NSCAA 8 - RP Thread

[Ceni]

ONLY THREE REMAIN

There were some major upsets in the Thistly Thirty-Two (as we at Cenisport like to call it) as, unfortunately, some heavy favorites for the Sweet 16 will not be able to play for a chance to win the title, including first seed Endemian College at Whitehaven (a Cenian school, unfortunately), and third seed Metropolon City College - the latter pegged to win the whole tournament by most pundits, and by most fans evidently, which sent about half of the brackets tanking when they were upset by Depri Lanar University of Chromatika. As of the last round, only 3 Cenian schools remain in the Sweet 16 - those being Taurendil Institute, defending champions the University of Cenial, and the Cenian Academy of Science and Technology. With the latest results upending the bracket, let's analyze the next matches for Cenian schools.

(28) TAURENDIL INSTITUTE VS (21) MARIS TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
On paper, this is the closest matchup of all of the Sweet Sixteen rounds - with only 7 seeding ranks separating the two schools. Neither school was supposed to be here in this round, both scheduled to lose in the Thistly Thirty-two, yet both teams had some luck thrown their way in the early rounds. Free Republics' Army Academy, seeded 60th, managed to upset #5 seed Centralia Automotive Institute in the first round before crashing out to Taurendil in the second round, while Maris Technical managed to defeat last year's beaten finalists Sadeg State University of Drawkland in the Thistly Thirty-two to make it here to the Sweet 16.

On paper, Taurendil will be the underdogs in this match, but the Wizards will have to work some magic to get past the tenacious Taurendil team. With experienced hands such as Javier Aiza and Benjamin Espinoza, both with Cenian national team experience, they should be ready to take the helm and guide the Taurendil ship through rough waters past an opponent that does not want to lose and will not give up without a fight - yet this team has seen it all, and they will be ready for the challenge.

(26) UNIVERSITY OF CENIAL VS (10) DUCENTU STATE UNIVERSITY
The University of Cenial had to rely on a bit of luck to get here to the Sweet Sixteen, as they saw Turbani Tech of Valanora surprisingly spring past favorites Cemmendy Tech of Drawkland by an eleven-point margin, allowing them to get an easier path to the Sweet Sixteen after an easy 19-point victory over Castovanni University; they leapt at the opportunity they had been given, defeating Turbani Tech by a good thirteen points. Ducentu State, on the other hand, has had even larger margins of victory than UCenial, with a whopping 25-point victory over Baseton College and a 20-point margin over Nejax Republic University (take note of the Republic, folks!).

University of Cenial could be 4 matches away from repeating their feat of last year (accomplished as the 27th seed, incidentally), but they'd have to get past an inspired Ducentu State to even make it to the next round. That seems like a tall order here (pun not intended), as they'll have to get past a team with laser-hot form and a good foot height advantage on UCenial. Then again, UCenial proved last season that it could defeat Drawkian teams through its combination of the wheel offense and quickness and mobility. It'll be an interesting game to watch, no matter the outcome.

(6) CENIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY VS (22) MARKHAM ACADEMY OF THE ARMY
CAST's route to the Sweet Sixteen has so far been according to seed, although margins of victory have been nothing to scoff at and, in fact, both of their games, a 10-point win over the University of Wickliffe and a 4-point win over Foxilia Tech, both rather low seeds, have been rather close so far, almost surprisingly so. Markham Academy's games have been a little bit more comfortable, but only by a smidgeon, as they beat Depri Sanar by 11 points and fellow Redvali university Metro Maris by 10 in the second round, upsetting the eleventh seed in the process.

To be honest, this is an entirely winnable match for the folks at CAST, with Otto Mauser of Shalum at the lead; Mauser has been all too brutal throughout this season, and should be effective against the 1-3-1 Markham Academy defense. Markham look hot for their performances so far in the tournament, and CAST doesn't look so hot, but they should be able to hold off the up-and-coming Markham Warriors in a close match.

[Ceni]

This is the Cenian Sweet Sixteen cutoff of matches 50 and 55!

[Drawkland]

I have a couple of matches for the Sweet Sixteen. Cutoff for those rn.

RESULTS, it's getting close now!

[Chromatika]

Cutoff!

Scores

[Valanora]

Another cutoff for you.

[Chromatika]

Corinth City University Chargers (Drawkland) record against Chromatik schools in the Ultra 64 Tournament:

NSCAA 7:
Round of 32 vs. Z'ai'ai University of Technology 76-62 W
Sweet Sixteen vs. Deprí Sanar University 81-64 W
Elite Eight vs. Pùr State University 83-73 W

Three wins, knocking out the last Chromatik team from the tournament.

