Kevin Bailey – Page 10

Mardi Gras Madness Recap

The following was written by North Georgia’s Kyle Dattelbaum:

This past Saturday, the University of North Georgia and Georgia Southern University took long voyages to Northwestern State University of Louisiana for NSULA’s Mardi Gras Madness Tournament. In result, the league found some answers about the unknown South Region of the NCDA. Five matches were played between the three squads validating each school to become eligible to compete at Nationals come April. The day began with in-state rivals UNG and GSU going head-to-head, and concluded with NSULA playing two matches against the traveling teams each. Below will be my takeaways along with captain’s opinions on how their squads performed: Continue reading “Mardi Gras Madness Recap”

Mardi Gras Madness Tournament Preview

This Saturday, Northwestern State University of Louisiana will host the Mardi Gras Madness tournament. Georgia Southern and North Georgia will make the trip for this three-team clash in the NCDA’s young and exciting South Region. There is quite a bit of unknown when it comes to the south region. These three teams will certainly answer some of our questions this weekend when we see how each of them fare on the court. Below is a quick preview for this tournament held at Northwestern State University: Continue reading “Mardi Gras Madness Tournament Preview”

2018 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Recap

GVSU, winners of the 2018 Michigan Dodgeball Cup. PC: Ben Tiesworth

This past Sunday, Michigan State University hosted the annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup (MDC). #1 Central Michigan and #2 Grand Valley State joined #10 Michigan State in East Lansing for the tourney to determine bragging rights in the state of Michigan.

Only 3 official matches were played on Sunday at MDC, but those games did draw quite a bit of attention. Below are the results from the three matches, along with my reactions of each game and each team at MDC: Continue reading “2018 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Recap”

Reacting to College Dodgeball’s “Upset Weekend”

This past weekend featured two highly anticipated tournaments that were bound to have a massive impact on the college dodgeball landscape this season. On both Saturday and Sunday, Akron University hosted “The War”, bringing in teams from three different regions to play in a two day tournament filled with exciting matchups. Also last weekend (on Sunday), Michigan State University hosted the Michigan Dodgeball Cup, a historic tournament that always has a huge effect on the league’s standings.

This weekend did not disappoint! There were a number of very surprising results from the two tournaments, which is why I am dubbing it “Upset Weekend”.

A few crazy stats from this past weekend’s events, before we dive into the results:

All 10 teams in the top 10 of the current Power Rankings were in action at one of the two tournaments!
There were 9 total upsets on the weekend, out of 24 total games. 9 upsets is the most for any weekend in at least the past four seasons, and a 37.5% upset rate for the weekend is absolutely staggering.

Here are the results from this weekend’s events: Continue reading “Reacting to College Dodgeball’s “Upset Weekend””

2018 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Preview

Photo Credit - Alan Holben — The 14th Annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup will take place this Sunday at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.

This Sunday, Michigan State University will host one of the most significant tournaments of the season: The 14th Annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup. In attendance this year will be 3 of the top 10 teams in the country according to the official NCDA Standings (and the most recent power rankings).

#1 Central Michigan (also #1 in the Power Rankings), #2 Grand Valley State (#2 PR), and #10 Michigan State (#8 PR) all bring a different dynamic to this tournament, as it promises to be an intriguing set of games.

Before we get into the preview, the schedule for this tournament is listed below:

10:15 a.m. – MSU vs. GVSU

11:30 a.m. – CMU vs. MSU

12:45 p.m. – GVSU vs. CMU

Now, on to the preview. Let’s start by talking briefly about each team in attendance. Continue reading “2018 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Preview”

Power Rankings: February 2018

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone. While the NFL crowns a champion later today, College Dodgeball still has a few months before they do the same. It has been an exciting season so far, and things are really starting to heat up as we head into the late winter / early spring. Listed below are the power rankings for the month of February. Please note, these power rankings (produced by Jacob Leski and myself) have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings. These are strictly opinion based rankings. Enjoy:

