This Saturday, December 1, 2018, marks one of the last events of 2018 for the NCDA. It will be held at the Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation Center (1700 W Neely Ave, Muncie, IN 47304) at Ball State University. The teams in attendance will be: Michigan State University (MSU), Grand Valley State University (GVSU), Miami Ohio (Miami), University of Cincinnati (UC), Ball State University (BSU), and the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP). The following is the schedule for the weekend.
| Time | Court 1 | Ref | Court 2 | Ref | |||
| 8:30 | BSU | UC | Miami | UWP | GVSU | MSU | |
| 9:45 | Miami | UWP | GVSU | MSU | BSU | UC | |
| 11:00 | BSU | UWP | UC | MSU | Miami | GVSU | |
| 12:15 | Lunch Break | Lunch Break | |||||
| 1:30 | BSU | GVSU | UWP | Miami | UC | MSU | |
| 2:45 | GVSU | MSU | Miami | UWP | UC | BSU | |
Games
Below are the previews of the games done by myself and Kevin Frye. We break down how each team will handle their opponents, what they expect to get out of the match, and our score predictions for those games.
INDUCTION MATCH (U of Cincinnati, UC, ID #54)
8:30 UC (40.000*) v BSU (34.326+1) for .533 [or 1.467 as a #61/331 upset]
Kevin Frye – I feel BSU will claim this win since we will be starting off with our strongest lineup, that we can’t seem to get all of them to travel. BSU will definitely be coming off strong, but I feel Cincinnati can claim a point on BSU. BSU def UC 5-1
8:30 GVSU (56.097) v UWP (38.396) for .01 [or 2. as a #1/331 upset]
Erik Zander – The first game of the day for both of these teams. Both teams had played each other several times over the years and it always makes for an interesting match up. UWP Captains Mark Liedtke and Austin Kurey are going to have to step up and take charge and show their teammates they can’t play scared. They are going to have to take it to GVSU and match their style of play. Platteville will play GVSU tough for the first few points, but GVSU’s experience will take over and they will win easily. GVSU def UWP 5-1
9:45 Miami (46.615) v UWP (38.386) for .177 [or 1.823 as a #7/331 upset]
EZ – This game will be a battle, as I feel that both teams match up in terms of style of play. The game will definitely be back and forth and may come down to the wire. Miami has the more experienced team which will give them the advantage and should help them obtain the win. For Platteville to win, they will have to be on the offensive and get Miami in transition. Miami def UWP 3-2
9:45 MSU (46.648) v BSU (33.793+1) for .010 [or 2.0 as a #1/331 upset]
KF – We’ve mainly played strong teams from the Ohio region, but none from the Michigan region, which will be a first for us as a team so I am excited to see how we hold together and compete against MSU. With this matchup, I easily see MSU claiming points on us in the first half, but once we get ourselves together I feel we can come back and get a few points on MSU in the second half. MSU def BSU 5-2
11:00 UWP (38.209) v BSU (33.783+1) for .657 [or 1.343 as a #104/331 upset]
KF – I’ve never had the chance to play against UWP, but from following the Recap articles, UWP at nationals, and following live-streams, I feel this will be a close matchup with UWP claiming a win 3-2. I do see a high possibility for overtime. UWP def BSU 3-2
11:00 Miami (46.792) v MSU (46.658) for .987 [or 1.013 as a #318/331 upset]
EZ – This to me is the match up of the day. Both teams will have something to prove in this match. MSU will look to handle Miami to show that they are a top team and a contender. They will try to prove that their 3-1 victory against Miami two weeks ago was not their best performance. For Miami, this is their chance to show that they are the top team in the Ohio region and gives them a chance to chalk up another win against a Michigan team, which not many teams can say. Luckily for Miami, this is not their first game of the day so it should help them keep up with MSU. I believe ball control will be key for Miami to stay in the match as well as taking MSU’s captains out the equation from the start. MSU def Miami 4-3
1:30 GVSU (56.107) v BSU (33.126+1) for .010 [or 2.000 as a #1/331 upset]
KF – I don’t even know where to start with this. You’re probably thinking what the hell BSU, what a suicide mission. The 36th ranking team in their second semester as a team wanting to compete against the NCDA’s #1 team… the 6-year running National Champions, Grand Valley. I expect a landslide win (as anyone giving predictions would), but I feel confident we might be able to snag a point on GV. Regardless, it will be a good learning experience for the team, and hopefully push BSU’s players to their limits and make them really work for a single point. GVSU def BSU 8-1
1:30 Miami (47.779) v UC (40.533*) for .275 [or 1.725 as a #10/331 upset]
KF – I have faith in UC claiming points this weekend, but these are some tough match-ups and they’ll have to work extremely hard to get points. Miami will be worked hard and I feel UC will take advantage of that to claim a point on Miami. Miami def UC 6-1
2:45 GVSU (56.117) v MSU (45.671) for .010 [or 2.000 as a #1/331 upset]
EZ – Another great match up for the day. MSU will come out hungry and will bring the fire power. This is their chance to show that they can hang with the champs and that other teams should watch out for them like GVSU. Will it be enough to over come the very experienced, very sound, and fundamental GVSU team? This squad doesn’t make too many mistakes which is what makes them so good and dangerous. I feel like this is MSU’s chance and I like their energy and I think MSU will get the W. MSU def GVSU 2-1
2:45 UC (40.257*) v UWP (38.866) for .861 [or 1.139 as a #211/331 upset]
EZ – This will be the fourth game of the day for the pioneers and the third for UC. This will be an interesting game and it is always fun to welcome a new team to the league. Platteville should be able to use their experience and get the win. UC will play a few points tough, but not enough to keep up with UWP. UWP def UC 6-0.
*Teams with less than 6 matches played have a provisional rating. All teams start off in the middle at a 40.000 Rating in the Gonzalez System, a point or so below the League Average Rating. -zm
Final Remarks
This tournament is one that will answer a lot questions for a lot of teams in terms of where they stand heading into the second half of the NCDA season. Some will find they are just where they want to be and others have a lot more work to do. Look for some of the games to be live-streamed. UWP will be streaming on their dodgeball page, Dodgeball UWP.