open nationals predictions
tan...@gmail.com
jam, goat, ring, vbb
sockeye, boston, rhino, pike
bravo, condors, dw, machine
furious, subzero, truck stop, chain
jam: 3-0
goat: 1-2
ring: 2-1
vbb: 0-3
a really tough draw for the #1 seed, ring and goat both have upset
potential.
i think jam holds on to win it though. ring over goat because they've
got the experience.
vbb don't stand a chance in this pool.
games to watch: goat/ring, jam/ring and jam/goat are worth watching at
the start to see if they are close
sockeye: 3-0
boston: 1-2
rhino: 2-1
pike: 0-3
sockeye gets a lucky draw, definitely the easiest pool for a #1 seed.
they should cake walk thursday.
a young boston falls to a rhino that keeps getting better. could be
the year boston doesn't go to quarters.
pike is a little too content just being here and doesn't play well
against tough opponents.
three quarterfinalists from last year
games to watch: boston/rhino
bravo: 3-0
condors: 2-1
dw: 0-3
machine: 1-2
tough draw for bravo... really tough. i think they're good enough and
will beat condors again. they win out
easily before that. condors and bravo both go to power pool, just a
matter of who has that loss on friday.
doublewide can't handle the wind being back at nationals, machine's
recent experience and athletes win a
nailbiter.
games to watch: bravo/condors (this will probably be the best game of
the day)
furious: 3-0
subzero: 1-2
truck: 0-3
chain: 2-1
furious falls in seeding in the nw but comes out with a good draw. a
subzero team that is probably weaker
than some other #2 and even #3 seeds. somebody was going to get
screwed with chain being a low seed in their
pool. doesn't look like chain ever competes with furious, i think
furious also got lucky here. furious will
win the pool without much challenge. i don't think chain's
semifinalist appearance was a fluke, they will
beat subzero and go to the power pool. truck stop gets screwed by
chain's low seeding and falls 0-3 on
thursday.
games to watch: subzero/chain maybe furious/chain early on to see if
chain is going to give them a game
sending the following teams to power pools
jam/ring + bravo/condors
bravo: 3-0
jam: 2-1
condors: 1-2
ring: 0-3
condors/ring could go either way, i just picked one.
sockeye/rhino + furious/chain
furious: 3-0
sockeye: 2-1
chain: 1-2
rhino: 0-3
this pool is all about the furious/sockeye matchup, chain isn't that
good, but holds on to beat rhino.
the playins:
rhino/goat
boston/subzero
too many tough games for rhino and goat is on a roll, goat wins in
what i call an upset.
subzero is better this year.
quarters:
bravo/goat
goat plays well, bravo prevails.
sockeye/condors
sockeye wins in a close one.
furious/subzero
pool play rematch, goes about the same and furious moves on.
jam/chain
chain can't make this upset happen, jam wins by a bit.
semis:
bravo/sockeye
another barn burner, bravo pulls it out this year.
furious/jam
furious has had a surprisingly easy road to the semis, this will be no
easy game but a fresh
furious takes down jam by a few.
finals:
bravo/furious
it's close, furious wins.
spirit award goes to pike or doublewide. i'll say pike because dw
plays against bravo and condors.
Stone
> goat: 1-2
> ring: 2-1
> vbb: 0-3
Agreed, Ring is better than they've shown as well as a keen ability to
always play better in Sarasota.
> sockeye: 3-0
> boston: 1-2
> rhino: 2-1
> pike: 0-3
Sockeye dominates the pool, no question there. But Boston is too
aggro and too badass to drop the ball against Rhino. The seeding
holds in this pool. I will say however that Boston certainly has the
POTENTIAL to beat Sockeye, I just don't think they will this time!
> bravo: 3-0
> condors: 2-1
> dw: 0-3
> machine: 1-2
I don't really see Machine beating Double Wide, but I also think that
this is the least interesting pool. Condors are a dark horse team for
sure, but Bravo is DAMN stacked!