Corinty City University hasn't faced any Chromatik teams thus far in the eighth edition of the tournament. Instead, it's been CCCU that's done the opposite, knocking out favorites in Endemian College at Whitehaven of Ceni that was ranked 1st in the tournament and Drawk Corps University that was ranked 16th. With so many of their compatriots losing early - Pùr State, Chromatik State, University of Myana, Deprí Sanar, and Alnio in the first round, Z'ai'ai in the second, and Deprí Lanar in the third - it will be up to the Stars to carry on the Chromatik flag and the hopes of stopping three Drawkian teams from making it to the Final Four. (To be fair, Taurendil Institute of Ceni will have a say in this as well).

Stars players are rather aware of what this game means. To call Drawkland vs. Chromatika in college basketball a rivalry would be not giving the Drawkians enough credit. Instead, it's been mostly utter domination by Drawkland.

Now, the Stars have a chance to make a major statement, and if Taurendil Institute defeats Old Mountain University, guarantee that there will be a non-Drawkian team in the final.

[Drawkland]

Cutoff for my only elite eight match?! Let's see who's going to the coveted Final Four!

We have our first Semifinalist!

[Ceni]

Cutoff

[Valanora]

Cutoff.

Result

[Chromatika]

Cutoff.

Results

[Ceni]

The one... the only... FINAL 4 CUTOFF

[Drawkland]

WE CAN'T POSSIBLY LOSE THIS TIME?!
Written By: Andrea Tiffon and Drake Baldwin

---

Top Performers: Old Mountain University & Elmanden District College


Because ... duh?

ULTRA 64 TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Cemmendy Tech (DRK) 70–81 Turbani Tech (VAL)

Sadeg State University (DRK) 93–76 Purple Rabbit Institute (EPR)
Sadeg State University (DRK) 79–84 Maris Technical University (VLE)

Metropolon City College (DRK) 96–52 Baseton College (FFR)
Metropolon City College (DRK) 69–78 Depri Lanar University (CMT)

Drawk Corps University (DRK) 97–64 College of Ringold and Balthazar (EPR)
Drawk Corps University (DRK) 78–72 University of Tundra Falls (NEW)
Chromatik City College University (CMT) 68–57 Drawk Corps University (DRK)

Ducentu State University (DRK) 88–65 Raynor University (VAL)
Ducentu State University (DRK) 87–67 Nejax Republic University (FFR)
University of Cenial (CEN) 78–94 Ducentu State University (DRK)
Elmanden District College (DRK) 76–76 Ducentu State University (DRK) (88–87 OT)

Corinth City University (DRK) 81–62 University of Motague-Hawkesberry (CEN)
Corinth City University (DRK) 77–70 Southport University (NEW)
Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 72–74 Corinth City University (DRK)
Chromatik City College University (CMT) 74–85 Corinth City University (DRK)
Corinth City University (DRK) 67–75 Old Mountain University (DRK)

Elmanden District College (DRK) 100–65 Lyrixistan A&M at Cat's Paw (EOC)
Elmanden District College (DRK) 90–75 Z'ai'ai University of Technology (CMT)
Elmanden District College (DRK) 68–62 Loudon Central University (NEW)
Elmanden District College (DRK) 76–76 Ducentu State University (DRK) (88–87 OT)
Elmanden District College (DRK) 79–76 Keisler College (NEW)

Old Mountain University (DRK)109–60 Osaven Tech (KCZ)
Old Mountain University (DRK) 83–68 The Romelu University (LAW)
Old Mountain University (DRK) 94–60 University of Santa Magdalena (AFT)
Old Mountain University (DRK) 81–60 Taurendil Institute (CEN)
Corinth City University (DRK) 67–75 Old Mountain University (DRK)

Now, we don't mean to spoil anything in the title, but if you actually care about the Drawkians in the NSCAA Tournament, you've already watched these nailbiting Final Four matches that sent Drawkian schools into both spots in the NSCAA 8 Championship.

Of course you've already read all of our round-by-round articles¹ that had detailed analysis of every matchup and provided a progressive and intense build-up to the final match. But in case you didn't, for some odd reason, then here's a big overview thingy so you can get your fill of everything going on. For chronological logic, we'll be progressing in elimination order. Spoilers.

