of University of Richmond (Richmond, VA) sent Villanova to the semifinals, where they took out Penn State 110*-80. In the finals Villanova overcame the University of Maryland (College Park, MD) 60*-50.
No. 39 Central Michigan earned their World Cup spot when a spot reserved for international teams was left unfilled. CMU narrowly missed the World Cup at Midwest Regionals, finishing sixth after pool play with a 3-1 record, but falling to 15-seed Illinois State University (Normal, IL) 100*-90. Central Michigan was granted the first additional bid from the Midwest, which was awarded after the University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, CA) claimed the first such bid.
No. 45 Austin Quidditch (Austin, TX) advanced to the World Cup because of their performance at the Southwestern Regional Championship. Austin went 2-1 in pool play to earn the eighth seed. The squad from Texas' capital beat the Northern Colorado Golden Griffins (Greeley, CO) 170*-90 to cement their World Cup berth. Baylor University (Waco, TX) ended Austin's run in the quarterfinals 190*-90.
Tec Quidditch claimed one of the international slots to gain a spot at the World Cup.
Outlook
This pool features what I think will be the best game of pool play: Villanova vs. Boston University. BU is one of the best teams in the world and successfully ran the table at the Northeastern Regional Championship, with all of their wins outside of snitch range. That they could dominate a strong Tufts team as completely as they have this year, two wins: 160*-10 and a160*-40 shows Boston University's strength. BU has lost just once this season, in October to Emerson, but they have also yet to play an official game in 2013. This relative inexperience could harm them come bracket play, but regardless with such strong play they will be tough to top.
Villanova deserves to be a top seed. Had they not sent a mediocre squad lacking most of their starters to Charlottesville, VA for A Cup Worth Fighting For, they would likely have been placed into Pot 1 and would never match up against BU in pool play. At that February tournament, Villanova went 0-3 and saw their ranking plummet. Outside of those losses, Nova has just one defeat on the year, 120*-100 to Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) in September. Villanova also boasts impressive victories over an excellent Maryland squad and a great Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY) team.
Neither BU nor Nova will struggle in pool play, except against each other. Villanova's star seeker Billy Greco may be considered the X-factor in such a matchup, but a contest between such elite teams really can't be oversimplified in that manner. While I question Villanova's depth based on their performance in Charlottesville, it's worth remembering that when they beat Maryland, Nova's star chaser Zach D'Amico did not play. I really like both of these squads and think they're threats to go far, but based on what I've seen from both teams I think BU is better. They've managed to pull out of snitch range against some really good teams, such as Emerson in the Northeast championship match, while Nova has had some trouble separating from top teams--their two wins over Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA), and win over Maryland were all within snitch range--with only one of their four wins over good teams outside of snitch range (a 130*-60 win over Hofstra). I think faced with a long game against an elite team, BU will be able to sneak out of snitch range, and hold off Villanova.Central Michigan and Austin, neither of whom is a threat to BU or Nova should have a hotly contested battle for third in this pool. While Central Michigan snuck into the World Cup, don't let that fool you; they are a good team. This spring they have played a lot of games, including contests against nearly every World Cup team in the Midwest, which is quite a strong and sizable contingent. While Central Michigan boasts just a 2-5 record against World Cup bound teams in 2013, their matches against good teams have been close. They own a win over the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) and relatively narrow losses over Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH), 100*-20 and 90*-40; Ball State University (Muncie, IN), 80*-10, and Michigan. The key thing to note about all those scores is how few points Central Michigan scored. Excepting a few games, Central Michigan has had trouble scoring points, which could plague them at the World Cup, still they're a talented squad.
Their chief rival for the third spot is Austin Quidditch, University of Texas' B-team. While I'm not going to argue that Austin isn't a World Cup squad--they absolutely belong--I do believe them to be overrated. They've beaten a bunch of average teams and lost to some good ones, save for one huge win: 90*-50 over Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA). Ever since that win, people, myself included, have been locked onto this side, but they really do just have one signature win to their name, with no bad losses. Still when they face Central Michigan, I think we'll see a pretty average squad. In another pool, I think Austin could advance, but I don't think they'll make it out of this one.
I have no real knowledge of Tec Quidditch, but I just can't see them beating any of these four teams.
Prediction
Boston University 4-0 (Eliminated in Elite Eight)
Villanova 3-1 (Eliminated in Elite Eight)
Central Michigan 2-2 (Eliminated in Round of 32)
Austin Quidditch 1-3 (Eliminated in Group)
Tec Quidditch 0-4 (Eliminated in Group)
Best GamesBU def. Nova 180*-100
Central Michigan def. Austin 70*-50 Update: A previous version of this article mentioned Team USA chaser Kedzie Teller as being instrumental to BU's success. This was not verified prior to publishing and it has subsequently been noted that Teller has not played for BU after graduating in 2012. This reference has been removed.