Category: Opinions

MDC Preview: Predictions, Predictions, & more Predictions

In case you haven’t paid attention to anything the past few days, the Michigan Dodgeball Cup takes place this Sunday at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.  #3 Michigan State will host #1 Grand Valley State, #2 Central Michigan, and #7 Saginaw Valley State in an epic late-winter showdown.

I will be continuing the trend of preview articles for this much anticipated tournament.  My article will be filled with predictions for everything from tournament winners, to what each team’s strengths and weaknesses will be on Sunday, to who is most likely to get a red-card.  Lots to discuss. Continue reading “MDC Preview: Predictions, Predictions, & more Predictions”

Top Tweets of January 2017

It’s pretty clear to see which college dodgeball teams are strong on the court.  We have records and rankings for that.  But now we take the time to measure some off the court success.  Kevin Bailey and I have taken a look at what we view as the top tweets for the month of January.  Below, we have listed our top tweet, and the the rest of the list in no particular order.

*Keep your levels of savagery as high as possible if you want to make the list next month!

Continue reading “Top Tweets of January 2017”

BEAST VI Tournament Reaction (Overreaction)

What just happened?!?

Has anyone figured that out yet?

In case you’ve been living under a rock the past few days, James Madison University played host to a number of schools from across the country in the 6th annual Big East Appalachian Super Tournament, aka BEAST this weekend.

To put it simply, this was one for the ages.  Before I dig in on my “reaction” (or should I say: overreaction), here are the results from the tourney:

JAMES MADISON – UREC

Results:

JMU def OSU 4-1
UK def Towson 3-2 OT
JMU def UK 3-1
MSU def VCU 3-2 OT
Towson def MSU 3-1
VCU def OSU 3-2
JMU def MSU 3-1
UK def OSU 3-0
Towson def JMU 2-0
VCU def UK 2-1 OT
MSU def OSU 3-0

Records:

JMU: 3-1
Towson: 2-1
VCU: 2-1
MSU: 2-2
UK: 2-2
OSU: 0-4

Continue reading “BEAST VI Tournament Reaction (Overreaction)”

Power Rankings Poll: Groundhog’s Day Edition

Disclaimer: These rankings have zero impact on seeding for the National Tournament or actual ranking. They provide insight into where teams are currently performing during a given part of the season.

Continue reading “Power Rankings Poll: Groundhog’s Day Edition”

Top 5 Players I’ve Ever Gone Against

Much like the articles for The Players’ Tribune where current and former players compile a list of the best people they’ve ever gone against, it seemed like an appropriate time to make a spot where people can list the best players they’ve ever gone against.

For me there are a few layers to the criteria in my list: do they have a good arm, are they a good catcher, blocker, do they have a knack for being one of the last people in a match, and how frustrating is it to go up against them? I’m also trying to base my list against people who I’ve had direct interaction with while on the court. So if I played someone, but we stayed on the opposite side of the court most of the time from each other I may exclude their name. Former teammates were also excluded since I technically played against them.

I’m sure several people will have an opportunity to read this, and I implore all of you to include your list in the comments if given a chance. Especially Jon Shaw and Wes Peters, I know you two guys read practically everything on this site. Continue reading “Top 5 Players I’ve Ever Gone Against”

NCDA Matchups 2010-Present: A Closer Look

NCDA President Felix Perrone recently provided me with an interesting set of data.  He compiled the records for each team in the league against each of the opponents that they have played from fall of 2010 (when the NCDA’s official records begin) to present day.  Note, there are game results available prior to 2010, but not all scores were accurately recorded until that fall of 2010, so the “official” records begin then.  Feel free to visit the “Standings” tab on this website and explore for yourself.

Anyway, listed below are the top 50 ‘win totals’ for one team over a single opponent.  Basically these are all the matchups where one team has at least 6 wins over their opponent.

Keep in mind this is only from 2010 to present.  Obviously I would like to point out that while GVSU is 29-3 over MSU since 2010, the actual all-time series total is 43-3!  For those of you that can’t do math, this means GV had a 14-0 record over MSU prior to 2010 when official records began.  So, while examining the stats, be cognizant of the fact that other matchup totals may be off a bit due to the fact that this is 2010-present.