CEMMENDY TECH
Ah yes, Cemmendy Tech. Last year they were the highest seed to be eliminated in the first round (2nd overall, if we remember correctly²), and this year they were ranked 7th, which in a regional format, makes them a 2nd seed. But that's irrelevant. What is relevant is that the Cyberpunks were not keen to get shitstomped out of the gate again this time. Come on! Do so well over 20 or so games and then start sucking right as it starts mattering? Who would do that? Somebody with a choking fetish we'd think.
Cemmendy has a choking fetish. Facing the 58th-ranked and lucky qualifiers Turbani Tech of Valanora, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the 'punks could pull this one out and hammer them elves in an exciting first-round Battle of the Techs.³ I mean, what are they gonna do. Lose by 11 points? Oh. They lost by 11 points.

SADEG STATE UNIVERSITY
Seeded 12th in the overall tournament, a big drop from last year's clear 1st seed, Sadeg wanted something to prove. They wanted revenge on Cenial. Now, because of the bracket formation, they'd only be able to face Cenial in the championship, which would require rather astronomical odds, but still. They were out for revenge. The Skyhawks were going for blood.
Facing The Purple Rabbit Institute of the Empire of Purple Rabbits, one of that nation's 4 schools in the tourney, they seemed to have an easy win ahead of them. I mean, they got in on the low reaches of the At-Large listing of the Eternal Conference. And this was definitely true. A 93-76 dominating scoreline proved that Sadeg wasn't messing around. Pulling 17 points on a Top-64 squad isn't easy, but they still did it. Sorry to the Purple Rabbits, but that's how the cookie crumbles.
Next, of course, they faced a much more difficult and close matchup. Maris Technical University, from the famed big city Maris of The Redvale, was their opponent. They were in the Longtail Conference alongside Elmanden, and racked up 19 wins in the process, no small feat. And it's no doubt they were tough, because they made it into the Conference Championship of said conference, but fell to Loudon Empire in said game. But they really proved their worth on being included on the At-Large listing ... by defeating Sadeg State, 79-84. The game lasted until the final 30 seconds, where Sadeg attempted to steal the ball but was given a flagrant foul for facial contact, giving Maris Tech 3 unprotected shots and the ball after that. This pretty much shut off any chances of the Skyhawks making a comeback, and thus they were pitifully eliminated in the second round.
However, they were only the second school to be eliminated. How can we be mad at that? After the second round, 6/8 Drawkian schools were still in.⁴

METROPOLON CITY COLLEGE
Metropolon City College was undoubtedly the school that everyone expected the most out of. Out of the 8 official media-published brackets from various nations, 4 of them⁵ predicted Metropolon to be the winners. Compare this to the other brackets, one that had Old Mountain coming out on top⁶ and another with Corinth. And then two with Cenian schools predicted to finish, but there's no helping those people. I mean, in any case, Metropolon had everything going for them. Despite losing the Woodland Conference final to Cenial,⁷ they still had the best season record and were much better than the year before (a 3rd seed this time rather than a 37th seed last time). And their path to the top was so comparatively easy. They hit the jackpot with seeding. They just had to hop over a mediocre Free Republics school and a past-prime Chromatik school. Hell, they wouldn't even meet real competition until they would meet Keisler College of Newmanistan in the Sweet Sixteen. Then, with CAST of Ceni in their way, they basically were guaranteed a Final Four and perhaps even a Championship berth.
This line of thinking started well. They absolutely tromped over Baseton College from the FFR. Compared to Cemmendy Tech, the third seed who got smashed last year, they reversed the logic and instead smashed the 62nd seed like everyone expected. It sucks that 96-52 was how the poor Republican players had to go out, but that's just how it goes when you get matched up with Drawkians. Metropolon had proved that they meant serious business. They made it into the Elite Eight last season from the 37th spot, imagine the damage they could do from 3rd!
Alright, next round. They had Depri Lanar University from good ol' Chromatika, a 30 seed. Woo, easy win, right? Hell, some Depri Lanar students, when hearing they'd indeed be playing Metropolon, decided to not watch the game in order to not be absolutely heartbroken. Well, perhaps they should've watched. The Warriors in neon green and cyan put the heat on the maroon and red of Metropolon and annihilated them, almost by 20 points. Let's just say that the Generals were not too happy at the 59-78 scoreline they witnessed in person and on TV. Well, probably nobody but the Chromatiks, considering that this busted almost every bracket (6/8 had Metropolon in the Final Four). And just like that, only 5/8 schools left. Let's hope this mathematical trend doesn't continue, right?

