Standings as of 2024-03-18

In the 2024 Season, we have 44 technical upsets in 184 ranked matches (76.09% success rate) across 24 events.

This season marks the introduction of the NCDA Hybrid Scaled Ranking System as voted on by member teams during the 2023 election. The Hybrid Ranking System uses a combination of the Gonzalez System and the NHL Points System, and is scaled to adjust to each team’s rating relative to league average.

The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for each Nationals bracket between 2017 and 2022.

The Champ Points System is a point-reward system based on the outcome of a match. A team who wins a match is awarded 2 points whether in regulation or overtime, a team who loses a match in overtime is awarded 1 point, and a team who loses in regulation is awarded 0 points.

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War VII Preview

This weekend the University of Akron will be hosting the annual War tournament that sees several teams in attendance from around the league. The other teams that will be in attendance this weekend are: Kent State University (Kent), University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), Grand Valley State University (GVSU), Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), Ohio State University (OSU), Miami University (Miami), and Akron B. Below let’s take a look at the schedule, captain’s thoughts, and predictions on the day. The following was put together by Arik Kavanagh and Cory Heitmann.

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Southern Standoff Recap: GSU Dominates

On Saturday, Georgia Southern hosted the Southern Standoff with Ole Miss and North Georgia also in attendance. If you didn’t tune in to watch, you missed quite the shake-up in the South Region, but not to worry, I’ve got you covered with a full recap including some thoughts from each team.

By Ethan Lehmkuhl

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Zanderthon Throw-Down VIII Recap

The annual Zanderthon Throw-Down took place on March 2nd at the University of Wisconsin Platteville. This event was between Platteville, their alumni and a new addition to the league, the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Let’s take a look at the results from the day and here from the players and coaches!

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Standings as of 2024-03-04

In the 2024 Season, we have 39 technical upsets in 167 ranked matches (76.65% success rate) across 23 events.

This season marks the introduction of the NCDA Hybrid Scaled Ranking System as voted on by member teams during the 2023 election. The Hybrid Ranking System uses a combination of the Gonzalez System and the NHL Points System, and is scaled to adjust to each team’s rating relative to league average.

The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for each Nationals bracket between 2017 and 2022.

The Champ Points System is a point-reward system based on the outcome of a match. A team who wins a match is awarded 2 points whether in regulation or overtime, a team who loses a match in overtime is awarded 1 point, and a team who loses in regulation is awarded 0 points.

Continue reading “Standings as of 2024-03-04”

Zanderthon Throw-Down VIII Preview

We are onto another weekend of matches on what has been an exciting season of dodgeball so far. Platteville will be hosting the the 8th annual Zanderthon Throw-Down on March 2nd. The teams in attendance will be the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP), the University of Wisconsin Stout (UWS), and alumni. This weekend UW-Stout will be getting their first official match in and the NCDA will have another team joining the league. After the official matches are done, teams will be mixed up to compete in a 6v6 round robin tournament! Let’s take a look at the teams and the schedule below.

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Standings as of 2024-02-29

In the 2024 Season, we have 37 technical upsets in 163 ranked matches (77.30% success rate) across 21 events.

This season marks the introduction of the NCDA Hybrid Scaled Ranking System as voted on by member teams during the 2023 election. The Hybrid Ranking System uses a combination of the Gonzalez System and the NHL Points System, and is scaled to adjust to each team’s rating relative to league average.

The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for each Nationals bracket between 2017 and 2022.

The Champ Points System is a point-reward system based on the outcome of a match. A team who wins a match is awarded 2 points whether in regulation or overtime, a team who loses a match in overtime is awarded 1 point, and a team who loses in regulation is awarded 0 points.

Continue reading “Standings as of 2024-02-29”

2024 ODC Preview

Looking ahead to this weekend’s Ohio Dodgeball Cup, I asked the content team to fill out an ODC bracket and opened up the floor for them to share their thoughts. While there was a lot of consensus on most of the picks, some staff members were bolder than others.

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Rules Are Hard

Dodgeball is a crazy game. There are so many variables and different situations that can happen that it is nearly impossible to have a rulebook that completely satisfies every scenario. Just this past weekend I saw a play that I have never seen happen before, which is crazy because I have been playing for *censored* years! With that being said, we try very hard to create rules that are all-inclusive, fair, and that do not allow for abuse.

Recently I have noticed that there are a few misunderstandings of the rules that have been going around that I would like to address leading up to the big Ohio get-together that we are having. 

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Cornhusker Clash Recap

On February 17th the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UWP) battled it out at the Cornhusker Clash in a doubleheader. UNL was able to come out on top in both matches with final scores of 7-1 and 6-2. Below are the thoughts from captains and alumni on the day.

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Tournament Recap + Big Picture Outlook following the 2024 MDC

Michigan State holds up three fingers after capturing their third-consecutive Michigan Dodgeball Cup title. PC: Kris Haas

EAST LANSING, MI – Michigan State University was victorious on Saturday at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup (MDC), earning their third consecutive title at the annual event. The Spartans rolled through their early opponents, beating Central Michigan (6-0 win), Western Michigan (6-0 win), and Saginaw Valley State (6-0 win), before a clash with Grand Valley State (3-2 win).

With the 4-0 record on the day, MSU moved to 17-2 on the season, and 5-2 against Top-10 opponents. The Spartans maintained control of the Michigan Region, winning their third-straight MDC Title as mentioned above, and they firmly positioned themselves as serious National Title contenders. All-in-all, a solid weekend for those in East Lansing.

For the other schools in attendance at MDC, it was a bit more of a mixed bag. Central Michigan (0-4 at MDC) wasn’t able to secure a victory at the event, but had some bright spots, including a near comeback against WMU. While we’re on WMU, the Broncos didn’t have their best day, losing a close match to SVSU and finishing 1-3 overall. Saginaw Valley State picked up the key win over Western to stay at the 3-spot in the region, but otherwise had a subpar day, unable to truly hang with the ‘Big Two’ in Michigan. Lastly, Grand Valley State failed to hang on to a halftime lead against MSU for a third straight season, extending their title-less MDC streak to 3 seasons (the previous record was… 1). Let’s dive into each of these teams before getting back to the Spartans, and a big picture view after the 2024 Michigan Dodgeball Cup:

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Standings as of 2024-02-18

In the 2024 Season, we have 36 technical upsets in 151 ranked matches (76.16% success rate) across 20 events.

This season marks the introduction of the NCDA Hybrid Scaled Ranking System as voted on by member teams during the 2023 election. The Hybrid Ranking System uses a combination of the Gonzalez System and the NHL Points System, and is scaled to adjust to each team’s rating relative to league average.

The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for each Nationals bracket between 2017 and 2022.

The Champ Points System is a point-reward system based on the outcome of a match. A team who wins a match is awarded 2 points whether in regulation or overtime, a team who loses a match in overtime is awarded 1 point, and a team who loses in regulation is awarded 0 points.

Continue reading “Standings as of 2024-02-18”