NSCAA 7 ~ RP Thread

[Chromatika]

The Chromatik Eight
A Look at the Eight Chromatik Schools, How They Qualified, and Their First Round Opponents
Column by College Basketball Fanatic Lowell Kimberly (LIn), Chromatik City Courier

First and foremost, I would like to formally apologize for my lack of use of my color rank in my previous posts. I have been warned by the government, and it will never happen again.

After the dust settled, all eight Chromatik Schools somehow ended up in the Ultra 64 Tournament for the NSCAA. Some believe they deserve higher seeds, some are happy to be here at all. Here's a look at all of them, how they qualified, their first round opponent, and how far I think they'll go.

In order from highest seeded to lowest seeded:

#7. Pùr State University
Regular Season Record: 19-1, 1st Balor Conference
Conference Tournament: Champions, beat Port Grenville College of Arts of Electrum
First Round Opponent: Vietussia Academy (UNV) (16-6 Master Conference, Lost to University of Auster (VNG) in the Finals)
Key Player: Ja Thrall, PF, Freshman
Analysis: Would anyone have guessed that the Crusaders would be the highest seeded Chromatik School in the Ultra 64 before the start of the season? Probably not. However, here they are, having lost only one game all season, riding a conference tournament win into their first round matchup against Vietussia Academy, with much grander expectations at hand. The team is deep, the team is solid, and Ja Thrall is the superstar that everyone thought he would be. What they lack is a bit of experience, but that's nothing time won't fix; this team has got to be the strongest team of Chromatika, and results have shown that so far.

#15. Deprí Sanar University
Regular Season Record: 19-3, 1st El Whirlo Conference
Conference Tournament: Champions, beat National Electrum University in the Finals
First Round Opponent: #50 University of Hondo (VAL) (15-7 Conference Seven Twelve, Conference Champions)
Key Player: Shantel Flake, PG, Sophomore
Analysis: Don't tell the Spartans that they have it easy going into the Ultra 64 with a high seed of #15. Their first round opponent is none other than the University of Hondo. The Vanorians feel that they've been snubbed by the selection committee, meaning that Hondo will be coming with vengeance in their minds. Deprí Sanar's season started slow, but the team ended up with a very good record and cemented their status with an extremely good showing in the Conference Tournament. To withstand the Vanorian onslaught, Shantel Flake will need to continue his performance of a double-double per game in points and assists, while not succumbing to the pressure and having great ball distribution skills. This is a game many experts will be circling as a potential upset, and Flake will have a lot to say about whether that upset comes to pass.

#18 Chromatik City College University
Regular Season Record: 20-2, 2nd Foothill Conference
Conference Tournament: Lost in Finals to Arten Eastern University of Frenline Delpha
First Round Opponent: Hankow Community College (UNV) (18-4 Bird Conference, Lost to University of Myana in Semifinals)
Key Player: Petronella Pajari, SG, Freshman
Analysis: Petronella Pajari will be an important asset for the Comets, as the Freshman guard has been averaging a double-double throughout the entire NSCAA season. She and the Comets will be trying to become the second straight Chromatik team to hand Hankow Community College a loss in the playoffs. With a deep conference tournament under their belt, the Comets will be looking at potentially facing Deprí Sanar in the Round of 32. They are not taking their first round opponents lightly, however.

#33. Chromatik State University
Regular Season Record: 16-6, 3rd Metropolitan Conference
Conference Tournament: Champions, beat Southpoint Technical College of Ceni in the Finals
First Round Opponent: #32 University of the Wetlands (SAN) (15-7 Phoenix Wright Conference, Conference Champions)
Key Player: Mariette Dotson, SG, Junior
Analysis: The Stars had a solid regular season, and trumped it with the Conference Championship, earning a pretty good at-large berth into the final tournament. Their first opponent will be the University of the Wetlands Terriers of San Llera, a team that lost one more game than them in the regular season but ended up winning their conference tournament. Mariette Dotson, a scoring machine averaging over twenty five points per contest, will be a huge asset for the Stars. The winner of this match will probably face the highest seed in the tournament, Sadeg State; for a Comets side that came into the season trying to prove that they were as good as their rivals, CCCU, a win here would go a long way... especially if CCCU loses.

#34. Z'ai'ai University of Technology
Regular Season Record: 17-5, 2nd Big 12 Conference
Conference Tournament: Lost in Finals to Emperor State University of Vangaziland
First Round Opponent: Vietussia Agricultural and Mechanical (UNV) (19-3 Gravity Conference, Lost to Sadeg State University (DRK) in Finals)
Key Player: Verlie Simon, SF, Junior
Analysis: The Hellcats fell to another school from Vangaziland, Emperor State University, in the finals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament, which landed them a 34th seed in the Ultra 64. Their opponent will be another school who had a solid regular season and fell just short in the conference tournament, Vietussia Agricultural and Mechanical. Verlie Simon has been the cog in not only their offense but also their defense all season long for the Hellcats, who believe that they deserved a higher seed. Here is their chance to prove it.

#38 Deprí Lanar University
Regular Season Record: 16-8, 2nd Terranea Friendship Conference
Conference Tournament: Champions, beat Northern 98X University (NIX) in the Finals
First Round Opponent: University of Cenial (17-5 Emerald Conference, Lost to University of Bloodbenderopolis-Invierno (FND) in Semifinals)
Key Player: Delana Valles, SG, Senior
Analysis: In the lone thirteen-team conference, Deprí Lanar proved supreme in the Conference Tournament. University of Cenial awaits, a squad that tore up the Emerald Conference before falling in the Conference Tournament early. Cenian schools have a tendency of showing up big in important games, and Delana Valles will look to mirror the sentiment. This matchup is exciting and potent, and should provide some high-octane basketball.

#44. University of Myana
Regular Season Record: 17-5, 3rd Bird Conference
Conference Tournament: Lost in Finals to University of Ceni-Santiago
First Round Opponent: Drawk Corps University (DRK) (16-6 Eternal Conference, Conference Champions)
Key Player: Mistie Beamer, PG, Senior
Analysis: After stumbling to a 17-5 record, the Vipers almost won the Bird Conference title before getting blown out by the University of Ceni-Santiago, one of the premier establishments on the college hoops scene. This plummeted their seeding all the way down to #44. Their reward will be a conference champion in Drawk Corps University, a school that won both the regular season and the conference tournament. If the Vipers are to advance, the passing of Mistie Beamer and her assist skills will be very much needed, they will live and die by her skill as a floor general. For a school filled with seniors, this may be the last time that they play together before they are grabbed by the CBA.

#48. Alnio University of the Arts
Regular Season Record: 17-5, 4th Amaethon Conference
Conference Tournament: Semifinals, lost to Technical College of Vengaziland
First Round Opponent: Cthulhu Education and Preparedness College (SAN) (18-4 Bolivar Conference, Lost to Nova Ascea College (CEN) in the Finals)
Key Player: Wilhelmina Guglielmo, C, Junior
Analysis: The biggest surprise of the Chromatik Eight, as we are calling our qualifiers, is the Meercats. Nobody expected them to have such a great season, nor to make it to the Ultra 64. A #48 seed isn't the greatest, but it's respectable; their first opponent will be another San Lleran school, Cthulhu Education and Preparedness College, a side that almost won their conference tournament. It's been the Guglielmo show for the Meercats the entire season, as they are one of the few schools where the center scores most of their points; she will be called to deliver once again for the liberal school still trying to prove they belong in the world of sports.

[Ceni]

NSCAA First Round: Teams and Analysis

All Cenian teams managed to make it to the main tournament for all of the NSCAA, the Ultra 64 tournament. Here we preview all of the schools and their chances of succeeding in the NSCAA competition.

4. University of Ceni-Santiago
Regular Season Record: 20-2 in Bird Conference, 1st.
Conference Tournament: Champions, defeated University of Myana (CMT).
First Round Opponent: (61) Hankow Commerce (UNV)
Key Player: Javier Aiza (PF).
Analysis: The University of Ceni-Santiago is one of the lesser schools academically in Ceni but they make up for that with their good basketball program, apparently. They were not tapped to go far in their conference, although Javier Aiza's talent was noticed in the original preview of Cenian players. In the end, though, this dark horse team ended up in first place in their conference, racking up a huge point differential along the way and winning by two wins over Hankow Community College. In the conference championships, they managed to win a blowout against the University of Myana. In the first round, they will face Hankow Commerce of United Vietussia - almost certainly a blowout win for this team, considering that they have one of the best wheel offenses of any of the teams out there, and Javier Aiza is an excellent shooter and guard. They should get to the final four on basis of their seeding - but everyone knows there are bound to be upsets.

