Region by Region Nationals Predictions

Listed below are my thoughts and predictions sorted by NCDA region, and lastly I have my Day-2 Bracket Predictions.


East Coast Region

The East Coast region enters Nationals with five participating teams.  This makes them the most represented region in the NCDA at this season’s final dodgeball tournament.  That is an impressive feat considering the EC region didn’t even exist until four years ago.

The headliner from this region is obviously James Madison.  JMU has had another impressive season with only two losses all year.  JMU has been mentioned my most people as a likely Final Four team, with many people even predicting that they win it all this season.

Maryland is the second best team in the east entering Nationals.  UMD will be looking for a breakout performance at Nationals to prove once and for all, that they are a top level program.

Towson comes in right behind the Terrapins, as the Tigers have lost several close games to UMD this season.  TU is another team looking to take the next step as a program and prove they are serious contenders.

Virginia Commonwealth will travel to their first ever Nationals this weekend, and it will be a huge boost for their program.  Don’t expect VCU to make a deep run during bracket play.  Their inexperience will hurt them at this tournament, but they will certainly improve a lot over the course of the tournament.

Penn State is another team in the same boat as VCU.  PSU enters Nationals with little experience as a team compared to many other schools in attendance.  This Nationals is their second ever, and it will be another opportunity for them to learn, and improve.

 

Listed below are my predictions for each team’s tournament:

 

jmu-logoJames Madison

(Plays: SVSU, OSU, and BGSU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 3-0

Bracket finish: Loss in Final Four

 

umd-logoMaryland

Plays: (CMU, OSU, and Kent)

Predicted Day-1 record: 1-2

Bracket finish:  Loss in Quarterfinals

 

tu-logoTowson

(Plays: MSU, SVSU, and BGSU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 1-2

Bracket finish: First round loss

 

vcu-logoVirginia Commonwealth

(Plays: CMU, UK, and WKU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 0-3

Bracket finish: First round loss

 

psu-logoPenn State

(Plays: GVSU, DePaul, and UWP)

Predicted Day-1 record: 0-3

Bracket finish: First round loss

 


Illinois Region

The Illinois region has only two teams attending Nationals this season.  While neither will be predicted to take home the trophy when this dodgeball tournament comes to an end, both still have the talent to make some noise.

DePaul enters Nationals with not very much expected of them.  DePaul has not played many games this year, and most of the league is yet to see them in action.  DePaul is a team that shouldn’t be completely overlooked in my opinion.  They have a few very talented players that have the ability to swing the momentum of the game in their favor.  DePaul is a more talented group than they are given credit for.

Wisconsin Platteville enters this tournament after only playing two regular season matches.  UWP had some strong arms a year ago, but due to how little they have played this season, I expect it to be a tough weekend for the Pioneers.

 

depaul-logoDePaul

(Plays: PSU, WKU, and OSU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 1-2

Bracket finish: First round loss

 

uwp-logoWisconsin Platteville

(Plays: GVSU, PSU, and BGSU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 1-2

Bracket finish: First round loss

 

Kentucky Region

The Kentucky region enters the weekend with two participating teams: Kentucky and Western Kentucky.  Also worth noting is that this will be the third time in five years that the state of Kentucky has hosted the national championship dodgeball tournament.  UK and WKU both enter this weekend as under the radar teams that will be looking to pull an upset or two over the course of the tournament.

Kentucky is a team that has had an up and down year.  UK didn’t have a strong start to the season, but they have started to gain momentum during the second half of the year.  Look out for the Wildcats to possibly make some noise with an upset at this tournament.

Western Kentucky is another team that did not have the best regular season.  WKU will be at their best this weekend thanks to having a full roster, and holding home court advantage.  If WKU intends on making a deep run at this tournament, they will need to play their best dodgeball all season.

 

Kentucky-LogoKentucky

(Plays: MSU, VCU, and GVSU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 1-2

Bracket finish: First round loss

 

wku-logoWestern Kentucky

(Plays: SVSU, VCU, and DePaul)

Predicted Day-1 record: 2-1

Bracket finish: First round loss

 


Michigan Region

The Michigan region enters the tournament as arguably the strongest from top to bottom.  Each team in this region has a legitimate chance at winning the NCDA Dodgeball Championship.