> furious: 3-0
> subzero: 1-2
> truck: 0-3
> chain: 2-1
NO NO NO. I couldn't disagree more. Sub Zero goes 3-0. SZ has a PHD
in tooling on Furious in Sarasota. When was the last time that Sub
Zero and Furious had at Nationals game that DIDN'T go to overtime
though Furious always seems to squeak out of it? However, in a day
when Zero looks to be amped to the top of their game, it appears that
Furious is the weakest they've been in the past 5 years (granted that
is still pretty damn strong). Chain has the ability to topple Furious
but as with Boston/Sockeye I just don't see it happening this time.
Furious takes the 2-1, Chain over Truck gets the 1-2 and Truck Stop
gets the 0-3, shafted by Chain's bad seeding.
After this I have no idea. I'm awaiting the day that we can have
fantasy for the whole tournament not just the finals. Have a draft,
espn.com style. That would be awesome.
Max
Looks good, my only disagreement is I think goat will beat ring.
ElCic...@gmail.com
THURSDAY:
Pool A:
While this pool is definitely one of the more evenly-matched pools of
day 1, as GOAT and Ring both have the potential to beat anyone else in
this pool, I believe the seedings will play out as they began. Jam
has really brought it together in the second half of the season, as
they should be riding the confidence train after soundly winning a
very competitive NW regionals (granted, they never had to face
Sockeye, but still). Jam should be able to avoid any scare that GOAT
and Ring will certainly try to give them as they will win out the
pool. The Van Buren Boys are in over their heads, as I believe they
will have a rough start to Nationals as an opening loss to GOAT will
leave them in the dust for the rest of the day. This leaves the game
of the pool (and one of the better games of the day) to be GOAT vs
Ring, which will be extremely exciting as the up-and-coming GOAT will
take on the more experienced Ring. I definitely believe GOAT is one
of the more underrated teams of Natties, as while they did have an
easier schedule than most, that is still quite the number of wins.
Hence, GOAT edges out Ring to hold seed.
Jam 3-0
GOAT 2-1
Ring 1-2
VBB 0-3
Showcase game:
GOAT vs Ring
Pool B:
If I was able to fly down to Florida and watch, Pool B is definitely
where my attention would be. Rhino is my dark horse candidate, Kurt
Gibson is one of the most fun athletes to watch in Ultimate, and
Sockeye are beastly. I really think the opening game of Rhino vs
Sockeye will set the tone for how the pool will shape out; not
necessarily that Rhino has to win (truly fulfilling their dark horse
candidacy, but hey, Sockeye does not tend to be as clutch in pool play
as they are in brackets), but as long as they give Sockeye a run, then
that can be the adrenaline boost they need to topple Boston in the
second game, which I predict will happen, as Boston loses a close one
against Rhino. Boston really has the tools to potentially go far in
this tournament, but I believe that their lack of real depth is an
issue that will crop up in pool play (in comparison with Boston teams
of the past, not necessarily with other Sarasota teams). But Kurt
Gibson is the man. Also, Pike will get decimated for the day.
Sockeye 3-0
Boston 1-2
Rhino 2-1
Pike 0-3
Showcase game:
Sockeye vs Rhino
Pool C:
This pool will be decided on the third game of the day, as some truly
good ultimate will be played then. There is a definite separation
between the two and three spot in the pool, as I think that while
Doublewide and Machine are really great teams, I can't see them at the
same level that Johnny Bravo and Condors are currently playing. J.
Bravo have put together an excellent year, and the Condors have really
pulled it together for the series. I expect a sight similar to that
of the game for first place in the SW region, but with Bravo barely
pulling it out. Machine vs Doublewide will be close as well, but
Doublewide should have the firepower necessary to pull out one win
from this pool.