1) Central Michigan

The Chippewas keep rolling! Hard to find any glaring problems with this team. Even after losing Kris Kohler, and Tyler Prill to graduation, this team has not skipped a beat. Their most dominant performance to me was their match this past weekend against Kent State. Kent went up 1-0 on CMU, but the Chips won 5-1. This has happened more than once for this squad this year, which tells me that if they get down they have little trouble coming back, a strong sign of a championship caliber team. Their only real weakness is their lack in numbers. This squad often travels with the exact amount needed to fill a roster. However, look to see this change soon, leaders are working with myself and CMU’s club sports department to get their numbers back to what they used to be. – Jacob Leski

Easy choice for the number spot here. Central Michigan is having an unbelievable season so far. The Chips, sitting at 18-0, have a chance to be the first team since 2009 GVSU to win a national title with an undefeated record! I am very excited to see this team in action next weekend at the highly anticipated Michigan Dodgeball Cup. They are the clear favorites at the moment, but certainly will be tested by Grand Valley and Michigan State. We all know Mike Riley is on of the best players in the country, but in my opinion, the x-factor for CMU the rest of this season will be the production from players like Grant Webber, Bryce Belen, and Casey Bielec. All three have the skills to earn All-American status this year. And all three will need to play their best dodgeball down the stretch for Central to preserve their undefeated season. – Kevin Bailey

Continue reading “Power Rankings: February 2018”

Observing the MVP Race at Midseason

We are just over halfway through the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association’s 2017-18 season. In the fall we were lucky enough to see some very impressive individual performances from various players spanning across many different NCDA regions. I gave my input on who might be MVP candidates at the start of the year, and now I would like to revisit that topic. There is still a long way to go before the NCDA All-American Team is voted upon, but at this point in the year, I have narrowed the list of players remaining in the race to finish #1 on that list. Here are my finalists for NCDA MVP (please note these players are grouped into a few different sections, and listed in alphabetical order within each section).

The Front Runners:

Continue reading “Observing the MVP Race at Midseason”

Previewing the Most Anticipated Events of the Second Half of the Season

The second half of the 2017-18 season will be here in no time, and there are already plenty of tournaments on the docket. Below I have ranked the five most anticipated tournaments of the winter / spring. This list is just my opinion, so feel free to comment with your own list. Now time to preview the top 5 events I am looking forward to, listed in order of importance:

5) Oregon State Tournament @ Oregon State University – Feb. 3, 2018

Continue reading “Previewing the Most Anticipated Events of the Second Half of the Season”

Midterm Report Cards: Michigan Region

We have hit the mid-season mark in the 2017-18 NCDA season. Just as was done with a few other regions, we have report cards to hand out for each team in the Michigan Region in what has been an interesting first half to the season.

Central Michigan: A

Easiest grade to give out would have to be CMU. The Chippewas are sitting pretty at 15-0 right now. That’s the best first semester record they have ever had if I’m not mistaken. I would have given Central Michigan an A+, but their last few tournaments of the fall revealed the Chips are beatable. Continue reading “Midterm Report Cards: Michigan Region”

Power Rankings – December 2017

Below are the power rankings for December. This list was co-created by Kevin Bailey and Jacob Leski.

*These Power Rankings have no impact on the league’s official standings.

1) Central Michigan

The Chips took a massive risk playing 6 games in two days and it payed off, just barely. The big question I have is whether or not these captains will be able to keep their team motivated to keep working in this large gap of time where no one plays. If he can, I expect this success to continue. – Jacob Leski

Very impressive first half of the season for Central Michigan. They dodged a few bullets during their 6-game weekend a few weeks ago. Sure, they are a beatable team, but the bottom line is that the Chippewas perform when the game is on the line. Championship level teams find a way to win close games, and that is the biggest difference between CMU and GVSU so far this season. – Kevin Bailey Continue reading “Power Rankings – December 2017”

Weekend Recap

Last weekend featured three separate National Collegiate Dodgeball Association events. Each one had some telling results. Miami (Ohio) had a head turning performance when they went undefeated at their home tournament, including a win over Ohio. Central Michigan went undefeated at the home tournament as well, then followed it up the next day with another undefeated day at MSU.