DRAWK CORPS UNIVERSITY
Drawk Corps University was, surprisingly, the worst-ranked Drawkian school. They were a 16th seed. This is still very impressive though. I mean, they were expected to make it to the Sweet Sixteen, at least numerically. But anybody who knows DCU knows that they're not exactly the most skilled school when it comes to the knockout format. Just look at their first-round loss last season. Or look that the fact that they lost out in the quarterfinals of the Eternal Conference tournament, being the only Drawkian school to do so. So not many people expected them to go far, especially with the bracket setting them up to play the #1 ranked Endemian College at Whitehaven in the Sweet Sixteen, where they'd almost certainly be crushed.
But you have to start at the beginning. They were set to play the College of Ringold and Balthazar, one of the Empire of Purple Rabbits' 4 schools. They barely made it in via At-Large berth, and were ranked 49th. I mean, you'd think they could easily overcome them, but they couldn't even overcome The Purple Rabbit Institute in conference tournament play. They were probably sweating when they heard that they'd be playing a Purple Rabbit school in the first round. Would they choke by 7 points again? Answer is, surprisingly, no. They'd win a convincing and punishing 97-64 game to send the Corps U to the next round. Sorry, Ringold, and sorry, Balthazar. It was time for the Corps to get off their asses and play for once.
Next came the matchup that many were worried about. Tundra Falls of Newmanistan. A certainly famous school, ranked 17th this season. And the Corps, being only one seed higher, would technically be evenly matched, and thus ... wait a minute. They sound familiar. Oh yeah, these teams are both from the Eternal Conference. And they've played each other twice. Both times, the Corps came out on top, by a large margin. And thus that's how it happened again, except perhaps not by the same margin. 78-72 was the score, and it went down to the wire. In fact, up until the last moment, the score was 75-72, but at the last second, with Drawk Corps stealing the ball away, Jazmin Madison took the ball and launched it cross-court in celebration, but miraculously, the ball still made it into the hoop, make the score 78-72 at the buzzer. Unprecedented, sure, but still hilarious. And certainly enough to send the Corps to the next round.
Oh look, they're in the Sweet Sixteen. Oh look, the top seed lost and now all that's left is the Chromatik School ranked 32 to their 16. Oh look, they could easily be beat. Oh look, Drawk Corps decided this was a good time to choke and lose by 11 points. Oh look, absolutely nobody is surprised. Honestly, I think everyone was just relieved they made it out of the first round without prolapsing all over the court. Great sendoff, Drawk Corps. At least your 68-57 loss was the only loss by Drawkians in the Sweet Sixteen. This means, with 3 rounds left including the Championship, still half of the Drawkian schools were left in. Great stuff, guys! Way better than last year where only 3 schools even made it to the second round.

