This Saturday, March 9, 2019 at Miami University four teams are coming together for a round robin tournament. The following teams will be in attendance: Miami University, Bowling Green State University (BGSU), University of Cincinnati (UC), and the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP). It is a battle of the Ohio Region and the Midway Conference. Which region will come out on top? Let’s take a look at the schedule:
| Time | Team 1 | Team 2 | Ref | Off |
| 9:00a.m. | UWP | UC | Miami | BGSU |
| 10:30a.m. | Miami | UWP | BGSU | UC |
| 12:00p.m. | BGSU | Miami | UWP | UC |
| 1:30p.m. | UWP | BGSU | UC | Miami |
| 3:00p.m. | UC | BGSU | Miami | UWP |
| 4:30p.m. | Miami | UC | BGSU | UWP |
UWP vs UC- This is first game of the day and the second time these two teams will have played this year. The first matchup, being at Ball State University’s tournament last December (an exhibition). This will be a fun matchup, but Platteville will easily take this game without much trouble. UC is more experienced than the last time the two battled, so I think they will be able to put a point up on UWP. UWP’s experience will just be too much however for UC to keep up with. Predicted score: UWP def UC 5-1.
Miami vs UWP- It is the second time these two teams will be meeting this year. Miami bested UWP last time with a strong presence at the throw line and not giving Platteville many chances to attack and regroup. I know that Miami will be coming out hot on all cylinders after their disappointing performance at the ODC. It is also their home court so this will allow them to field the best team possible making it even harder for UWP to compete and fight. Platteville is ready for this match, they have a lot to prove to themselves and the rest of the league. They are going to leave it all on the court and play their game this time. Predicted score: Miami def UWP 4-2.
BGSU vs Miami- This is the match up of the day as two top ten teams will be going head to head to show who is still the top school of the Ohio Region. After loosing to BGSU in overtime at the ODC, the redhawks will be relentless towards the Falcons and throw everything they got at them to get revenge. BGSU is going to be ready for it and will be looking to catch all that Miami throws their way. They are going to show that winning the ODC was not a fluke and they are still a team to watch out for, just like last season come nationals. It is Miami’s home tournament so I give them edge and see them winning this game. Predicted score: Miami def BGSU 4-2.
UWP vs BGSU- The first time these two teams saw action against each other was at the Kent State tournament last semester. These were very young teams trying to figure out how to play the game and get experience. BGSU easily won and UWP didn’t put up a good game like they would have liked too. This time around they plan to give BGSU a much better match and make them have to work for every point that they get. BGSU will be coming off a big game against Miami and Platteville will use that to their advantage. They plan to wear out their opponent and make them make mistakes. They will have to use the transition game to keep up and have any chance of beating this squad. Predicted score: BGSU def UWP 3-2.
UC vs BGSU– This game will go as expected, BGSU will come out and take several points quickly and coast the rest of the way, giving their younger players more of an opportunity to hone in on their skills and show their captains what they can really do. UC will be playing their second game of the day and this should be a better performance from the first one. With each game they play, they will get more confident and make points interesting. They will give trouble to BGSU at times, but not enough to put the Falcons at risk of losing. Predicted score: BGSU def UC 4-1.
Miami vs UC– The last game of the day, and I think Miami will not give up a point. I think they will want to finish up the regular season strong, especially at home. Finishing strong will allow them to keep the momentum rolling into nationals where they plan to make a showing. UC will hope to keep playing hard and put up their best performance of the season and develop their skills. I know at the end of the day Wes Peters will be one proud coach. Predicted score: Miami def UC 5-0.
Kevin Bailey’s Take
RedHawk Rampage presents us with an interesting set of games. Each of the four schools in attendance is at a different point in their development as a program. Due to the difference is skill in some of these matchups, we may not see too many OT matches, but nonetheless, there are questions we would like answered from each team in attendance based on how they perform at the tourney.
Miami, while a young squad, has proven they belong near the top of the league rankings. Currently 14-6, Miami has positioned themselves to be a potential top 6 seed at Nationals. The biggest question they need to answer this weekend is: can they get revenge on BGSU after losing to the Falcons at ODC?
BSGU is another team that finds themselves near the top of the standings, sitting at 8 in the Gonzalez Standings right now. Bowling Green is coming off a fantastic finish at ODC where they stole the Cup away from Miami after beating the RedHawks in OT. The question they must answer this weekend: Can BGSU avoid a let down after their best performance of the season?
While not the best UWP season in recent years, this team is still one to keep an eye on. UWP made their way back into the Power Rankings this month (#20), while landing at #22 in the Gonzalez Standings. The big question for UWP: How do they perform against some more talented squads like Miami and BGSU?
Cincinnati is the big wild card at this event. They played at the Ohio Dodgeball Cup, and I heard they had some nice moments. What we need to know from UC this weekend: How much does this team improve now that they have some more games under their belt?
Overall, this event will have a couple potentially close games, but regardless of the talent gap, we will learn a lot about each team based on how each game goes. Miami and BGSU are the clear front runners at this event, while UWP, followed by UC finish out the list of attending teams. As we inch closer and closer to Nationals, the tournaments begin to hold more weight mentally, so it is crucial that each squad brings their A-Game on Saturday!