I will give the rest of my thoughts below the table:

Continue reading “NCDA Matchups 2010-Present: A Closer Look”

If Nationals Bracket-Play was Today

Happy New Year to all of you in the NCDA.

As we start out this new year, I thought it would be cool to take a look at what NCDA Nationals 2017 would look like if it happened right now.

Listed below is the bracket for Nationals if it were to take place today.  In this scenario I am assuming that every team that has played an NCDA game this season will make the trip to University of Kentucky for the season’s final tournament.  Note that the seeding is based off the NCDA’s current standings.

Now, lets take a look at what the results may look like if this were the case…

Continue reading “If Nationals Bracket-Play was Today”

OPINION: The 5 most frustrating ways to get out in a match

Dodgeball, as we know, has a ton of different ways for a player to get out in a match. From what I’ve heard, most participants would say that catching a throw in the face is the hardest way to get out of a match; but is it the most frustrating way to get out? The type of eliminator that makes a player roll their eyes, groan and trudge off the court in complete frustration or disbelief? Here are my 5 most frustrating ways to get out, and I’d love to see what other people think. If you have an opinion, please add to the comments section! Continue reading “OPINION: The 5 most frustrating ways to get out in a match”

NCDA New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year to all of you dodgeballers.  As we approach 2017, I am reminded of one of the most well-known traditions that comes with changing years: New Year’s Resolutions.

While I no longer play for any college dodgeball team, I still have an idea on what some of the teams in this league should do with their “fresh start” in 2017.  So, I present to you my New Year’s Resolution suggestions for some of your favorite NCDA teams: Continue reading “NCDA New Year’s Resolutions”

Mid-Season Thoughts

Well folks, we are at the halfway point in the NCDA season.  Schools are off for the holidays, and no NCDA matches will be played until mid January. This is one of the many constants in college dodgeball, a time at mid-season for teams to reflect on what transpired in the fall semester, and what is still to come in the winter/spring.

Following up on a fantastic article by Hunter Ford on his bold predictions, I will briefly reflect on the fall semester and give some predictions for the rest of the season.  Unfortunately I haven’t been able to attend as many tournaments as I would have liked in the fall, so maybe you will trust Hunter’s predictions over mine.  But I have seen enough to be confident in the statements I am about to make.  Here are some of my thoughts at the halfway point in yet another exciting season of collegiate dodgeball:

Continue reading “Mid-Season Thoughts”

Bold Predictions for the Spring

There have been a lot of major developments in the league just within this past semester.  We have seen the appearance of some brand new teams, the emergence of teams who were once pushovers but now look like legitimate contenders, and some new players have stepped into the spotlight.  Overall, this was a very successful semester in the NCDA, in large part thanks to leadership from across all teams in the league.

Now is where things start to intensify.  We are inching closer and closer to Nationals, and there are a lot of teams and people to watch out for this upcoming semester.  In order to stir the pot and get people thinking, I wanted to throw out some of what I consider to be bold predictions.  Feel free to ridicule me in the comments below.

Continue reading “Bold Predictions for the Spring”

GVSU’s victories in 1000 Matches

The data covered here only covers ranked matches played through the seven seasons of 2011 to 2017, specifically 2010-09-25 to 2016-10-10. In that time we’ve played 1002 ranked matches and recorded 1084 line item events. For the purposes of these articles, we’ll only cover those 1002 matches.

Of the 1002 ranked matches we’ve recorded, GVSU has won 89% of the time, going 146-18 including going 9-4 in Overtime. Whenever GVSU loses, it’s 90th percentile news.

I should note this winning tradition basically begins from their first year back in 2006, one of the most successful of any first year team. GVSU did have an undefeated season prior to complete record keeping started on 2010-09-25. Interestingly, GVSU’s winning tradition spans almost all member teams that have ever participated in the NCDA. They have recorded wins on all Member Teams save just a few:  Continue reading “GVSU’s victories in 1000 Matches”

Michigan Region First Impressions

The college dodgeball season is now well underway, and each of the Michigan Region teams has stepped on the court at least once.  I have only had the pleasure to attend two games so far this year, but thanks to Facebook Live I have seen my fair share of Michigan Region teams through the first few weeks of the season.  Here are my very brief first impressions on each of the four Michigan schools (listed in the order of their current position in the NCDA Standings):

Continue reading “Michigan Region First Impressions”