DUCENTU STATE UNIVERSITY
Ducentu State University was definitely expected to do well. You might've noticed how we selected them to win the entire tournament, or at least do the best out of all the Drawkian schools. Well, they didn't make it to the Final, but damn were they close. Ranked 10th overall, the Eagles were coming hot into the tournament, despite losing the Terranea Conference Final to Keisler College. They knew they could do well and they had a relatively easy path in the bracket. If you don't count the fact that they would likely play the Defending Champions and Absolute Scumbags of the University of Cenial. Oh lord. How did it turn out?
They first played 55-seed Raynor University of Valanora. While the Vanorians are pretty good at basketball sorta, their college programs leave some⁸ to be desired. I'm sure that's what many of their students were thinking when Ducentu came out on top by 15 points, 88-63. The celebration for the newcomers on the international stage was large, and we know Ducentu State was super stoked to be moving on in the tournament.
And then they'd go on to face Nejax republic University, who pulled off an upset on West Redvale College to move on, as a 42-seed. This made some fans nervous, but once the game started, and once Ducentu had a 10-point lead at halftime, they knew everything would be okay. They kept in stride, scoring much more and playing very good defense on the Republicans, and eventually came up with a scoreline of 87-67. And then ... came the match of the tournament.
Ducentu might be new on the scene as far as players go, but they all know what went down last year. Everyone knows. Everyone saw. Everyone cried and screamed and committed arson and sent a thousand curses to the land of Ceni.⁹ So when they were set to match up against them, they knew the task that was now theirs. They knew how crucial this match was. They stepped up to the plate. Or rather, the court. Cenial already had lucked out when Turbani Tech defeated Cemmendy Tech in the first round and therefore keeping Cenial Drawkian-free for 2 rounds. They wouldn't be so luck this time. Sure, they'd defeated Sadeg last season. Sure, they'd easily smashed Metropolon in the Woodland Conference. Sure, they were still out to defend a title. But Ducentu's Eagles ceased to care. 26th seed on 10th seed? Should be a close game? No. The Eagles have something to prove. And prove they did. They sent Cenial packing convincingly. 78-94, a 16-point lead. It was evident in the final 2 minutes of the game that it was over for the ""champions"". As sweet as it is, it's almost sad that it had to turn out like it did. Maybe, I don't know, Cenial could've made it another few rounds. Or maybe lost in OT or by a buzzer-beater. Actually, no.¹⁰ Good on you, Ducentu.
What was their reward for slaying the giants and becoming the new heroes of our nation? Well, playing our fellow countrymen of course! The Elite Eight had Ducentu playing against the #2 seeded Elmanden District College, who were definitely on a hot streak and out to redeem themselves from the year before's terrible first-round exit. Now, don't get us wrong. All the Drawkian teams are out to win it. They all want the glory for themselves. But in a truer sense, we are all Drawkian, and we all want a Drawkian school to win. Even rivals, like Cemmendy and Elmanden, would like each other to win if they themselves couldn't. So when Drawkian schools have a chance to play each other (which didn't happen at all last time), they'd definitely use that time to have an easy and even fun game. And that's clearly what happened here. Ducentu and Elmanden had a carefree game, not playing a whole ton of defense, just having an easy-going game. In fact, Elmanden actually gave up the easy game-winning shot in the final seconds to intentionally drive the game into overtime after the 2 halves of folly. The OT is where the teams got down to business though, playing the hard and fast game and bringing in the impenetrable D. And in the end, it was Ducentu that unfortunately failed to capitalize, the game-winning shot knocking off the rim and sending the Eagles home. 88-87 in overtime is how the Eagles fell, but being in the Elite Eight in their first attempt? Nothing to complain about.

CORINTH CITY UNIVERSITY
Last season, Corinth City made it to the Final Four and lost to the eventual champions you-know-who.¹¹ And, as noted before the season started, they expected to be able to make it to the Championship this time. Now, the Chromatik Crushin' Corinth City Chargers from yesteryear may not be the same this year, but we still think they had a solid shot in the tournament. And, well, they had a repeat. Not bad at all, considering how their fellow semifinalists from last year crashed out in Round 2.
To start off the new tournament, Corinth City had to pick up where they left off and play a Cenian school. But it was only the University of Montague-Hawkesbury, who were a 56-seed compared to Corinth's 9, and who ended in the mid-table of the Cat Valley Conference. And thus it was no surprise to see a 19-point trouncing of the poor mediocre Cenians, an 81-62 ass-handing. This kept faith in the Chargers as they continued their tirade up the bracket.
Next they had to face another NSCAA powerhouse in a Newmanistani school, this specifically being Southport University. It's actually regrettable that said team progressed, as in if they'd lost, then Corinth would've gone against Chromatik State University and given the Chargers another chance to add to the accolades of their moniker. Maybe someday they'd have, in total, crushed all the Chromatik Colleges. What a sight that would be. But alas, that's just what we wish could've happened. What really happened was a 77-70 game in which Corinth easily won, having a 7-point lead, give or take, almost the whole game. While this was rather deflating for the Newmanistani members of the crowd, it was certainly a relieving win in the round where 2 Drawkian schools went out.
Corinth lucked out in several ways in the next round. Mar Sara Tech, of Valanora,¹² was set to be their Sweet Sixteen opponent. Which is odd. Mar Sara was a 40-seed, defeated 25-seed University of Ceni by 3 points, and then Ceni's University of New Oxford, 8-seed, by 6 points. While their contributions for the betterment of the universe did not fall on deaf eyes or blind ears, one can not simply let them waltz into a deep round. Corinth is on a mission, and while we felt bad eliminating the last Vanorian school, it was a scary 72-74 win that came down to an extremely lucky blocked three-pointer that would've come from Arsirion Gaagata had it not been for the errant hand of Abby Marlon sending it spinning to the edge of the backboard. No matter the result, the bracket marches on.
The incredible draw luck for Corinth continued in the next round when they were set to play Chromatik City College University. This was triply lucky. Not only did they avoid having to play the number 1 seed, Endemian College @ Whitehaven, they also avoiding having to play our own Drawk Corps, since both were defeated by the Chromatiks. And best of all, they got to play Chromatiks. Finally, for the first and likely only time of the tournament, the Chargers would have a chance to once again live up to their nickname. And boy did they. After winning the game by 11 points, 74-85, the Corinthian crowd chanted, "Chromatik City College Crushing Conference Champions Corinth City Chargers," which is exactly what we predicted they'd be at the beginning! Now, they did luck out a bit. Out of 3 encounters this year (being in the Sky Blue Conference together), this is the only one which the Chargers came out victorious. But as we always say, better to get the losing out when it doesn't matter. Good on Corinth for following through there.
And then, there they were again, in the Final Four. Except this time they'd be playing our own, the second of 2 ever Drawkian-on-Drawkian NSCAA matchups. The Chargers would be playing the lowkey and new kids on the block, Old Mountain University. Except, with a championship berth on the line, they wouldn't be playing it like Elmanden and Ducentu did. This was for glory. This was for the chance to be true champions. So it may not have been a joke of a game, but it was still lighthearted, with classic Drawkian cheers going around rather than raucous calls and such. And, unfortunately for Corinth, Old Mountain was just on their game that night, boding well for their immediate future. A big 67-75 loss isn't the most encouraging thing, but this just proves that Corinth intends to be a perennial contender, and we expect great things from them coming forward.