11. Southpoint Technical College (CEN)
Regular Season Record: 19-3 in Metropolitan Conference, 1st.
Conference Tournament: Lost in finals to Chromatik State University (CMT).
First Round Opponent: (54) Marshland University (FND).
Key Player: Orion Darkstar (C)
Analysis: This is one of the other teams from Ceni that got overlooked in the original standings. However, they did go after that with a vengeance, playing to the utmost of their abilities and shocking the Cenian basketball pundits, who originally predicted that Southpoint wouldn't go too far in their conference. Despite those predictions, though, Obran Camasau and Orion Darkstar have done well enough to get called up to the Cenian national team training camp for the upcoming IBC. Marshland University did pretty poorly in their conference and should be an easy opponent in the first round, especially with a center who has the skills of Orion Darkstar; he is an imposing physical presence on the team and excels not only at rebounds and defense but at scoring as well.

13. University of New Oxford (CEN)
Regular Season Record: 18-4 in Emerald Conference, 1st.
Conference Tournament: Won, defeated Universidad Bolivarianos de Caracas (NCS).
First Round Opponent: (52) University of Emesamie (DRK).
Key Player: Ashur El-Amin (PF).
Analysis: The University of New Oxford was tapped as one of the better schools to come out of Ceni, and they managed to get third place in the seedings for Cenian schools, at thirteenth. After a poor start, this school ended up winning both their conference and their conference championships, defeating Universidad Bolivarianos in the final for the conference crown. Ashur El-Amin is perhaps one of the best freshmen in all of Ceni, with exquisite shooting, layups, and dunking that got him on the Top Ten prospects list. This team, though, is more than its key player, with point guard Sara Cenial and small forward Sean Arian all contributing to this school's excellent performance. While Drawkish schools are renowned for their height and basketball prowess, and the University of Emesamie is no exception, they are the lowest-seeded Drawkian school, and UNO believes it can outrun and outplay the lauded Drawkians.

19. Whitehaven Naval Academy (CEN)
Regular Season Record: 19-3 in Phoenix Wright University, 1st (by two points).
Conference Tournament: Lost in finals to University of the Wetlands (SAN).
First Round Opponent: (46) Territorial Institute (ETM).
Key Player: Kiana Ke'Sahndrhan (PG).
Analysis: Whitehaven Naval Academy was a bit of a surprise team like some of the other sides coming from Ceni. At the beginning of the season, many overlooked this side, but their lauded wheel offense has allowed them to have an excellent, if close, season (they only won the regular season conference by a head to head point difference of two points against Blue Coast University). Their conference tournament was equally close, but they ended up losing that one, by a close score of three points. The navy emphasizes teamwork, and to satisfy that strategy, the team uses a highly refined version of the wheel offense to harry their opponents and encourage all of the team to have good ball-handling and shooting team. Overall, this team has great teamwork and plays well together.

24. Nova Ascea College (CEN)
Regular Season Record: 16-6 in Bolivar Conference, 2nd.
Conference Tournament: Champions, defeated Cthulhu Education and Preparednss College (SAN)
First Round Opponent: (40) Hamilton Institute of Technology (ETM)
Key Player: Tomás Arena (SF).
Analysis: Of the several Cenian schools even entered in the NSCAA, critics and pundits alike viewed Nova Ascea College as one of the schools with the worst basketball programs. Despite that unwelcome moniker, Tomás Arena, the school's wonderful shooting forward, has managed to turn this motley crew of players into a cohesive fighting force. They lost out on the regular season title to Cthulhu Education and Preparednss College of San Llera, but they managed to turn the tables on their Lleran rivals, defeating them in the conference championships. While Hamilton Institute is seeded below them, Electrum's no slouch on the international basketball scene, and the college will have to be well prepared to do well.

27. University of Cenial (CEN)
Regular Season Record: 17-5 in Emerald Conference, 1st.
Conference Tournament: Lost in semifinals to University of Bloodbenderopolis-Invierno (FND).
First Round Opponent: (38) Depri Lanar University (CMT).
Key Player: Zelimir Frankic (PG).
Analysis: Zelimir Frankic, who made the Izmedun national basketball team which won the gold medal in the Olympics, led the way for the team, which won the Emerald Conference with a record of 17-5 after an admittedly poor start to the season. After an admittedly poor start in the Emerald Conference, they rocketed back up to win the regular-season conference, but went 1-1 in the conference tournament as they were upset in the semifinals by the Frenlinian school University of Bloodbenderopolis-Invierno, winning the dubious distinction of being the worst-performing Cenian school in all of the conference tournaments. They do rely more on Frankic (their star player) more than some of the other schools rely on their main players, and it might be hard to adjust if Frankic somehow gets injured, so this team's fortunes are likely a bit harder to predict than some of the other schools.

43. University of Ceni (CEN)
Regular Season Record: 13-9 in Great Sky Conference, 4th.
Conference Tournament: Champions, defeated Stoneshore College (COS).
First Round Opponent: (22) University of Somer (ETM).
Key Player: François Gaucher-Faubert (C).
Analysis: Believe it or not, the University of Ceni was high on the list of the pundits' pre-season picks; they placed high marks on the team's all-around cast, including Phillip Lomax, Francois Gaucher-Faubert, and Ryan Vermillion. However, they had a poor time in an admittedly tough Great Sky Conference, with a placing of only fourth in the conference. After that disappointment, though, they managed to go on and win their conference tournament and get an automatic berth in the Ultra 64. It will be a hard run in the tournament; if they manage to defeat twenty-second seed University of Somer in the first round, they will probably face upstart Cenian school Southpoint Technical College, seeded eleventh, and it will be a hard run for this school. Although this team is highly reliant on their two main stars, Vermillion and Gaucher-Faubert, they will be around for the full four years, and they can bring this school glory in the future.

Sorry to Chrom; I kind of borrowed your format.

[San Llera]

That's right - it's the first NSCAA tournament cutoff!

Note: Results may take a while today.

[Drawkland]

Gonna echo San Llera. My results coming in a bit.

Reminder that half of my games will be scorinated and posted by Frenline Delpha instead, since they have my schools playing in them.

University of New Oxford (CEN)
University of Emesamie (DRK)

Elmanden District College (DRK)
Instituto Universitario Politecnico de Carabobo (NCS)

Equatorolio National University (SAN)
Metropolon City College (DRK)

Drawk Corps University (DRK)
University of Myana (CMT)

[Frenline Delpha]

I'm cutting off. Gonna do some RP ranking, and I'll post the results after.

[Banija]

Cutoff for my NSCAA tournament matches!

Scores coming shortly.

Let the upsets start rolling in...

[Vangaziland]

Overglade University became the first Vannish school to be eliminated from NSCAA 7. They fell to the axe of the University of Jackson. Overglade entered this tournament as the top-ranked team in Vangaziland, after beating Blue Coast University in the domestic Division 1 Chamipionship. The Black Vikings finished their NSCAA 7 conference with a record of 20-2 and won the conference championship as well.

The Vikings got off to a slow start for this game. Starting point guard Eaglesen was clearly trying to get assists and made some decent passes. Overglade's shooters failed to convert, going 0-5 with their first shots. This forced Eaglesen to start taking shots. He found a way to get to the basket and score three times, beating his man one on one. On the fourth try, the opposing center stepped in to double and blocked the point guard.

Eaglesen needed a breather after forcing the offense for so long. Sarah Westborn came in and got off to a good start, passing out to Tullet who found space off a screen for a quick shot.

The Black Vikings managed to take and hold the lead for much of the third quarter. The other team never fell more than 5 points behind.

"They were like terriers on our heels", said J.R. Ghostwriter. The forward finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds. "We just couldn't get going."

The fourth quarter was filled with several lead changes. Juell Sampsen caught a laser alley-oop pass from Sarah Westborn and seemed to swing the momentum back towards Overglade. The University of Jackson fought back and took the lead.

As time wound down, Jackson was holding on to a 1 point lead. Overglade had one last chance to take the lead. Two players split off the screen. Eaglesen dished to Trey Swanson who turned and shot. The buzzer sounded just before the shot bounced off the backboard with a load clump. Overglade had been eliminated.

"We made a good run", Coach Derek Shipping told reporters. "We could have gotten farther, but it just wasn't our day. It happens."

Steven Eaglesen seemed upset after the game. He didn't have any comments for postgame reporters. Several analysts have speculated, according to insider info, that Eaglsen is worried that his early exit will be bad for his future career and gives rival Wang Xiaopeng the chance for the spotlight.

"It's no secret that Eaglsen and Xiaopeng are the two most scouted point guards in Vangaziland. One of them will probably play for the Vangaziland Royals some day", said coach Shipping. "It's easy to see how this loss could seem dramatic for our guys. But it's still so early in their careers. They shouldn't be worried about anything other than college basketball."

Wang Xiaopeng and Emperor State University finished third in VCA D1 basketball behind Blue Coast University and conference champions Overglade University.

The other seven Vannish colleges advanced into the round of 32.