Johnny Bravo 3-0
Condors 2-1
Doublewide 1-2
Machine 0-3
Showcase game:
Johnny Bravo vs Condors
Pool D:
Well not all the pools had to play out just as they were seeded, as
pool D will be a completely rearrangement of seedings. First of all,
I'd like to say that Chain Lightning will play better than one would
expect out of a 13-seed, as John Hammond and Jason Simpson will be
money for the day. Game 1 will go as planned for all teams, but game
2 is where my upset of the day occurs, as Chain upsets Furious in a
tightly contested game. I guess that would give Chain the title of my
alternate dark horse candidacy, as their lackluster season is only a
ploy to be underestimated. But with a loss to Chain, Furious will be
completely shell-shocked going into game 3. However, I don't think
Sub Zero is strong enough this season to be able to use the momentum
in their favor, as Furious will still prevail over Sub-Zero, as they
still out-gun everyone else in this pool. Chain, on the other hand,
has complete advantage in momentum as they roll past Truck Stop.
Furious 2-1
Sub Zero - 2-1
Truck Stop - 0-3
Chain 2-1
Showcase game:
Well if my predictions occur then obviously Chain vs Furious, but the
odds say that Furious/Chain vs Sub-Zero will be the showcase game
That's enough write-up for now, as I would make up what the power
pools would be as a result of this, but honestly quickly glancing at
the schedule; I have no idea how this translates. Stay tuned for more
later (maybe).
Ajax
> Prediction time:
>
> Jam 3-0
> GOAT 2-1
> Ring 1-2
> VBB 0-3
>
> Boston 1-2
> Rhino 2-1
> Pike 0-3
>
> Condors 2-1
> Machine 1-2
>
>
> Furious 2-1
> Sub Zero - 2-1
> Truck Stop - 0-3
> Chain 2-1
>
I agree with most of what you said James, including pool D final
standings, but for
different reasons. machine over doublewide though. respect your
region, projects.
what?
>
> - Show quoted text -
your all morons! DW 0-3! 1-1 versus bravo and three years in a row
over condors! watch and enjoy these great pools all you dumpass'
stay''n home! word. also the seedings are f ed up too. chain 13th!
Rhino! what the fuck! VBB? aaaahhhh? who? and Goat? hmm subzero?
makes a bunch of sense. looks like a bunch of upsets to me. piss of
pigs!
ElCic...@gmail.com
Furious over Chain outcome? I could definitely see that as well.
And yo, Sub-Zero represents! But you're right, my mistake about
Machine =[
ElCic...@gmail.com
Sandals
Jam 2-1
Ring 2-1
Goat 2-1
VVB 0-3
Ring has the athletes to match up with Jam. They will take their
chances and will force turnovers on Jam's conservative offense. Jam
will have its way with GOAT, too consistent and GOAT forces too many
hucks. Ring vs Goat will be one of the best games of the day with
plenty of deep shots and lots of good defense, GOAT comes down with
more 50/50s. Jam and Ring advance to the power pool.
Pool B:
Sockeye 3-0
Boston 2-1
Rhino 1-2
Pike 0-3
Sockeye is too loaded with athletes and experience for any of these
teams to compete with. Boston has big game experience and Kurt Gibson
knows how to play in the Florida weather. They beat Rhino who are
going to be feeling the absence of Seth Wiggins at this years
nationals. Pike - Rhino will be a close game, but Rhino pulls away at
the end.
Pool C:
Bravo 3-0
Condors 2-1
DW 1-2
Machine 0-3
Bravo roll this pool with their loaded roster, except for being behind
at half to the condors. In the second half they pull away 15-11. The
Condors take care of business against DW and despite a slow start
against Machine will turn it on late. DW holds on against Machine in a
game that is close but they lead from start to finish.
Pool D:
Furious 2-1
Sub Zero 2-1
Chain 2-1
Truck stop 0-3
Truck Stop gives Chain a run early in the game, but that is about all
the noise they will make all day. The rest of the games in this pool,
as said before, are going to be terrific. Sub Zero is always out for
blood against Furious, and this year they finally get the best of them
in yet another overtime affair 17-16. This is definitely going to be
THE game of the day. Chain will use combinations of Dylan, Simpson,
and Zip all game against Sub Zero to pull out the win in a close one.