Grand Valley State comes into this tournament as the #1 team in the country, but they are coming off a poor performance at their last tournament, after losing to CMU.  GVSU has a remarkable record in “revenge games” when they play a team that beat them the previous time.  If that holds true than they should be able to get past a team like CMU and bring home the trophy.

Central Michigan enters Nationals on an absolute hot-streak.  The Chippewas are peaking at the right time, and it is beginning to show.  CMU played extremely well at the CMU Showdown a few weeks ago.  If they are able to duplicate that strong performance this weekend in Bowling Green, Kentucky, then they will be crowned national champions.

Michigan State has not had a true breakout victory this year, but Nationals will provide them with that opportunity.  The Spartans have all the tools to make a run at the championship.

Saginaw Valley State did not have a strong of a regular season as was expected, but they are still a team to be concerned about.  SVSU will likely end up playing a tough second round matchup, but the Cardinals have the talent and teamwork to make a few upsets happen this weekend.

 

gvsu-logoGrand Valley State

(Plays: UWP, PSU, and UK)

Predicted Day-1 record: 3-0

Bracket finish: Tournament Champs

 

cmu-logoCentral Michigan

(Plays: UMD, VCU, and Kent)

Predicted Day-1 record: 3-0

Bracket finish: Tournament Runner-Up

 

msu-logoMichigan State

(Plays: TU, Kent, and UK)

Predicted Day-1 record: 3-0

Bracket finish: Loss in Final Four

 

svsu-logoSaginaw Valley State

(Plays: JMU, WKU, and TU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 2-1

Bracket finish: Loss in Quarterfinals

 


Ohio Region

The Ohio region is one of the most confusing this year.  Kent State has beaten both Ohio State and Bowling Green State this year, but they have also lost to both by a large margin.  OSU seems to be the top team in the region, but they weren’t able to attend the Ohio Dodgeball Cup this year where BGSU was able to earn bragging rights.  The final dodgeball tournament of the year will certainly help sort out this confusing region.

Ohio State will likely perform the best of the Ohio teams at Nationals.  They have been mentioned by many as a dark horse team that can make a deep run on Day-2 of Nationals.  The Buckeyes have the talent to do just that, and they will be hungry to avenge their first round exit from last year.

Kent State has historically been a strong team from Ohio, but this has not been their best year.   Kent had a poor regular season record but, despite that, they have a talented top end of their roster so don’t be surprised if they make some noise at Nationals.

Bowling Green State is a team that has flown under the radar all year.  BGSU did very well during the second half of the season (I think it was the best semester of dodgeball in their team’s history) so look for this young talented group to have a more serious chance on Day-2 of Nationals compared to in years past.

 

osu-logoOhio State

(Plays: JMU, UMD, and DePaul)

Predicted Day-1 record: 2-1

Bracket finish: Loss in Quarterfinals

 

kent-logoKent State

(Plays: UMD, MSU, and CMU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 0-3

Bracket finish: Loss in Quarterfinals

 

bgsu-logoBowling Green State

(Plays: UWP, JMU, and TU)

Predicted Day-1 record: 1-2

Bracket finish: First round loss

 


Here are my full Day-2 Predictions.  The

First Round Predictions:

GVSU def VCU 5-0

Kent def UWP 3-1

UMD def BGSU 3-1

MSU def WKU 3-0

OSU def UK 3-1

JMU def DePaul 5-0

SVSU def TU 3-1

CMU def PSU 6-0

Quarterfinals Predictions:

GVSU def Kent 4-0

MSU def UMD 3-2 (OT)

JMU def OSU 3-2

CMU def SVSU 3-0

Final Four Predictions:

GVSU def MSU 3-0

CMU def JMU 3-2 in OT

NCDA Finals:

GVSU def CMU 3-0

Author: Kevin Bailey

Current NCDA Chief of Content. Former Captain for Grand Valley State University (#4).

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