Emperor Helios Vang made a comment, since he had recently picked Overglade to win the Championship.

"Did I say Overglade?", asked the Emperor rhetorically through his social media page. "I meant Emperor State."

The comment was sure to sting Steven Eaglesen, who recently posted a status about being the Emperor's favorite point guard.

[Chromatika]

The Chromatik Eight
A Look at the Eight Chromatik Schools, How They Fared in the First Round, and Their Second Round Opponents (If Any)
Column by College Basketball Fanatic Lowell Kimberly (LIn), Chromatik City Courier

After the first round, six of eight Chromatik schools have made it to the Round of 32. Unfortunately, not all of them can pass onto the Sweet Sixteen, as there is a Chromatik vs. Chromatik matchup when the Chromatik Citty College University Comets will take on the Deprí Sanar University Spartans. Here's a look at how the eight schools did, and what they'll be facing, if they won.

#7. Pùr State University
Previous Result: Defeated #58 Vietussia Academy, 70-69
Next Opponent: #26 University of Ice Peak (FND), defeated #39 Deltan University for Agriculture (ETM), 80-79
Analysis: Pùr had a shock against Vietussia Academy, as the underdogs gave them all they could handle, but they were determined to not be upset as so many other higher seeds were in the First Round of the craziness that is the Ultra 64. It was only through the timely buckets of Ja Thrall - who had six points in the final two minutes - that the Crusaders were able to survive the onslaught. Their next challenge will be the University of Ice Peak, who also had a tough time against their first round opponent, edging out by just a point. As both teams have proven that they can survive in high-pressure games, the game will probably go down to whomever makes better decisions in crunch time, and be decided at the line. Free throws will matter a lot.

Deprí Sanar and Chromatik City College to be covered at end of article

#33. Chromatik State University
Previous Result: Defeated #32 University of the Wetland (SAN), 79-75
Next Opponent: #1 Sadeg State University (DRK), defeated #64 United University (ETN), 83-56
Analysis: The reward for the Stars hanging on against a pesky University of the Wetlands squad to qualify to the next round of the competition is a match against the overall #1 seed, Sadeg State, who utterly demolished their first round opponent by twenty-seven points. Perhaps the one thing the Chromatik squad will have going for them is that a lot of Drawkish schools lost in the first round, putting most of the pressure on Sadeg, who is expected to make it much further in the competition. Mariette Dotson had twenty-three points in the first round; if her hot hand continues, the Comets may have a chance against Sadeg State; it is entirely possible also to have Sadeg State prove why they're the #1 seed and continue to pummel their opponents.

#34. Z'ai'ai University of Technology
Previous Result: Defeated #31 Vietussia Agricultural and Mechanical (UNV), 64-63
Next Opponent: #2 Corinth City University (DRK), defeated #63 Stoneshore College (COS), 85-77
Analysis: A three-pointer with 8.7 seconds left in regulation by Verlie Simon was the difference in the Hellcats' win over Vietussia Agricultural and Mechanical, a scrappy game that had relatively low scoring. In their first round matchup, Corinth City had some moments where they didn't jell very well against Stoneshore College, and the Hellcats will be trying to replicate that in their next match. The game will hinge on whether or not Corinth City can stop Simon from taking off, as the Junior Forward accounted for twenty-one points in the first round, scoring in a myriad of different ways.

#38. Deprí Lanar University
Previous Result: Defeated by #27 University of Cenial, 75-84
Analysis: The Warriors' season comes to an end, losing out to a capable squad of the University of Ceni. Delana Valles tried to carry the team in what turned out to be the last game of her college career, scoring a double-double with twenty-two points and eleven rebounds, but it wasn't enough to counter the Cenial school's poise and depth. It was still a rather successful season by the team, though, and one that Janene McAtee can definitely build upon.

#44. University of Myana
Previous Result: Defeated #21 Drawk Corps University (DRK), 92-73
Next Opponent: #12 Arten Eastern University (FND), defeated #53 Port Grenville College of Arts (ETM), 78-70
Analysis: The five seniors of Myana showed Drawk Corps the meaning of experience, thoroughly dominating in the transition phase in their first round win. The Vipers went out to an early lead and never looked back, with Beamer scoring thirty points and twelve rebounds, Overstreet adding twelve points and five blocks, along with twelve boards himself. This group of seniors are playing with passion and calculated abandon, and their next opponent will be Arten Eastern, who put away their first round opponents pretty handily. Beamer stated that she prefers such a low seed because it gives her even more fuel to prove her doubters wrong, and she's showed that so far.

#48. Alnio University of the Arts
Previous Result: #17 Defeated by Cthulhu Education and Preparedness College (SAN), 67-79
Analysis: The Meercats had a hell of a run, proving that they are not just a liberal arts college and can play some basketball. However, they committed way too many turnovers in the game against Cthulhu Education and Preparedness College, and it was ultimately their downfall. Guglielmo did have twenty-one points and ten boards, keeping up her form, but the team did fall short. Very solid season in the books for a squad that many thought didn't belong in the NSCAA representing Chromatika.

---

#15. Deprí Sanar University Spartans vs. #18. Chromatik City College University Comets

It would be an understatement to say that CCCU is disliked by many other Chromatik schools; although CSU leads in that category mostly because they both reside in the Capital City, even the regional schools don't like the aura of supremacy and elitism that CCCU can portray. This makes the matchup between the Spartans and the Comets a very juicy one. The Comets made it by defeating #47 Hankow Community College (UNV) by a single point, 76-75, while the Spartans destroyed a #50 University of Hondo (VAL) team, 83-57. Shantel Flake had a great performance, with twenty-four points, eleven assists, and nine rebounds in the win, while Bennie Sol had twenty points as well. For CCCU, the decisive points came from Petronella Pajari, as expected.

On paper, Deprí Sanar is the favorite, with their seniority, experience, and momentum coming off of such a dominating win. If we were to analyze the teams, position by position: Bozena Aldenkamp is a capable point guard, but not the superstar Shantel Flake is, so Deprí Sanar gets the edge there; Pajari is the freshman superstar, consistent capable scorer, so she edges out Lonnie Holifield; Both Steve Norup and Margery Wolery are defensive-minded centers with pretty good rebound skills, so that's a tie; Iwo Smolak and Bennie Sol are both occasional scoring threats on the team, but Smolak prefers to take it to the rim while Sol prefers jumpers and three-pointers. Slight edge to Sol. Sari Geelan and Florance Strock are often overlooked in their teams, contributing minutes spent mostly on defense and on transition, so a tie there. Janis Tomasson and Laura Kristofferson provide valuable minutes off the bench for CCCU, which gives CCCU a bench edge; And in the coaching staff, Konstantyn Arts has been around for a long time coaching hoops, and been under many a different high-pressure situation; this gives him the edge over Yael Heineman.

All in all, it should be a rather exciting match as these two squads face off, with the possibility of facing another Chromatik School - Z'ai'ai University of Technology - should they win.

[Ceni]

NSCAA First Round: Cenian Schools Set Up Vangaziland Clash
With only the University of Ceni-Santiago losing (in a shock upset, we might mention), 4 of the 7 remaining schools will face Vannish schools for a place in the Sweet Sixteen. In this article, we review the first round games and then the chances for each of Ceni's schools heading into the second round of the NSCAA Ultra 64 basketball tournament.

4. University of Ceni-Santiago
Previous Result: Lost to Hankow Commerce (UNV), 82-83.
Analysis: In a crazy day with games going on all over the world, there were bound to be some casualties in the first round, and the third seeds - Cemmendy Tech - of Drawkland and the University of Ceni-Santiago were the first to fall. The offense of Javier Aiza and Benjamin Espinoza, both of whom are tapped to go on the Cenian national basketball team's IBC roster, worked well, although the team seemed a bit leaky on defense. Surprisingly, the sixty-first seeds managed to pull off the upset, with a last-second buzzer-beater three-pointer coming from Vietussian point guard Ivan Campos to save the day for the Vietussian school - and win in the surprise upset for the team. The school played well in their conference tournament, though, and they should be proud of what they have accomplished.

13. University of New Oxford (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated University of Emesamie (DRK), 81-64.
Next Round Opponent: Imperial Military Academy (VNG).
Analysis: The University of Emesamie was hardly a pushover - with their star player, Elliott Martin, a forward, topping the height charts at just over eight feet tall. However, that didn't stop the University of New Oxford, which has probably one of the more all-star casts of the major Cenian universities, including national team prospect Ashur El-Amin racking up the point scores, center Miko Vel Aath doing well on the rebound sections, and point guard Sara Cenial excelling in the three-point shots and the assists ledger. All their teamwork worked to defeat the Drawkians, who all had at least a foot advantage on the Cenian team, as their wheel offense, a favorite of Cenian coaches and Adam Arthros, made use of the superior ball-handling skills, dribbling, and agility to get around the tall Drawkish players. It definitely wasn't all cake and roses for the Drawkish team as they found themselves out-played, with the Cenians' strategy obviously keeping them off guard. They advance to face the Imperial Military Academy from Vangaziland, which won their regular-season conference with confidence. They will definitely looking to win this highly anticipated matchup, especially because the departure of the University of Ceni-Santiago opens up the draw for a deserving school.