ELMANDEN DISTRICT COLLEGE
You may remember Elmanden suffering the worst possible fate last year. The 2nd seed of NSCAA 7. Playing some irrelevant school from an irrelevant nation in the first round. And proceeding to bomb out and lose the game, 65-101 or something ridiculous.¹³ It just seemed to violate the laws of physics,¹⁴ athletics, and common sense. And being a 2nd seed for the second year in the row (not to mention now the top Drawkian seed thanks to those fuckers in Whitehaven), a lot of weight was on the Mechanor's shoulders. But they weren't going to go quietly. Or loudly. Or at all. No, sir. Elmanden was out for spiritual revenge. Not literal revenge, since the Nuevo Caracas school that defeated them before didn't even get close to making it into the tournament. Hell, they were like 10th in their conference. Talk about LAME.
Their spiritual revenge was almost perfect, though. We feel semi-bad, since Empire of Cats' only entrant, Lyrixistan A&M at Cat's Paw, was their opponent (and the Empire of Cats people are pretty cool and nice people and the fans were very polite in the cute "we're just glad to be here way), and thus they had to pour this undue punishment on them, but perhaps that's just how the laws of the universe predicted it. 100-65. Almost perfect numerical revenge. In fact, if it weren't for a missed free throw at the end of the game by Alva Rigby, it would've been perfect. But no matter. They were one off, and they actually got to advance this time. There was no precedent from last year. There was no telling what they could do.
Next they played Z'ai'ai University of Technology, a victim of the Chargers last year, which was lucky, since they expected to be playing the 3-seed-higher University of Empress Jessica I of Newmanistan in this round, which obviously would've been a slightly tougher match. But they took advantage of the situation rather than pissing it away, and that's why they won by a huge 90-75 margin to get them into the Sweet Sixteen.
In the second round, Loudon Empire and Loudon Central, two Newmanistan schools with similar names that we imagine are close rivals, played each other, and Loudon Central, the slightly higher seed, came out victorious. It was going to be a tough match, Elmanden's first truly difficult test, but they passed with flying colors. the 6-point 68-62 gap may seem small to those who didn't watch the game, but it was clear the entire time that the Mechanors would pull it out. They led by 6 for pretty much the entire game, and there was no point in the match where poor Loudon Central was in the lead.
And then, in the Elite Eight, Elmanden had the pleasure of facing Ducentu, which we've already discussed. Fun game and all, but that wasn't the true test. The Final Four was just around the corner after that, and they'd be playing the last non-Drawkian school left in the tournament. Honestly, they were playing to prevent what happened last year. They had to play to prevent Keisler College from becoming the next Cenial. They were playing for continued redemption, playing for a new legacy, playing for their own enjoyment. The match itself was long and hard, and it went back-and-forth. It came really close at times, in fact, Keisler College held the lead for a good chunk of the game, over a majority of it. Elmanden was once down by 9 points. But they pulled the defense out of their asses and drained dagger long shots that Keisler couldn't match. They strutted their stuff, and barely managed to eek out of there with a 79-76 win to send them to the championship and guarantee a Drawkian winner of NSCAA 8. And that, we suppose, is the true accomplishment.