Furious will come out in its traditional nationals form against Chain
and win 15-10 in a game that is closer than the score indicates. Sub
Zero and Furious advance to the power pool.
dye...@gmail.com
> chances and will force turnovers on Jam's conservative offense.
Jam looked in no way conservative at NW Regionals. They will go 3-0.
> Bravo roll this pool with their loaded roster, except for being behind
> at half to the condors. In the second half they pull away 15-11.
I think Bravo v. Condors will be a tossup
Otherwise I agree and/or don't really know.
calebc...@gmail.com
jyw...@gmail.com
> Kurt Gibson
> knows how to play in the Florida weather.
I thought this part was kinda funny.
ElCic...@gmail.com
as speculated, Chain goes ahead and takes the lead for this year's
dark horse candidacy (as Rhino drops the ball), and nothing else too
interesting occurs as Furious experiences a large fall from grace.
Now onto day 2.
FRIDAY:
Pool E:
Jam
Johnny Bravo
Condors
GOAT
No big surprises yesterday for any of the teams in this pool, and it's
doubtful (save the 2nd game) that any huge upsets will occur here
either. Jam and J. Bravo will both get a good warm-up in game 1 as
Jam looks like they're on NBA Jam fire as they rolled through
yesterday; it's doubtful that the Condors will be able to stop them.
J. Bravo also looked good yesterday, and it seems doubtful that GOAT
will be able to beat them in the deep game as Bravo should march on
through. This then boils down to THE game of the day as Jam vs Bravo
is going to be sick sick sick. This will be a great game, but Jam
looks hot enough right now that I can't not take them. Also Condors
vs GOAT should be a close game as well, as Condors experience should
edge out GOAT as Condors take 3rd.
Jam 3-0
Johnny Bravo 2-1
Condors 1-2
GOAT 0-3
Pool F:
Sockeye
Chain
Sub Zero
Boston
Props to Chain to holding down the sleeper fort, as they dominated the
day along with Sockeye. It's easy to hop onto the Chain bandwagon
right now, but is it really that surprising that last year's
semifinalists did better than a 13th seed? Anyways, the power pools
will open in similar fashion as Sockeye is simply too powerful for Sub-
Zero to handle and Chain on fire should be able to handle a Boston
team owing up to its seed. This sets up well for Chain vs Sockeye
which I cannot decide how it will play out. I can envision two very
possible outcomes; one being that Sockeye does not relent upon its
dominance and depth as it has the firepower to survive a game against
Chain. However, it is entirely plausible as well to forsee Sockeye
losing a non-clutch game as they muster up and win out the rest of the
way. It's happened on one occasion for Sockeye this year (ECC - loss
to Boston but still goes on and wins), and I going to say it happens
again as something cool has to happen in the power pools, plus I gotta
stick with my dark horse candidates. Also, in other news, Boston tops
the semi-impressive Sub Zero team as Zero handily lost to Chain and
barely managed to beat a weakened Furious team.
Sockeye 2-1
Chain 3-0
Sub Zero 0-3
Boston 1-2
Friday Quarters Play In:
Rhino managed to escape from pool H as it sets up for a GOAT vs Rhino
game. GOAT, having lost momentum from going 0-3 on the day, still has
their deep game and athleticism to fall back on as they will put an
impressive show against Rhino. However, after going undefeated to get
to the play-in, Rhino should have enough energy to put up a great
fight and fulfill my dark horse predictions as they slip into the
championship bracket with a close win over Goat.
Rhino over GOAT
Machine looked good enough today to be able to escape from pool G as
it sets up for a Machine vs Sub-Zero game. Sub-Zero schooled Machine
15-7 at regionals, and it's hard to believe that Sub-Zero would be un-
clutch enough to at least move onto the championship pool as they are
still the best in the Midwest.
Sub-Zero over Machine
Ajax
projects is skillled at recognizing the teams which have had major
upsets this
fall. I will piggyback on his decisions.