Below, a number of individuals react to what went down last weekend:

Continue reading “Weekend Recap”

NCDA Regional Hierarchy – November 2017

The question often arises: “Which Region is the best in College Dodgeball?”. While Michigan has historically had the best region in the country by a large margin, the argument for 2nd and 3rd place was always a big debate.

While reviewing the most recent Power Rankings, I noticed that the race for strongest region is much closer than some may anticipate. In fact, depending on what one determines to be the most important criteria, there could be a case made for several different regions as the best in the NCDA.

Over the past decade, many have accepted the narrative that the Michigan Region is the best in College Dodgeball and that it will never change. After taking a closer look at our current power rankings, the distinction of ‘strongest region’ is more up in the air than people may think.

I used two different methods to analyze the NCDA’s ‘Regional Hierarchy’, both of which were based off November’s Power Rankings. For reference, here is the top 20 for November: Continue reading “NCDA Regional Hierarchy – November 2017”

Power Rankings – November 2017

As we progress further and further into the fall semester, the college dodgeball season continues to heat up! Already this year we have seen some fantastic games, and a few very surprising outcomes. We even had our first event on the west coast when Gonzaga and Oregon State met for a double header.

Since it is the start of a new month, it is time to reveal the new power rankings. This month, the list was compiled by fellow NCDA Executive Board member Jacob Leski and myself. We both produced a top 20 list and combined them to make the final composite power rankings that you see below (any tie between two schools would go in favor of the team with the higher win percentage). Leski and I both leave brief comments below for each team.

Let us know what you think about the current power rankings, and what you expect will change before December rolls around.

*These Power Rankings have no impact on the league’s official standings.

1) Central Michigan

Central Michigan is without a doubt worthy of the #1 ranking based on how they have done so far this year. Their home tournament on Saturday will be a HUGE test for them. Continue reading “Power Rankings – November 2017”

Weekend Recap – Winners & Losers

Anyone who follows college dodgeball closely knows that this past weekend featured a number a great events across the country. This past Saturday, Penn State hosted James Madison, Maryland, and Towson in an East Coast tourney that would provide more insight into where each of those teams are at. Also on Saturday, one of college dodgeball’s newest rivalries took place on the campus of Georgia Southern. UNG and GSU battled it out with a double-header, in the South Region’s first event of the season. Then, on Sunday, Grand Valley hosted their Gauntlet tournament with every Michigan school (plus Kent State) in attendance.

The results from those tournaments can be found here. I’m going to jump right to the analysis. Here are the major winners and loser from this past weekend:

Continue reading “Weekend Recap – Winners & Losers”

Gauntlet Tournament Preview

This Sunday, a handful of historically strong college dodgeball teams will congregate at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on the campus of Grand Valley State University for the ‘Gauntlet’ dodgeball tournament. As has become the norm, GVSU will be hosting a fall tournament that will provide much more clarity to where each Michigan school stands at this point in the year, because all four Michigan teams will be in attendance. Along with these four squads from the state of Michigan, we also will see Kent State University in the building on Sunday. Before I get into my preview, the schedule for this weekend’s clash in Allendale, Michigan is listed below:

	Main Court	East Court	West Court	Ref
11:15	GVSU v Kent	CMU v MSU		SVSU
12:30	GVSU v CMU	SVSU v Kent	Comb-JV v GV-JV	MSU
1:45	CMU v SVSU	Kent v MSU		GVSU
3:00	GVSU v SVSU	GV-JV v MSU		CMU

Continue reading “Gauntlet Tournament Preview”