OLD MOUNTAIN UNIVERSITY
Finally, the quiet school. The one without much hype, the one without much of anything. Would they be the next Metropolon, coming out of nowhere to dominate? Would they be the next Notamill, the school nobody cared for that would have a careless first-round exit?¹⁵ Anything could happen, and as the 4th seed, they definitely had an advantage when it came to the bracket draw. And that's not even counting the lucky upsets that paved the way for their success.
Let's start at the beginning, because where the hell else would you start? Facing Osaven Tech, the one and only Kecrazian school who were 4th in the Sky Blue Conference and barely eeked in to the Ultra 64. Old Mountain, not wanting to blow their chance so early, accidentally turned it up to 11. And then somebody accidentally drew an extra one, which meant they turned it up to 111. Well, not really. They actually turned it up to 109. As in, the final score was 109-60. Yeah. We can't really check anywhere, but we're pretty sure that's the largest win we've seen so far. I mean, seriously! 49 point gap, and clearly in the 3-digit range! That's something that you'd only see in a conference with only one good school, or maybe the first round of a tournament, like this. It was an utterly impressive beatdown, but that's how it went.
And after such a beatdown, it was no surprise to anybody that Old Mountain continued the dominance and unloaded 83 points on The Romelu University, one of two LukaluLaw schools, compared to their allowing of 68 points. 15 points may not be 49, but it's still quite a win and continued to prove that the Northerners meant real business out on the courts of the Ultra 64.
They were lucky in the Sweet Sixteen, too. Instead of them facing Newmanistan's Pocono City Tech, as predicted by many, they actually faced Abanhfleft's only entrant, University of Santa Magdalena, a 52 seed which had defeated the 13 seed and the 20 seed, Castle Valle Rojas of Redvale. While USM had slain several giants on their way to the Sweet Sixteen, Old Mountain proved that there really is a mountain high enough, and finally put out the light of the Fleftics, a huge 94-60 win that was a small multitude of careless shots away from repeating their first-round annihilation.
You may see a pattern here now of Old Mountain facing single- or few-entrant nations' schools, so you think, meh, they're not all that. Just lucky draw and a refusal to choke. Well, you might want to pass that information on to Taurendil Institute of Ceni. They'd probably have a few words with you. Again, Old Mountain should've been facing a much better opponent, Centralia Automotive Institute of Newmanistan, who choked in full Cemmendy NSCAA 7 style in round one from the 5th seed spot. So instead they played one of two remaining Cenian teams. And their domination simply refused to stop. With their opposition yet again scoring only 60 points, the Northerners (or Mountaineers as some call them) scored all over Taurendil, racking up 81 and hence a 21 point margin.
The poor Cenians were all gone after that round, but Old Mountain didn't have time to mourn. They had to face Corinth City. And like the Elmanden-Ducentu game, we covered this in an earlier section, but still. Old Mountain just continued to have the capacity to score a whole bunch of points and allow very little. It's clear now that their defensive stand is highly impressive, as this win continued to show, with a 67-75 win lighting up the boards to send them to their first major final in anything, much less the international stage.

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THE FINAL

So now we have our finalists. The Terrible Two. The Dynamic Duo.¹⁶ The NSCAA 8 Championship Contenders. Whatever you wanna call 'em. They're here. Old Mountain University and Elmanden District College. They're both Drawkian, and thus, we don't care who wins. We all win, either way. So instead of posting an actual prediction, we'll post some relevant (and irrelevant) comparisons between the two and allow you, the readers, to draw your own conclusions thusly.

First off, they're both Drawkian, therefore they're both inclined to win because they're good. However, they're both inclined to lose since Drawkian schools are 0/1 in NSCAA Finals. WHAT DO I BELIEVE??!!

Elmanden was in NSCAA 7, therefore they have experience but also pressure to live down last season. Old Mountain started in NSCAA 8, therefore they're free of baggage and don't have as much pressure. In this we'd have to give it to experience, Elmanden should win.

Old Mountain, in the Ultra 64 tournament, has never allowed more than 70 points by their opponents (closest being The Romelu University in Round 2 with 68 points). That, and their smallest margin of victory was 8 points. Overall, they have a point differential of +127 in 5 games, if we counted correctly. That equates to an average of winning by about 25-ish points per game. Meanwhile, Elmanden has allowed up to 88 points (even though that was overtime - their regular time highest was 76 in both the Elite Eight and Final Four). In final score, they only have a differential of +70, winning by a measly 14 points per game. Here the evidence is clear: Old Mountain should win.

