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NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - Printable Version

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NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - fullmetal - 12-01-2013

The field is six teams strong.  Stanford lost to U$C in the MPSF final but earned an at-large bid to the tournament.  U$C is seeded #1, followed by Pacific, Stanford, UCSD, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Whittier.  I *think* this sets up for another Stanford-U$C finals match...let's hope the team peaks when it counts most!

http://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/gametool/brackets/waterpolo-men_nc_2013.pdf

Re: NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - Farm93 - 12-02-2013

The six team field is a much better deal for the MPSF.  Also improves the odds that Stanford, and other Pac-12 teams, get NACDA Directors' Cup points.

Re: NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - 2 for 2028 - 12-02-2013

How big is the home pool advantage?

Re: NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - Farm93 - 12-02-2013

(12-02-2013, 09:10 AM)2 for 2028 link Wrote:How big is the home pool advantage?
Stanford did not lose at Avery this year.  So it is helpful.  However, the MPSF schools are likely familiar enough with the facility.  Also the California schools will certainly have family and friends supporting them this weekend.  Does not hurt to host, but probably not the same impact as hosting a single opponent on a Saturday morning.

Re: NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - Spiny_Norman - 12-02-2013

(12-01-2013, 11:47 PM)fullmetal link Wrote:I *think* this sets up for another Stanford-U$C finals match...let's hope the team peaks when it counts most!

Assuming that Stanford beats Whittier in the play in game, it will play Pacific in the semis.  Pacific beat Stanford in 2 of 3 matches this season.  It is a tough road to the finals for the Cardinal.  Meanwhile, USC will cruise in the semis and be well rested for the finals.

Re: NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - Viking_Guy - 12-02-2013

I watched most of the tourney games this past weekend (how many screens could I have on simultaneously became a question at points).

Stanford's biggest issue appears to be their relative weakness at 2 meters.  They're essentially playing against the Serbian/Croatian youth system when they play USC and Vavic, and Pacific appears to have risen by pulling in the Hungarian youth system.  In both cases, they have hulking brobdingnagian players inside, of the 6'4" - 6'5" 240 lbs variety who if American would've probably ended up linebackers or tight ends (can Dudchock swim?)

In both the semi and the final, Stanford got exclusion after exclusion called against them inside, and SC especially was able to score inside several times as their 2-meter man simply shrugged off his defender (or in one case, Stanford's defense didn't rotate fast enough after the exclusion and let him get the ball alone in front of the net).

Not sure if I know enough about WP to really understand everything going on, but the number of 6 on 5 opportunities Stanford gave up in the matches I watched suggested the above.

And yes, USC will definitely have an easier path to the final.  They play either St. Francis (whom Stanford beat 17-1 earlier this year) or UCSD, who didn't play the Cardinal but lost to USC 17-5 and UCLA twice, 16-6 and 17-2.  The new NCAA tournament (6 teams, with two play-in games) I believe was adopted because another automatic qualifier conference was added (the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, featuring such athletic powerhouses as Whittier, Pomona-Pitzer and the invincible California Insititute of Technology).  Of course, none of that addresses the fact that no team from outside the MPSF has ever won the tournament (and I think non-MPSF teams had a record against the conference of something like 3 wins against 95 losses this season).  It would probably be a better tourney if it went to 8, because UCLA being excluded in favor of teams it absolutely destroyed really makes it a bit of a mockery.

VG


Re: NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - fullmetal - 12-02-2013

U$C never stopped standing for the University of Southern Croatia, I see.  And re: Pacific's new talent pipeline--yikes.

Re: NCAA MWP tourney bracket announced: Stanford seeded #3 - Viking_Guy - 12-02-2013

Actually, looking at it more closely, I was a bit trapped in the past.  The best player for Pacific is their 2-meter Tomasevic, who's Croatian, and probably the best player in collegiate water polo.  SC has morphed into a more American (and Australian, actually) team, although some of their better players may be the offspring of expats; their best player is the coach's son, Nikola Vavic, but he plays for the US National Team system.  Of course, having won so many championships (4 or 5) in a row, coach Vavic doesn't need to depend on an influx of foreign talent as much as he might have.

Tomasevic is 6'6", 240 lbs, and just a load to handle inside.

VG