This recap and the 2012 College Tour are presented by Spin Ultimate
If there is one place to get a dose of college ultimate this weekend, it’s in Hotlanta. With mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid to upper 80s, it will certainly feel that way. Not only will there be a tough Open Southeast Regionals to keep an eye on, but also 10 women’s teams will compete for a single bid to Nationals.
Location: Atlanta, GA
Date: 5/5-5/6
# of Bids: 1
Full Schedule
The top 3 seeded teams will be traveling up from Florida, after competing against each other in the Florida Conference Championships. Central Florida went 4-0 for the weekend, even though they were missing some of their key players, with their only tightly contested game being against Florida in the finals, winning 8-7. Florida got second, after beating Florida State for the second time that weekend 8-7. These three Florida-based teams all have their eyes set on qualifying for Nationals, but let’s not forget about the remaining top teams who have the same goal in mind.
Traveling from Athens, GA is UGA Dawgma, who destroyed all the other teams at the Southern Appalachian Conference Championships. They defeated Georgia Tech in the finals 13-2, with no team racking up more than 5 points in a single game. Georgia definitely has the right tools for a shot at the Southeast title, but they need to perform better than their regular season record indicates. They lost to Florida State and UCF this season at Florida Winter Classic, but have also gained experience over the season by traveling to high level tournaments. Can they bring it to Regionals?
The most interesting part of this event will be the large number of first time matchups this season. Aside from the 1v5 games in pool play, none of the matchups have happened yet this season. This adds a level of mystery: each team only has an inkling of how good their competitor is. No one will know who their opponent is until they are in the ring and the bell goes off. Expect upsets to happen in the 2v3 and 3v4 games.
Matchups to Watch:
Central Florida-Florida State: One of the aforementioned first time meetings this season. With seasoned handlers and tall receivers on both ends, expect the long ball and lots of zone defense to be thrown. Neither team has made it to Nationals, and I imagine they are both bloodthirsty to get a serving of the big showdown.
Florida-Georgia: Last season, Florida overcame Georgia in the finals of Regionals to get the one bid to Nationals. Georgia needs to win all their games in pool play if they want to be a one seed going into the bracket and an easier road to finals, and Florida is the lone team standing in their way.
Florida State-Georgia Tech: Since their last meeting at the 2011 Tally Classic tournament, both have improved immensely and have been making noise this season at the tournaments they’ve participated in. Expect a lot of intensity and great player match-ups as Florida State looks to settle the score since their loss to GT.
Predictions:
The finals will be a UCF-Georgia matchup. UCF is the new powerhouse in the Southeast region, however, I believe Georgia can take the one seed in Pool B so that they can postpone this first time meeting until the game-to-go.
The rest of bracket play will include lots of hotly contested games. As a player for Georgia Tech, I know I don’t want to see only Florida teams at the top of the list, and I think the other Gulf and SAPP teams can agree. The non-Florida teams will be gunning for 3rd through 5th place finishes, to prove they also have game.
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