19. Whitehaven Naval Academy (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated Territorial Institute (ETM), 85-82.
Next Round Opponent: St. Joseph's College (VNG).
Analysis: Whitehaven Naval Academy was worried about Territorial Institute before the first round, and that worry was well-founded as the Electrumite school rocketed out to a 50-40 lead after the first half. However, some inspired play from Kiana Ke'Sahndrhan and Solari Sevlaya brought the points deficit down to only a few points as the score reached 80-79 with only a minute left on the clock. Sevlaya managed to hit a nice three-pointer from the outside to give the Academy their first lead of the match, 82-80, but Rodney Walker managed to hit in a layup past a spirited Admirals defense to tie up the score. With only about thirty seconds left, Ke'Sahndrhan managed to exploit the turnover and have a confident three-point shot, which she duly made, while the spirited defense on the other side of the court managed to block any last-minute shots. They go on to face fourteenth seeded St. Joseph's College in the second round - with the winner likely to go onto the Elite Eight, courtesy of Cemmendy Tech's aforementioned upset. But St. Joseph's is no slouch - they won their conference tournament with a 21-1 record and an amazing +470 point differential. They shall hope to carry on the Vannish banner after their top school - Overglade University - was upset in the first round.

24. Nova Ascea College (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated Hamilton University of Technology (ETM), 90-74.
Next Round Opponent: Technical College of Vangaziland (VNG).
Analysis: Nova Ascea College was not one of the higher prospects in the original listing of the Cenian pundits' predictions - but they did well nonetheless, defeating the Hamilton University of Technology - one of the "Big Five" schools in Ceni's Terranean neighbor Electrum - in an easy match, despite the Electrumite school's depth of talent and tradition of producing new players for the Electrumite national team. They are one of the four Cenian schools to face a Vannish team in the second round - their lucky prize in the second round being eighth seed Technical College of Vangaziland, which had excellent runs in its regular season and its conference tournament, winning both. Nova Ascea might be a good school for basketball - especially by Cenian standards - but they'll have to work extra hard in order to have a fighting chance against TCV.

27. University of Cenial (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated Depri Lanar University (CMT), 84-75.
Next Round Opponent: Emperor State University (VNG).
Analysis: Before the season began, the University of Cenial was not only one of the better schools in Ceni for basketball, but also for academics as well, and they took pride in their intelligent players, including guards Eric Elgin and Zelimir Frankic. They won pretty confidently over an admittedly in-form Depri Lanar University, which put up a fight, which was ultimately not enough for the Chromatik school to prevail against this team. They will go on to face number six seed Emperor State University in the second round, one of the Vannish schools that threaten to give Cenian schools a hard time in the second round. They've had a lot of success, having the fifth-best conference record in all of the NSCAA, so they'll be a quite hard team to face in the second round. The University of Cenial is very confident, though, and they have a good roster - a good performance here in the final tournament will help to make up for their poor performances earlier, and they are definitely gunning for the victory here. They will definitely fight hard despite their low(ish) seeding.

[Valanora]

Results for Matches 37-40.

[Chromatika]

Results for Matches 45-48.

[United Vietussia]

The Vietussian Inquisitor

Amazing upset over Ceni-Santiago by Hankow Commerce headlines many one point NSCAA Ultra 64 games

A one point upset over #4 overall Ceni-Santiago by #61 Hankow Commerce created arguably the biggest upset of the Ultra 64, with an argument for the Shibusen over Cemmedy upset, busting all brackets before they could even get a win tallied. This was one of only 8 1-point games in the Ultra 64, 3 of them becoming losses for Vietussian teams, setting up what will be an interesting round of 32. Let's take a look at all 6 of Vietussia's NSCAA playoff teams.

#49 Oigrad Community College
Lost 89-70 to #16 University of Auster

Oigrad Community College was regarded to be one of Vietussia's mediocre teams in the NSCAA tournament. Their performance in the Ultra 64 resonated those calls. No one is really upset or surprised to see them go.

#61 Hankow Commerce
Beat #4 University of Ceni-Santiago 83-82

As aforementioned, one of the last four teams in was able to sneak in one of the 8 point upsets. It will be interesting to see if this team can win their next game and make a run into the Sweet 16.

UPDATE: Hankow Commerce lost 79-71 to Centralis University (OOC: The results were posted during the writing of this post).

#31 Vietussia Agricultural and Mechanical
Lost 64-63 to #34 Z'ai'ai University of Technology

Vietussia A&M fell victim to one of the 1-point losses in a tossup match between the second most evenly matched game in terms of seeding. A few were shocked to see a buzzer beater go in for Z'ai'ai, but the Vietussian team was playing poorly most of the game.

#47 Hankow Community College
Lost 76-75 to #18 Chromatik City College University

Hankow also fell victim to a 1-point loss, narrowly missing an upset over Chromatik City. It will be interesting to see how the program will progress in the next few seasons.

#58 Vietussia Academy
Lost 70-69 to #7 Pur State University

Another Vietussian loss by one point made Vietussians groan after their 3rd 1-point loss, this time Vietussia Academy falling to Pur State. Vietussia's main university received good results this season for their low seed.

#23 Oigrad University
Beat #42 Prescott School 89-61

Vietussia's best team this season and conference regular season champs were easily able to win their first match and are nowone of twothe only Vietussian team reamining. They will play #10 College of the Air Force in the Round of 32.

And that sums up the sub-par first round for Vietussia. It will be up to Oigrad University to carry the college basketball weight of Vietussia into the Sweet 16 and beyond. But until then, this is Jeb Ports, reporting live from Hankow.

[Nuevo Caracas]

Cutoff for Matches 33-36.

[Drawkland]

NSCAA ULTRA 64: WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!?!
Written By: Andrea Tiffon and Annie Kendor

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TOP TEAM

Sadeg: Safest Survivors

RECENT RESULTS

DRAWK CORPS
Drawk Corps University (DRK) 72–93 University of Myana (CMT)

CORINTH CITY
Corinth City University (DRK) 85–77 Stoneshore College (COS)
Corinth City University (DRK) 76–62 Z'ai'ai University of Technology (CMT)

SADEG
Sadeg State University (DRK) 83–56 Unite University (ETN)
Sadeg State University (DRK) 80–73 Chromatik State University (CMT)

ELMANDEN
Elmanden District College (DRK) 65–101 Instituto Universitario Politecnico de Carabobo (NCS)

METROPOLON
Equatorolio National University (SAN) 71–74 Metropolon City College (DRK)
Instituto Universitario Politecnico de Carabobo (NCS) 78–79 Metropolon City College (DRK)

EMESAMIE
University of New Oxford (CEN) 81–64 University of Emesamie (DRK)

NOTAMILL
Blue Coast University (VNG) 102–75 Notamill College (DRK)

CEMMENDY
Cemmendy Tech (DRK) 84–85 Shibusen School (ANM)

FIRST ROUND RECAP
So. As you may notice by this nifty box on the left, Drawkland's lineup of teams was completely, illogically, and nigh-unfairly eliminated from the NSCAA Ultra 64 bracket. Only 3/8 teams remain, and 2 of the top-10 overall seeds from Drawkland were defeated by other teams. As such, literally everyone is outraged. Cemmendy and Elmanden have put aside their differences to be outraged at each other's losses. The Drawk Corps is actually caring about other teams losing. Notamill and Emesamie lost too, which while expected, is still extremely unfortunate given the current climate of teams. Cats and dogs are living together. Crops are retracting back into the ground. Rain is falling up. The dead raising from the ground. Dreaglelun has a stable government. People are feeling bad for Notamill. Drawkland is planning to enter the World Cup! Okay, maybe not that last one, BUT EVERYTHING IS FALLING APART!

Seriously guys, come on! This is absolutely what NOBODY expected. Let's see how everything went, across the world of how is this happening

WHAT JUST HAPPENED. WE'RE STARTLED
Here we'll show you a recap of this entire array of complete bullshit. Sorry for the language, but if you're a TRUE Drawkian you'd agree.

For one, Drawk Corps University versus the Chromatik school University of Myana. This was definitely expected to be a close one, as they were both close seeds. However, they lost by an astounding 21 points. 21! TWENTY-ONE. That's right, the Drawk Corps getting absolutely demolished by a lower-seeded school. Not to discount Myana though, as they've gone on to beat Arten Eastern of Frenline Delpha, but nobody said we had to be sweet about that. Christ almighty.

