6 teams will kick off their spring semester this weekend in Miami, OH. Three regions will be represented, and the current #2 and #3 teams in the country will clash. A lot will be learned this weekend in Oxford, so expect close matches and interesting results all throughout the day.
Bowling Green
BG first semester could fairly be classified as a successful rebuild semester. They returned very few contributors from last year’s team that was a few kills away from the elite 8, but were increasingly competitive as the semester went on. Their final two fall tournaments saw them go 3-0 at pinkout with a +11 point differential, and go 0-3 at JBBB, including a 1-point loss to #4 GVSU. The Falcons seemingly have at least one game every tournament in which they play up to higher competition, meaning Miami and Akron will both be crossing their fingers that it doesn’t land on them. Bowling Green will expect to get past an understaffed Illinois, and I believe a fully-locked BG squad can beat Akron if the Zips aren’t at their best. Miami is a different story, as the inexperienced Falcons will have a tall task keeping up with last year’s national champions. The Falcons will be ecstatic to go home with a 2-1 record, but that will require them to pick up their first victory over another Ohio school this season (besides Akron-B).
Miami OH
Many believe a team coming off a national championship and with an 8-1 record should feel disrespected with the third spot in the standings. Miami probably agrees if I had to guess, and they will have a chance to take matters into their own hands against the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday. Miami has a pair of victories over both UC and OU, as well as victories over Akron and GV, with their lone loss coming to Kent. They’ve yet to be tested against the top 2 teams, and this Saturday is their chance. Their other games on the schedule are against BG and Alabama, two teams the Redhawks expect to beat convincingly. After Saturday Miami could be in prime position for a second national championship or officially be on fraud watch (performance similar to their 7-0 loss to Kent State). I expect their match against the Buckeyes to be incredibly close, and with the Redhawks rarely ever losing at home, I’d bet on the Redhawks remaining in the top 3 nationally going into ODC.
Ohio State
One could argue that the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes have destroyed lower competition this year, with their only loss with a full roster coming against #4 GVSU in overtime. One could also spin that and say the buckeyes have yet to beat a top 4 team in the country and are 1-2 against the top 6. Both of these narratives could continue past this Saturday, as the Buckeyes could suffer their annual February defeat at Miami (would be the 3rd year in a row), beat Akron for the third time and handle Illinois. The Buckeyes will want to squash the latter opinion and will be looking to take down Miami this Saturday. Many in Columbus and perhaps elsewhere believe the Buckeyes to be the best team in the country, and they’ll need to leave Oxford with a perfect record if they want to have an argument for #1. The Zips have played the Buckeyes close twice this year, so that is not a match to overlook either. With ODC in two weeks, the Buckeyes will need to start clicking on Saturday if they want a shot at their first trophy in a decade.
Akron
Last season’s ODC champions and nationals semifinalists have had a hard time getting going this season. Losing most of your starting lineup is never a recipe for success, but Akron still has quality players headlining its lineup. Their last tournament, the Dr. Peter Broe Classic, was indicative of their season thus-far, as they grinded out wins against CSU and UWP, but were just outmatched against #1 Michigan State, falling 8-0. Akron will start their day playing Ohio State for the 8th time in the last 18 months, and will then move on to play Alabama and Bowling Green. Akron has evenly matched Ohio State in the first half twice this year, but has also played teams like CSU and Maryland close. Based on that, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Akron compete with Ohio State and then go to overtime against Alabama. We will learn a lot about the Zips this Saturday, as Akron has the talent to be relevant on nationals Sunday, but haven’t put it together yet.
Alabama
Alabama’s first journey out of the south region will be a fascinating watch, as the Crimson Tide have found more success than most first-year teams, with a 2-3 record and 2 points taken off of a solid Northern Kentucky team with years of Ohio experience. It’s anyone’s guess how Alabama vs. Illinois will go down, but guessing an Alabama win doesn’t seem ridiculous based on their previous performances. Alabama will then get their first taste of Ohio dodgeball with consecutive matchups against Akron and Miami giving Bama at the very least much needed experience. The whole league will be curious to see how Alabama performs on Saturday, and Alabama will be arriving in Oxford expecting not just to show up, but to compete and even win against teams from the Central and Ohio regions
Illinois
Last time the Fighting Illini ventured to Ohio they left with an 0-3 record, only taking 2 points the entire tournament. They followed that up with a solid 2-1 performance in a central tournament, only losing by 1 to #6 Nebraska. Illinois will look to continue their positive trajectory this weekend, but it will be no easy task, as they face off against two Ohio teams in OSU and BGSU and a sneaky Alabama team. Illinois will look to prove themselves to the nation this weekend, and have chances to do so against some beatable teams. Illinois was competitive at nationals last year, and will want to announce to the nation this Saturday that it will be similar at this year’s nationals at Ohio University. Leaving Oxford with a 1-2 record, or even just competitive showings against Alabama and BG should have Illinois feeling good for the future of this season.