Easterns Qualifier will be held in Wilmington, NC this weekend. The highest finisher, other than UNCW, will be given a bid to the big show, Easterns, in two weeks. It’s pretty amazing how high of quality these two tournaments are going to be. If I wasn’t going to NYC on business this weekend, I would be watching the qualifier.

Pool A:

Ohio State:

Looked relatively dominant at QCTU until the game against Michigan. I know that they had a couple of handlers go down with injury early on in Charlotte, so hopefully they’ll be at full strength. They’re certainly going to be in the running to win this weekend, especially if Phil Cherosky continues to do his Franchise impression. I don’t expect any issues on Saturday.

North Carolina:

I named them a bubble team on inside breaks a couple of weeks ago. I think they should dispatch the lower seeds without too much difficulty, but the real question is how they do against the national contenders. If they can play a clean game, they have a shot to upset one of these teams. I don’t see anything but upside with this team as the season progresses. According to Neeley, Noah Saul is still going to be out for this tournament. I’m not sure what UNC has left after this tournament, but I’m going to watching them carefully. Sometimes, one player can make that much of a difference.

Maryland:

Don’t think you’ll see too many surprised from Maryland. They’ll keep some games close, but in the end they don’t have the talent and depth to keep up.

Kenyon:

A DIII school that doesn’t shy away from good competition, Kenyon did well last year at DIII Nationals. I don’t think they’ll put up much of a fight with the teams here.

Pool B:

UNCW:

After a disappointing warm up affair, the Seamen seemed to score some pretty good wins last weekend over Virginia and Michigan. This is a big weekend for them even if they are guaranteed to go to Easterns. Big wins this weekend could help a lot in the rankings, giving the ACC that second bid. I don’t think they’re going to have too much trouble, but this pool is tougher than it looks.

Tennessee:

One of the more confusing teams to predict this season, Tennessee seems to beat who they’re supposed to beat and lose convincing to the better teams. They’re going to be in danger from an upset minded UConn, who has the tenacity to play up to bigger teams. I don’t see any easy games on the day for Agent Orange on Saturday.

UConn:

I observed Uconn in several games at the UOA Big East tournament. If they’ve done the work in the winter, I have no doubt that they’ll be one of the better lower seeds at this tournament. I wouldn’t say that they have any absolutely amazing play makers, but are a collection of solid players. Similarly to how Penn State is built, UConn is ready to take advantage of a blown up Metro East.

Queens Kingston:

These guys have had a habit of ruining my college seasons, as I seemed to run into them at Sectionals every year. These guys are tough to predict, because I’ve seen them show up savage and still do well. They may be 4th in the pool because there isn’t much to know about them, but I still wouldn’t be surprised to see them go 2-1 on Saturday. Higher seeds beware.

Pool C:

Ohio:

I want to see if Ohio can break through and get a big win over a nationals contender. If they are going to make nationals they need to develop a little swagger, confidence, and the ability to relax in close games. On universe point against Michigan at QCTU, they seemed to tense up instead of just playing the game that got them there.  This pool isn’t the greatest for them, as Delaware gave them a close game at QCTU. They are the number one seed in the most danger of being upset with Georgia Tech lurking at the bottom of the pool.

Delaware:

Delaware is making some noise in the newly formed ACC region. While they may be well behind UNCW and UVA, I think they’ve got to be considered one of the best of the rest. Pool play well really test their metal, and to see if they’re got an outside shot at making nationals.

Georgia Tech:

This may be right where the Tribe wants themselves to be, underrated. With the injuries to Hogan McHugh and Andrew Fish at QCTU, Georgia Tech lost a lot of depth. They’re going to look better this weekend, but the question is by how much? I think they’ll over take Delaware for the second seed, and are going to give some number one seed a tough game to get into semis.

Towson:

If Towson looks like they did last year, they’re going to be a solid team. When I played against them, they had slashing cuts out of a ho-stack with handlers who consistently put high release flicks out in front. Don’t expect to see any upsets by them on Saturday.

Pool D:

MSU:

They had the easiest path at QCTU out of any of the top seeds, but were stopped by Georgia in the quarterfinals. Another team looking to get better, but also, trying to boost their rankings in favor of the great lakes. I don’t doubt that they’re going to make the semis. Virginia Tech will give them a good game early, but burning couch should pull away.

Virginia Tech:

This will look like a whole different team with a healthy Evan Klein. NCSU could give them a good game, but I see VT holding their two seed. They could exit in the cross over depending on the opponent.

NCSU:

Scrappy, Scrappy and more Scrappy. Cross over opponent beware.

And my flight is boarding…. Sunday Predictions tomorrow!