Thankfully, Corinth City University came in with a relieving 8 points win over the second-lowest seeded school, Stoneshore College of Cosumar (stick to football, eh?). The game was pretty much Corinth the whole time, and the crowd mob mentality kept the whole thing rolling to secure the victory. Then, against the Z'ai'ai school from Chromatika that brought so much trouble to Metropolon, Corinth simply flattened them by 14 points to advance. It's looking hopeful for them, for sure.

Sadeg State, #1 school, brought a quick and powerful end to Unite University, Ethane's lone school in the Ultra 64. To add insult to injury, Sadeg brought a 27 point disparity into the court, absolutely crushing the spirits of the Ethanians in the stadium. Plus, the Sadeg State pep band was playing tunes and cadences near-constantly, except when the refs demanded silence at a few points. Then the next round brought Sadeg and Chromatik State from the respective nation together, which luckily Sadeg also cruised past, with a slightly spookier 7 point diff.

But the ultimate and complete insult was the Elmanden game versus the mouthful of a school from Nuevo Caracas, Instituto Universitario Politecnico de Carabobo. This was supposed to be an easy game. Carabobo was only a #60 seed overall, and Elmanden #5. It was expected to be an absolute whipping for the Nuevo team. Boy was everyone wrong. The crowd was near-silent towards the end, the Drawkian way at least. Carabobo was so good, and Elmanden was just tripping over themselves, sometimes literally, over the game. 36 whole points by the end of the game. 65-101. Anybody who only knew the teams and the score would assume it was a Drawkian win, and yet it wasn't. Thank the lord that Metropolon brought them swift justice in the next round.

Metropolon, however, have really been the ones carrying the Drawkian spirit on their shoulders. After being in a disadvantaged #37 seed, they managed to barely eek out a 3-point win over Equatorolio National University from San Llera (a 3-pointer buzzer-beater to break the tie in the last second), and then brought justice to Carabobo by bringing a 2-pointer to make the score 78-79, and then blocking their final shot to keep their chances alive. The Generals have come out of nowhere this tournament, and it's expected that they'll be one of Drawkland's lone hopes at making the Final Four or championship.

Emesamie lost to a Cenian school, University of New Oxford, 81-64. #Shocked, amirite?

Notamill, the hated Drawkian school by its own people, also lost, to a Vangazi school no less. Blue Cost University killed off the Inconspicuous Bystanders in a 27-point blowout, strikingly a color inversion of Sadeg's game. Not literally though. Blue Coast doesn't wear Yellow and Blue. Just blue. And some blue-greenish hues.

Finally, the highest seed in the tournament to be eliminated in the first round, Cemmendy Tech fell to upstart Shibusen School, the only college from Aji No Moto to make it in at all. Cemmendy, it seems, got too comfortable in the early stages of the game, not bothering to take a huge lead, and that came back to bite them with a miracle half-court shot for the final seconds, to get a 3-pointer that brought them a point above for the final score. This is just absolutely awful.

IAROCAV'S ADDRESS
After seeing the results of the first two rounds, Supreme Drawkionel Iarocav gave an address after the Corinth City game, the last to be played in the second round. Here's a transcript:

Greetings to all Drawkians in attendance and watching this on various screens. Greetings also to the Chromatiks in attendance, and thanks for the good game. Had me sweating for awhile.

After the absolute national tragedy that was the first round of the Ultra 64, I am so pleased to see our remaining schools keeping their own in the next round. Sadeg, Corinth, and Metropolon, some of the nation's most shining cities and schools, you are truly representing the Drawkian Spirit. I wish you well.

A word advice to you players left: never back down. Never drop your quality and never let up. Cemmendy is gone, with good future prospects lost, because they let themselves go too early. If you do that, you WILL lose. I am sure of it. I've seen it ever since basketball was founded in our nation, and that's the most common way a great, a dynastic team loses. They get cocky. They get lazy. Now, all of us Drawkians are cocky, and for good reason, but once you put your mouth over your game? It's over. You have no place to be cocky anymore. Let THEM show as a lesson to you all.

Now, on a lighter note, it seems that we still have decent chances in the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight and so on. However, you must go against many Chromatik schools primarily to get there. I challenge every coach to look over every tape of Chromatik schools in existence to find their weak points and exploit them. We will personally take them down, and fight for every inch of bracket we can get. We had fantastic chances going in to this Ultra competition, and we will retain those chances going out of it, by god. Final Four or die!

Okay, don't literally die. In closing, I am convinced my bracket is better than Emperor Vang's of Vangaziland, and Drawkland will win both the bracket AND the bracket challenge! FOR DRAWKLAND!

Then the crowd cheered. Even some Chromatiks, if you believe the Corinth fans.

PREDICTIONS
Sadeg State faces Cthulhu Preparedness (etc) of San Llera. It's the lone San Lleran school left, but the Skyhawks are sure to beat the Cthulhus, to our extreme remorse. We wish San Llera well with their loss, as we'd rather crush a Vangazi school to advance than a Lleran. Oh well. By the way, make sure to see Drawkman: Rise of Cthulhu in theaters! I hear it's good. Some stuck-up Quebecois gave it an 8.5 so I'm sure it isn't nauseating.

Metropolon City College faces the dreaded U of Myana that brought an end to the Drawk Corps in the first round. It's a tossup on who wins, but we hope Metropolon continues their "justice for the fellow Drawkian losses" streak by beating out the Chromatiks.

Finally, Corinth City faces Depri Sanar, the equivalent of Cemmendy Tech to Elmanden (Depri Lanar in this case). Hopefully this ends as it ended for Cemmendy: badly. For Depri Sanar, I mean. If the Corinthians follow Ol' Iaro's advice, they won't be in Cemmendy's spot.

Good luck to these schools, they'll need it, by God.

[West Phoencia]

West Phoenicia bows out of the tournament after only 1 of there teams progressed which were than knocked out it what most West Phoenician citizens label as typical.

"With some teams moving 8 teams into the finals. What hope do we have, the odds are stacked in the favour. Its always designed for them to win" Minister of Sports and Recreation Maximillan Dogg commented on WP Gold, a popular radio program in the nation.

The final loss; University of Jackson (KWP) 62–82 National Electrum University (ETM) have left many citizens questioning whether time and resources should be used for West Phoenician sports teams to play in international tournaments. Money could be spent on better things like A Bug Museum.

[Vangaziland]

The VSN Game of The Week was the 90-63 AIr Force victory against Oigrad University. It was one game out of seven, most of which did not end well for Vannish schools. Two teams advanced, including Blue Coast University.

The College of the Air Force came out aggressively fighting for control of the post on both ends.

Kev Scholarbrook took over the post as far as rebounds went. He had 5 rebounds in the first 8 minutes. He would finish the game with 11 rebounds, 8 points and 2 blocks. He continually showed his quick, leaping ability.

Coach Tomasson spoke to reporters after the game. "Kev shows us that you don't have to be seven feet to be a solid center. He's great at using his quickness and athleticism to take control."

This was a game that quickly became one-sided.

"They fought hard", said Darius Styles. "But we were just a little too motivated tonight. We saw some of the earlier game results and knew we had to step up.".

The Twisters put up a lot of points early. Both Styles and Randall Lowe scored 12 points in the first half. The team was making that extra pass to find the open player. Styles was also just a little too quick for his defender. He had no trouble moving around in the post and faced him off and showcased a skillful handle. He could face up and dart around his defender like a guard.

Styles would end up leading scoring with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Lowe would finish with 18 points, 3 assists and a steal. Point Guard Sergio Rojas finished with 8 points and 6 assists.

If the Air Force did continue to progress, their players would gather much of the attention of the Vannish scouts. Top recruits Xiaopeng, Eaglesen and others are done with their season. A lot of the scouts are focused on Blue Coast at the moment, since it'd be easier for a team to acquire a player, without worry of buying off the contract of an Air Force cadet.

Alan Clark and Rich Lawson would be gathering the most interest at Blue Coast.

[Chromatika]

And Then There Were Three
A Look at the Chromatik Schools, Their Journey, and Their Future Opponents
Column by College Basketball Fanatic Lowell Kimberly (LIn), Chromatik City Courier

Some infighting along with tough matchups against Drawkish schools have narrowed down Chromatik Teams in the Ultra 64 to just three: Pùr State, Myana, and Deprí Sanar.

Although Chromatik State and Z'ai'ai University of Technology tried their best against the top two seeds of the tournament in Sadeg State and Corinth City, the Drawkish schools were playing with vengeance on their minds after a disastrous first round for Drawkish schools. It definitely showed - CSU only got within seven points in the last few minutes of the game, and Z'ai'ai was never able to establish the rhythm needed to challenge Corinth City.