Elmanden is 2nd seed while Old Mountain is 4th seed. By the laws of mathematics, Elmanden should win.

Elmanden lost in the conference tournament of the Longtail Conference and got in via At-Large. Old Mountain, however, effectively destroyed all in their path of the Mezzanine Conference, and are conference champions. Therefore, Old Mountain should win.

But wait, the Mezzanine Conference was based in Chromatika, while the Longtail Conference was in Ceni. Ceni did better in the Ultra 64 as a whole, and both conferences are of equal strength (4 entrants to the 64), therefore Elmanden should win.

Mezzanine Conference featured black and gold colors, while Longtail is black and pink. Since gold is pretty much better than pink in every way, Old Mountain should win.

Old Mountain's colors are maroon and pale green, or something like that. Their colors are kind of hard to define. Meanwhile, Elmanden has a simple and effective grey and white scheme happening. With the superior color scheme, Elmanden should win.

What about mascots? Old Mountain's Northerners are brutes, hardened men and women who can survive tough conditions and forged a path for many through the hardly-charted lands of inner Drawkland. On the other hand, we're pretty sure "Mechanors" is just a way of making sure you're not called the "Mechanics," because that's pretty fricken lame. Obviously in an actual fight, the Northerners, and thus Old Mountain, should win.

Uniforms are also important. To the right are pictures the uniforms of both of the schools. They'll be both wearing the full-color version, no white on the court because why would you do that, that's lame. This ties in with color, while Old Mountain has a less desirable color scheme, they do have a cool mountain design and a good template on use. However, the simple color scheme and the simple design of Elmanden is just barely, slightly cooler. So we'd have to barely give it to Elmanden there.

Elmanden is located in the northwest corner of the Ellzidanet territory, while Old Mountain is located slightly north of Drawk City. Since Old Mountain is in the much better geographical position, they should win.

Old Mountain is known for being a quieter, politer, not-as-sportsy-but-still-good-at-sports school. Elmanden, however, is up-and-coming and has recently gained a huge student body and sports following. With more intense fans, and therefore more control over green and red energy, Elmanden should clearly win.

Old Mountain was founded very early in Drawkland's history, and is considered a "Heritage Site,"¹⁷ whereas Elmanden is relatively new and was founded after the industrial peak began and the nation needed more skilled laborers who understood mechanics and similar programs. With the age advantage, Old Mountain should win.

Finally, the defending champions, University of Cenial, were defeated by Ducentu. Ducentu were defeated by Elmanden. Since they're carrying the championship progression, Elmanden should win. But wait! The defending champions, University of Cenial, defeated Corinth City University in the Final Four before going on to win the championship in NSCAA 7. Old Mountain defeated Corinth City University in order to make it to the final. By Cenial logic, both teams should win, therefore we're calling this moot before we think up anything else.

Thanks for reading, watching, and sticking around. Good luck to the two schools competing, and thanks to all the other schools that played. We hope you had as much fun as we did. Oh, and especially good luck to Valanora's and Natanians and Nosts' media members. If Old Mountain wins, NTN will win the bracket challenge. If Elmanden wins, VAL will win the challenge. That's what happens when you bank solely on the Drawkians.

See you next season.

¹ Which totally exist, obviously.
² Not because we're too lazy to check, or anything.
³ Who from Newmanistan said Tech schools are boring? They've clearly never been to a Drawkian Tech school.
⁴ For about 3 hours.
⁵ Literally half of them.
⁶ Lucky bastards.
⁷ CURSE THEIR NAMES!
⁸ Read: A Lot
⁹ Hey, maybe that's why their national soccer team keeps choking! Karma from Cenial!
¹⁰ Okay fine, you can lynch me anyway.
¹¹ I'm content with never speaking their name again. Yes, I realize this is typing and not speaking. Fuck you.
¹² Because where else would Mar Sara be from? Do you live under a rock?
¹³ We're too lazy and still offended to check the actual scoreline. It's pretty close though.
¹⁴ Which we're sure the nerds at Elmanden could tell you all about.
¹⁵ This is an unfair comparison, really. Nobody liked Notamill. People have a faint but fond liking of Old Mountain.
¹⁶ Even though that commonly describes allies, not opponents. And OMU/EDC aren't really partners in crime, either, so basically I shouldn't have included this. Whatever.
¹⁷ Read: old places that Iarocav likes to visit

A gajillion thanks to Saint Kanye for making all 8 of these, even if I was a little impatient about the last few! I'm incredibly grateful.

[Ceni]

This is the FINAL CUTOFF