A bright spot for the Chromatik fans out there would be University of Myana. The five seniors on the squad, slighted by the fact that they got the forty-fourth seed, have been destroying opponents so far this tournament, following up a 93-72 beatdown of Drawk Corps University with an even greater win in the 86-55 trouncing of Arten Eastern University. The transition-based, fast-break system being implemented by Myana has had opponents gasping for air at the end of games, and all five of the senior starters on the team are playing very well, as if they were one body. Mistie Beamer is proving herself to be a far better point guard than most pundits in Chromatika had given herself credit for, scoring when need be and dishing out plenty of assists to Eloise and Leandro. Levi has been a one-man rebound machine. Next up for the Vipers will be Metropolon City College, who will be looking to avenge the earlier loss to Chromatika by a Drawkish school.

If you're looking for more Drawkland-Chromatika rivalry in college hoops, even more await. After dispatching fellow Chromatiks CCCU in the Round of 32, Deprí Sanar gets to face the team that knocked Z'ai'ai out of the tournament. Corinth City is well aware that in order to reach the Final Four, they might have to face three straight Chromatik Schools, and the #2 seed in the entire tournament seems to be up to the challenge. Against the Comets, Shantel and Margery took over the match. They will need to do that again for CCCU to advance.

The final Sweet 16 contestant for Chromatika is the highest seed, Pùr State. The Crusaders put away University of Ice Peak comfortably by 32 points, and are favored heading into their match against College of the Air Force of Vangaziland. Ja Thrall has been his usual dominant self, as he scored a game-high thirty-four in the last game; The Crusaders are expected to cruise to the Elite Eight and face perhaps Corinth City for the Final Four berth.

So whether it be the Senior-laden Myana squad, the upstarts from Deprí Sanar, or Thrall and Pùr State, there is still college basketball to be watched - and thoroughly enjoyed!

[Ceni]

NSCAA Second Round: Five Through to Sweet Sixteen

13. University of New Oxford (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated Imperial Military Academy (VNG), 74-57.
Next Round Opponent: Centralis University (ETM).
Analysis: Imperial Military Academy fancied itself as one of the better Vannish schools, but the University of New Oxford, the third of the superfecta of Cenian major colleges - the other three being the Universities of Ceni, Ceni, and Montague-Hawkesbury (which did not have a basketball program when the NSCAA started), fresh off its victory over the tall players in the University of Emesamie, decided that wouldn't be the case in their convincing performance against the school, winning by a margin of 17 points. Ashur El-Amin was calm and collected while shooting, Miko Vel Aath led on the rebounds with ease, and Sara Cenial led the three-point shot charge in a team with high levels of teamwork and coordination. That was enough to easily dispel the Vannish challengers and set up a matchup with Centralis University, seeded 29th, which took advantage of the early upset of the University of Ceni-Santiago. With the other major seed in its quarter - Elmanden District College of Drawkland - eliminated in an upset in the first round as well, the University of New Oxford is now the favorite to advance to the Final Four, with the highest remaining seed in the other match at #36 with Metropolon City College of Drawkland. The UNO has already demonstrated that it can beat the supposedly superior Drawkians, and it is ready to do it again if it has to, but it is very confident about its chances against the Electrumite challengers.

19. Whitehaven Naval Academy (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated St. Joseph's College (VNG), 73-62.
Next Round Opponent: Blue Coast University (VNG).
Analysis: Whitehaven Naval Academy didn't have to rely on a first-round upset to make use of the absence of a higher seed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen; they eliminated that higher seed themselves, going toe-to-toe with St. Joseph's College of Vangaziland - one of the better schools in the conference play - and defeating them by a nine-point margin, smaller than a blowout but good enough to show the dominance of Whitehaven Naval Academy. Again, they were one of the overlooked schools at the beginning of the year, but they have shown a great resolve throughout the conference tournament and have a good chance to make it to the Final Four if they defeat Blue Coast University. The team, though, has experience with Vannish schools, as their matchup with St. Joseph's suggests, and they know what they're doing and what their strategies and styles are. And it will likely be a good opportunity, too - Shibusen School eliminated Cemmendy Tech, the third seed, in the first round, opening up the pathway for Whitehaven Naval Academy or some other school to do well.

25. Nova Ascea College (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated Technical College of Vangaziland (VNG), 93-67.
Next Round Opponent: National Electrum University (ETM).
Analysis: Technical College of Vangaziland was the number 8 seed and pegged to carry the Vannish schools' hopes after the shock exit of their top school, Overglade University. However, Nova Ascea College stopped them in their tracks with a convincing 26-point win over the higher-seeded school. It was a massive and utter blowout for the northern side as their wheel offense - perfected because they don't have too-many all-star players - stymied whatever defense TCV could throw at them, and their defense, in turn, blocked most of the Vannish school's opportunities. Although they didn't send any players to the Cenian national team as of right now, that might change, especially if they make a run deep into the NSCAA Ultra 64 tournament. For that to happen, though, they must defeat the 24th seeds National Electrum University in what should be an extremely close matchup, owing to the similarity in seeding between the schools, and then #1 Sadeg State University, which has not dropped a game all season so far - not even in their conference tournament, and they survived the first-round upset bug. What is certain, though, is that the Nova Ascea College will fight their best and give everyone a run for their money.

27. University of Cenial (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated Emperor State University (VNG), 75-63.
Next Round Opponent: University of Ceni (CEN).
Analysis: Emperor State University featured one of the top Vannish recruits of the season - Weng Xiaopeng. However, their star recruit's season was ended early with this upset here by the University of Cenial. While Xiaopeng did play well throughout the game, he was simply blocked, and often double-teamed, by the Cenian guard Eric Elgin and center Morrigan Halo. Zelimir Frankic was excellent from the driver's seat today, notching a triple double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists in the game, while Elgin managed to secure top scorer's position in the fairly comfortable 12-point victory. The Cenian school managed to disrupt their opposition's rhythm and defense while maintaining their momentum - a crucial attribute for any basketball team. Now there'll be a quite interesting match between the University of Cenial and their cross-town rival, the University of Ceni. With any matchup as closely contested as that one will be, there will definitely be a fan presence from both colleges, both wanting to secure an Elite Eight berth for their team. It was a bit unfortunate that this matchup had to happen this early, but whatever happens, a Cenian school will progress to the Elite Eight. The question is: which one?

43. University of Ceni (CEN)
Previous Result: Defeated Southpoint Technical College (CEN), 80-78.
Next Round Opponent: University of Cenial (CEN).
Analysis: It was an interesting match seeing two schools of the same nations face off against each other - with the higher seeded school losing in an extremely close game between the more well-respected college academically and the upset queen of Ceni, which actually took a higher seed coming into this NSCAA Ultra 64 tournament. Nonetheless, the University of Ceni, with its all-star lineup, prevailed in the tournament with the barest of margins, with Francois Gaucher-Fabert proving to be the player of the match, leading in rebounds and scoring the winning three-point shot to secure his team the victory. Other standout players included Ryan Vermillion, who led in assists and in three-point shots, and Phillip Lomax, who had a good shooting percentage on layups. Meanwhile, Southpoint Technical College proved they had a successful basketball program with their excellent performance, including standout performances from shooting guard Obran Camasau and from center Orion Darkstar. This was a high quality match that unfortunately had to take place, diluting the impact of the Cenian schools coming into the Sweet Sixteen.

[Ceni]

Cutoff for matches 53&54.

[Valanora]

Results for Matches 51 & 52.

[Chromatika]

Results for matches 55 & 56.

[Nuevo Caracas]

Cutoffs for Matches 49 and 50. Sorry for the delay.

[Drawkland]

REMAINING NSCAA TEAMS STAY ALIVE FOR ELITE 8
Written By: Andrea Tiffon and Tom Walters

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TOP TEAM

Holy Hell that's a big logo

RECENT RESULTS

SADEG
Sadeg State University (DRK) 83–56 Unite University (ETN)
Sadeg State University (DRK) 80–73 Chromatik State University (CMT)
Sadeg State University (DRK) 98–64 Cthulhu Education and Preparedness College (SAN)

CORINTH CITY
Corinth City University (DRK) 85–77 Stoneshore College (COS)
Corinth City University (DRK) 76–62 Z'ai'ai University of Technology (CMT)
Corinth City University (DRK) 81–64 Depri Sanar University (CMT)

METROPOLON
Equatorolio National University (SAN) 71–74 Metropolon City College (DRK)
Instituto Universitario Politecnico de Carabobo (NCS) 78–79 Metropolon City College (DRK)
Metropolon City College (DRK) 74–67 University of Myana (CMT)

DRAWK CORPS
Drawk Corps University (DRK) 72–93 University of Myana (CMT)

ELMANDEN
Elmanden District College (DRK) 65–101 Instituto Universitario Politecnico de Carabobo (NCS)

EMESAMIE
University of New Oxford (CEN) 81–64 University of Emesamie (DRK)

NOTAMILL
Blue Coast University (VNG) 102–75 Notamill College (DRK)

CEMMENDY
Cemmendy Tech (DRK) 84–85 Shibusen School (ANM)

SWEET SIXTEEN RECAP
Well, another collective sigh of relief is heaved from all of us at the DNSN and of course, all of Drawkland. That's right, Sadeg, Corinth, and Metropolon have all survived to play another day in the Ultra 64 NSCAA championship bracket, and have beaten a new set of Chromatik schools (IT'S WHAT YOU DESERVE, SCUMBAGS!). With Cenians and Chromatiks lined up to face the Drawkians in the "Elite" Eight, the competition is certainly tough to advance into the Final Four.

Statistically, Ceni is 100% making it to the Final Four, as an entire section of the bracket is now Cenian (Whitehaven vs Cenial). So either way that game goes, a Cenian school is going into the Final Four. Drawkland has also decent chances, having 3 opportunities to get in. Chromatika only has their one school left, playing Corinth City, so that game is pretty decisive in deciding the national makeup of the Final Four. In addition, National Electrum University of the same country is facing Sadeg. If those two don't make it out, it's entirely likely it to be a half Drawkish, half Cenian Final Four. Or it could be possible to have all 4 nationalities present - Electrumite, Chromatik, Cenian, and Drawkian.

And if you're wondering why Corinth City is listed as the top team rather than Metropolon or Sadeg - it's because they haven't gotten a slice of the top team yet, and because they are currently the top ranked team in the Ultra 64 bracket, by whatever mysterious mafia-esque organization computes the ranks. Go Chargers!

METROPOLON CITY COLLEGE vs UNIVERSITY OF MYANA
In a game that was highly billed as being a spiritual revenge match, the matchup was extremely hyped up before game time. University of Myana, the Chromatik school that eliminated Drawk Corps in the first round, and a Drawkish school, especially one so close, geographically and culturally to the Corps. Basically, this was gonna be all of the Drawk Corps and most of the nation vicariously riding on Metropolon's shoulders for revenge. And boy, did they deliver us with a hot match.

The Vipers and The Generals were set to go in the beginning of the match, and Evelyn Bray of Metropolon won the tipoff over Levi Overstreet. After a bit of passing around and breaking through, Abram Pulleye broke down Mistie Beamer and got in for a slam dunk to start off the match. It was getting very close in the second and third quarter, Mistie Beamer of Myana and Hayden Finni of Metropolon bringing in huge amounts of points for both teams, being true all-stars over the course of the match. However, at one point during the third quarter, Mistie jumped for a layup, but slipped on the court slightly, and instead of dropping in a nice 2 points, accidentally slammed her head into the bottom rim of the backboard, taking her way out of the game with a minor concussion. This threw a massive fork into the Myana machine, and Metropolon found an easy time shutting down their offense and establishing dominance.

It's quite regrettable, as many interviewed Chromatik fans mentioned that the entire starting squad was all-senior, making this the last game of their collegiate career. It is sad, but it's sorta their fault for beating Drawk Corps and advancing in the rounds enough to make this a sob story on their part instead of being simply a small tragedy of a first-round elimination. YOU CAN'T JUST BEAT THE DRAWK CORPS AND EXPECT SYMPATHY, MAN! It's like being angry a mob jumped you because you punted a small, innocent child. Either way, very good performance from Metropolon, and we'll see how they do against #14, New Oxford University, out of Ceni.

CORINTH CITY UNIVERSITY vs DEPRI SANAR UNIVERSITY
The Chromatik onslaught didn't end with Myana, however. Depri Sanar also came in with ripe determination to take down a Drawkian monster, but Corinth City (probably emboldened from the words of Iarocav's speech last round) shot them down with a 17 point lead by the final buzzer. A lot of fans were nervous going into the arena - one was quoted as to saying "This could be it for the Chargers. I hope it isn't, but luck may finally catch up to us here."

However, the threat of another dark-green/monochrome Chromatik uniform did not faze the dark-green/bluegreen uniform of Corinth. After Jay Conan of Corinth easily won the tipoff over Spartan Senior Center Margery Wolery, the Chargers got off to a fantastic start, scoring 9 points before the Spartans got in a single basket. By then it was mighty clear who was gonna win the game, as the Spartans never even got within a 4-point margin of the Charger's score. Corinth was ultimately the better team on the court, or Depri Sanar was having a fatally bad day. Either way, the Drawkian will and power prevailed, and advanced, only to face ANOTHER Chromatik school.

Who seeded this damn bracket anyway? See you soon, #7 Pur State.

SADEG STATE UNIVERSITY vs CTHULHU EDUCATION & PREPAREDNESS COLLEGE
The Skyhawk/White Raider game was sure to be a good one, and that wasn't just because of Drawkman: Rise of Cthulhu being released in theaters a couple weeks ago (some people actually put down bracket predictions based on this matchup happening after the movie was released. Those people are probably already swimming in bracket money). And just as the movie shows (OR DOES IT?!), the Drawkmen beat out Cthulhu's minions to advance onward. Okay, technically they're the opposite of Cthulhu's minions (we think), but you get the drift.

In a bit more detail: Mango Fuset miraculously won the tipoff over 8'1" Corey Penn of Sadeg, which forced Sadeg onto the defensive to start the game off. Luckily, the defense worked well and blocked the shot, putting Sadeg into the driver's seat for the better half of the game. The White Raiders made a comeback in the third quarter, but by then Sadeg was up by too much for the resurgence to make any much of a difference in the game. In fact, after a Skyhawk offensive surge in the 4th, the score ended up with a massive 34-point fissure between the teams.

It was clear to see that the San Lleran fans were disappointed, as this was the last one of their teams (out of five that qualified) left in the playoffs, and were now out of the race for the Final. Luckily though, most Sadeg/Drawkian fans don't have QUITE as much beef against San Llera as they would against, say, Chromatika, so the insults hurled during the game and the banter exchanged after the game weren't quite so harsh and abrasive as they were after the U Myana game at the Chromatik fans. As fellow citizens who've also experienced a mass holocaust of teams in the early rounds, we feel your pain, San Llerans. Don't worry, there's always next year, supposedly.

PREDICTIONS
With the brunt of the bracket behind the teams, there's only 4 nations' teams left. Ceni, Chromatika, Drawkland, and Electrum are all looking for a Final Four spot. Here's the projected probabilities for the teams of a given nation advancing to the Final Four. Keep in mind these were done by Brian, the guy in our office who took AP Stats in high school, so don't expect full accuracy here:

• Ceni: 100%
• Drawkland: 80%
• Chromatika: 40%
• Electrum: 35%

As we mentioned earlier, Ceni has a whole side of the bracket clenched, as no matter who wins between Whitehaven Naval Academy and University of Cenial, a Cenian team will win. And judging by the #14 vs #37 matchup between Metropolon and New Oxford, the Final Four may be half Cenian, and from that, the Ultra 64 Matchup could be all Cenian. But that would really be a disappointment for, like, everyone who's been following this tournament. With 3 matchups, 2 being with the highest-powered teams in the tournament, Drawkland is highly likely to make it through to the Final Four, and all the way to the final, too.

Electrum and Chromatika are fighting uphill battles, facing the overall #1 and #2 seeds respectively in the tournament. Chromatika's Pur State is going to have the toughest time, as they'll be facing the now colloquially-known "Chromtik Crushers" of Corinth City in the Elite Eight. Nat Electrum will be fighting against the revered Sadeg State, and so that's also likely to be a blowout in Drawkian favor.

New Oxford versus Metropolon will definitely be a tough match, however. As aforementioned, the seeding shows a nigh-impossible battle, as opposed to all the others. But with the pluck, determination, and international experience that Metropolon has exhibited in this tournament, it's entirely likely they'll throw New Oxford for a loop and make it into the Final Four. That'd be an interesting matchup, having a 3/4 Drawkian Final Four, eh?

As far as the Whitehaven/Cenial game goes, who cares? Ceni's having a team make it anyway. At this point it's really just national pride as opposed to collegiate pride.

Our official unofficial guess for the Final Four at this juncture, a half Drawkian, half Cenian mix:

• Sadeg State University (DRK) vs New Oxford University (CEN)
• Corinth City University (DRK) vs Whitehaven Naval Academy (CEN)

After this, it's unsure who will prevail, as Drawkland has the seedings but Ceni has the skills. Hopefully though, for the sake of interest and sexual sexual sexual tension and nailbiting games, the final ends up being Sadeg versus Whitehaven. That'd be one we'd love to watch.

That's all we have for now, NSCAA fans! We hope to see you in the Final Four with plenty of teams and fingernail to spare! Good luck to all you Drawkian teams and fans out there. Nobody ever got hurt over having too much luck. We hope.

[Chromatika]

And Then There Was One
A Look at the Chromatk Schools, Their Journey, and Their Future Opponents
Column by College Basketball Fanatic Lowell Kimberly (LIn), Chromatik City Courier

The opposing side states that it all started when the Vipers destroyed Drawk Corps University by twenty-one points in the first round of competition, part of what was a disastrous first round for Drawkish schools. Since then, though? All for Drawkland. Corinth City University 76-62 Z'ai'ai University of Technology. Sadeg State University 80-73 Chromatik State University. Corinth City University 81-64 Deprí Sanar University. Metropolon City College 74-67 University of Myana. Make that 1-5 in the supposed "rivalry" between Chromatika and Drawkland. No, let's just face it: It's a slaughter.

Oh, and guess what school Pùr State faces next? Corinth City University, who are now calling themselves "Chromatik Crushing Corinth City Chargers". Say that five times fast. What hope do we Chromatik fans have against such brutal destruction of our schools? Of the seven teams that have exited the tournament for Chromatika, five are due to Drawkland, one due to Ceni, and one because Deprí Sanar had to face CCCU in the Round of 32. How can there be any hope against the Crushers?

Ja Thrall, that's how. Or, as his full name goes, Ja'veon Hamilton Thrall, though if you are his friend, you just call him "Ja", pronounced "Ya". The Freshman Power Forward from Pùr itself is making his hometown team proud, averaging an absurd thirty-one points per game in the three games of the tournament. Whether it be getting second-chance points in the paint, shooting threes, or in transition, the Crusaders' game runs through Thrall, and the whole world knows about that.

Thrall was the difference with six points in the last two minutes against Vietussia Academy, he had thirty-four against University of Ice Peak, and then a game-high thirty-eight against College of the Air Force. A one-man battering ram, he can wear you down with his size, with his speed, and with his poise. But it's just one man against an entire race of giants! How can that be ever enough? Well, hear it from the man himself:

"I know there's a lot of hype around me, and around the matchup against Corinth City. This isn't just about me, or about my team. It's about Chromatika. We represent not just the Pùr State University, not just the city of Pùr, but now we represent our entire nation. It is true the task ahead of us is monstrous, and almost impossible; but I would rather go down swinging and fighting for every bucket than go down without a fight. Our team is ready for the battle ahead of us, and we believe in ourselves. It's a shame what happened to Myana - I know a lot of the players there, and Mistie has been helping me a lot with the press this season - and also what happened to Deprí Sanar. However, we've had ZUT and DSU help us with what's worked against Corinth City and what hasn't in their two losses, so maybe third time is the charm. It would mean the world to me to make it to the Final Four, to have a chance at winning the title. At the start of the year it was a dream come true to start for my hometown school. And then it was a dream to win the Conference Tournament. Now it's a dream to reach the Final Four. Every good thing starts with a dream of achieving that thing, and that's what we have next."

Good luck, Crusaders - you carry the hopes of every Chromatik with you.

[Ceni]

The Echo of a Dream

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Chromatik fans are probably tired of seeing Cenian schools' matchups - already, two Cenian schools have played against each other in Chromatika, in addition to the upcoming game between Whitehaven Naval Academy and the University of Cenial, which should be a thriller, if history is to be an indication. What's at stake is a berth in the Final Four - and national pride is at stake between these two schools. While they've only had one matchup between the two nations' schools so far, the rivalry between Drawkish and Cenian schools is also shaping up pretty well so far in this tournament - with three schools for each in the Elite Eight. There will be a highly anticipated matchup between the two nations, though, in the Elite Eight - between the University of New Oxford and Metropolon City College.

In the Sweet Sixteen, which is a good marker for how well a college is playing, Nova Ascea College met its end against one of the Big Four Electrumite colleges, National Electrum University, by a twenty-nine point margin. It was definitely their worst performance of the season for the team, but at least they weren't upset horribly much, as Ceni's Terranean neighbor has a reputation for producing great basketball talent through its university system (interestingly enough, Ceni might start to do that - as their NSCAA teams start to pick up and Ceni is now committing itself more to basketball). National Electrum University dominated scoring throughout each of the four periods, and it seemed like Nova Ascea College had almost no chance in the next round. They were spared a match with the feared #1 seeds, Sadeg State University, who have so far gone undefeated throughout the NSCAA season (although that's a bit like saying that it's OK to kill someone so they will stop fearing death).

However, the University of New Oxford dealt another one of the Electrumite Big Four schools a crushing defeat, even more so than the NEU's defeat of Nova Ascea College. They won by the convincing scoreline of 97-58, with Ashur El-Amin acquitting himself well, scoring 30 points in the absolute drubbing of the twenty-ninth seeds. That college, with their vaunted wheel offense allowing them to rack up the points against the Electrumite school and keep the ball moving, flummoxing the fellow Terranean college. They earned the right to face Metropolon City College, the number 36 seeds, in the Elite Eight in one of the predicted most exciting matches. New Oxford have shown themselves capable of defeating the Drawkish schools, and they have used their wheel offense to good effect against the University of Emesamie. It seems to get other schools off guard by keeping the ball moving around, and everyone on the team has good ball-handling skills, meaning that they're extremely capable of scoring and defending.

Whitehaven Naval Academy defeated Blue Coast University of Vangaziland, seeded thirtieth, in a twenty-nine point blowout, as the Vannish schools - which had been predicted at the beginning of the NSCAA tournament season to win the entire thing - blew out early. They, along with the College of the Air Force, were the last remaining Vannish schools in the tournament, many of the rest defeated by Cenian schools, ironically. The head of the Cenian Basketball Association said that other schools should ignore Ceni at their own peril, and Vangaziland must have ignored Ceni to its own peril, seeing the devastation that Cenian schools wreaked on the Vannish schools, dashing those hopes to win. Meanwhile, Whitehaven Naval Academy continued in their quest to make a deep run in the NSCAA tournament with their tough-to-learn motion offense, which was chosen because it allowed a great amount of passing and teamwork and allowed the school to negate more of the height advantage of the other schools.

Finally, the two cross-town rivals in the University of Ceni and the University of Cenial had a rowdy Sweet Sixteen match, one that was close and down to the wire the entire match. In Ceni, the University of Ceni is a bit more prestigious for its academics, and many pundits, at the beginning of the season, thought it had a better basketball program as well. However, they had a poor conference tournament and were only seeded #43 for the NSCAA Ultra 64 tournament. They mostly ignored that seeding, though, as they upset both the University of Somer and Southpoint Technical College, the latter one of the all-Cenian matchups held in Chromatika. Meanwhile, the University of Cenial was seeded #27, and they upset #6 Emperor State University in the second round with a twelve-point margin. This clash was extremely close, with both schools trading impressive three-point shots and rebounds. The two colleges’ star point guards, Zelimir Frankic of the University of Cenial and Ryan Vermillion of the University of Ceni, had a high-profile clash, with both seeming to compete to see which one could have the most three point throws or better assists. The Quebecois center Francois Gaucher-Faubert led his team in points and rebounds, but his efforts were not enough, as Eric Elgin racked up his own efforts, scoring 25 points with several great dunks and layups. In the end, the higher-seeded NSCAA school – the University of Ceni – prevailed.

A good question in this NSCAA is why Cenian schools have done so well. They may not be genetically predisposed to playing basketball – the average height of the Cenian NSCAA players is around six feet tall, with a majority riding in the five foot ten to six foot four range. In contrast, a lot of the other teams in the NSCAA play with an average height of around six foot seven or higher – into eight feet tall in the case of many Drawkish schools. How has Ceni been able to pull it off? The answer is perhaps because of the level of confidence and training in Ceni in their basketball players. While Ceni has only just gotten started in its basketball efforts, it is generating quite a few new strategies for playing basketball. They are relying on their toughness, stamina, and quickness to make it through, while taking advantage of the lesser mobility of taller players. Thus, they are almost literally re-writing the basketball playbook – not only in terms of height, but in terms of strategy, as Cenian coaches are changing their tactics to make up for the lack of obvious physicality in Cenian players. They are trying to play smart with their tactics – not trying to overwhelm their opponents with height all the time.

Yet despite this great improvement in the Cenian playing throughout the tournament, all of it might just be the echo of a dream. When you have just woken up after a really great dream, you don’t remember it all – that is the echo of a dream. While Ceni has a guaranteed spot in the Final Four, there’s a great possibility that all of these accomplishments in the conferences and the conference tournaments and even reaching the Final Four may be overshadowed by the inevitable loss to one of the superior Drawkish schools (at least, if you listen to them). It’s been a great dream so far, but now it’s time to see if we can prolong that dream – or if sleep is over, dream is done, and Cenian schools are finally out of the competition. We hope that the dream continues, obviously, but it all might be just an echo of a dream in the end… That is, if we aren’t confident, don’t play well, and don’t have faith in ourselves. We can be confident, we can play well, we can have faith in ourselves, and we can win this tournament.